Leapmotor C10 SUV

160kW Life 70kWh 5dr Auto [2025]

If Leapmotor is unfamiliar to you, it may well join a host of other car brands that seem equally obscure.

A swathe of Chinese car manufacturers have invaded the UK, hoping to crack the European market - and some have made a good first impression.

There is BYD, which names most of its vehicles after marine life. Add Jaecoo, Omoda, Ora, and Skywell to that list, and that's just a handful of the new kids on the block. Several others are already here or in the process of setting up shop.

While some have rather bizarre origins, such as spawning out of a company that made parts for refrigerators, others are all-new ventures.

Some have already attracted the attention - and, indeed, the financial investment - of bigger brands and well-established conglomerates.

Leapmotor is no exception: Stellantis, the fourth-largest automotive manufacturer in the world in terms of vehicles shifted, owns Abarth, Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall, and ten other marques.

It now has a 51% share in Leapmotor's international operations, and thanks to that investment, the all-electric Leapmotor C10 was launched outside China late last year.

But it's been swiftly followed by a new variant called the C10 REEV. The unfamiliar acronym stands for “Range Extender Electric Vehicle”.

Yet curiously, despite the name, the REEV isn’t classed as an electric car.

Confused? Let us enlighten you.