Leapmotor T03 review – a cheap but well-equipped electric city car

Verdict – is the Leapmotor T03 a good car?

Few cars on the market offer value for money quite like the Leapmotor T03. This affordable electric city car comes loaded with features you’d expect in a car from the class above, making it a tempting alternative to its key rival, the Dacia Spring. It even drives better than expected and offers a respectable range, though the ride can be a bit bouncy. That said, as a newcomer, Leapmotor’s reliability remains unproven, while the cabin plastics feel cheap and the boot is on the small side.

Leapmotor T03 models, specs and alternatives

Leapmotor is an ambitious new startup car company from China, specialising in affordable electric vehicles. If you haven’t heard of it before, you’re not alone – the brand was only founded in 2015, but it has big plans for European expansion, capitalising on the growing demand for low-cost electric transport.

The Leapmotor T03 is the vehicle tasked with introducing the brand to the UK. It’s a small electric city car with an equally small price tag of just £16,000, making it one of the most affordable cars on sale today – electric or otherwise. Despite that, it still has its fair share of rivals in 2025. Its key competitor is the even-cheaper Dacia Spring, but there’s also the pricier Citroen e-C3, Renault 5 and Fiat 500 Electric to contend with.

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Those brands have strong reputations over here, so Leapmotor has its work cut out if it’s to break into the mainstream. Some of that burden will be carried by Stellantis, the parent-brand behind Citroen, Fiat, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Jeep, which has a major stake in Leapmotor and will oversee its introduction to the UK. The T03 will even be built in the same factory as the Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger and Alfa Romeo Junior in Poland.

But it's the value-for-money offered by the Leapmotor T03 that will win over customers. In fact, Leapmotor’s UK brand director claims that the T03 is the “best value” car on sale here today, so buyers on a budget should take notice.

It may cost around £1,000 than the Dacia Spring, but you get more standard equipment, more range and more performance. There’s just one powertrain option available: a front-mounted 95bhp electric motor with a 37kWh battery. That power figure is comparable to other city cars with a traditional petrol engine, such as the Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10, so it should, in theory, be enough for a car like the T03.

There’s also just one trim level from launch, though additional versions could arrive later. The T03 gets some fancy features such as a panoramic sunroof with an electronically retractable sun shade, eight-inch digital gauge cluster, 10.1-inch infotainment screen with sat nav, voice control, 4G connectivity and air con, all of which help it to stand out in its segment.

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The Leapmotor T03 is fully electric and the lineup is very simple – there’s just one battery and electric motor option. The T03’s battery is very small and yet it boasts a reasonable range figure, all things considered – that’s thanks to its narrow tyres, low levels of drag and regenerative braking tech. 165 miles will be plenty for those that want a city car for pootling to and from the shops or commuting within the city. Rival electric city car, the Dacia Spring, has a smaller battery and has an on-paper figure of 140 miles.

You get DC rapid charging with the Leapmotor T03, but it’s only rated at up to 45kW. That’s some way off the Citroen e-C3’s 100kW charging speed, but it’s still more than the Dacia Spring, which tops out at just 30kW. A 30 to 80% top up using a rapid charger should take just over half an hour.

But we imagine most owners will keep their T03 charged up at home using a wallbox charger. In this scenario, the same 30 to 80% recharge should take 3.5 hours thanks to its onboard 6.6kW AC charger. 

What will the Leapmotor T03 cost to insure?

Insurance groupings are yet to be released for the Leapmotor T03. With its low purchase price and power figure we wouldn’t expect it to be particularly pricey to insure, but electric cars can tend to be more expensive than combustion-engined rivals, so nothing can be confirmed as yet.

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Your first impressions of the Leapmotor T03 might have you expecting it to be terrible to drive given its thin tyres and tall appearance, but it might just surprise you. Once we set off, we were pleased at just how normal it feels to drive.

The T03 feels secure and grounded on the move, and more refined than you might expect of a city car – probably down to the fact it weighs around 230kg more than a Dacia Spring. That extra weight does mean it’s not quite as nippy as you’d expect for an EV, with 0-62mph taking 12 seconds – only a second or so quicker than the Spring. You’ll find yourself needing to floor the accelerator pedal to make a quick getaway from a junction, but it’s much more responsive once you’re up to speed.

There are three regenerative braking settings: ‘Sport’, ‘Eco’, and ‘Standard’. Sport has the strongest stopping force, which is almost strong enough for one-pedal driving, while Eco switches it completely off – that’s confusing given the fact that regenerative braking is usually touted as a more eco-friendly setting given that it puts power back into the battery from otherwise-wasted braking energy.

It’s not perfect of course – as a result of the T03’s small dimensions you may find you have to correct the steering on some sloped roads, and the small wheels can easily end up following the ruts and imperfections – a phenomenon known as tramlining. The ride can also become unsettled over some bumps, but it’s hardly noticeable around town and we wouldn’t describe it as crashy – just a little bouncy.

Aside from that, the T03 copes with potholes and bumps well in terms of comfort. The front seats let it down somewhat, though, because they didn’t provide a whole lot of support, but the rear seats feel well padded for passengers.

Is the Leapmotor T03 good to drive in town?

As you should reasonably expect from a ‘city’ car, the Leapmotor T03 is good to drive in town and in urban environments. It’s got a very tight turning circle which makes manoeuvring in small spaces easy. The steering is very light in whichever drive mode you’re in, but it’s relatively slow so you have to turn the wheel more than expected. Visibility is great in the T03 and because of its boxy shape, it’s easy to tell where all corners of the car are, making it easy to park.

Is the Leapmotor T03 good to drive on long journeys?

City cars aren’t usually the most confidence-inspiring to drive on a motorway, but the T03 performs surprisingly well. There’s enough power for it to be driven confidently on a motorway and overtake other vehicles, even if it does run out of oomph at higher speeds. It’s refined with very little road noise because of the narrow tyres, although its boxy shape does create a bit of wind noise. We also noticed there was a little vibration from the door seal around 65mph.

Is the Leapmotor T03 good to drive on B-roads?

Though people have come to expect high power figures and punchy performance from EVs in recent times, the T03 isn’t the most responsive when you put your foot down. The throttle is mapped with a delay from a standstill so it won’t pull your face off, but it does feel more responsive once on the move. The Leapmotor T03 isn’t anything to write home about in terms of driving fun, but we were surprised how well it performed for a city car.

Carbuyer notes

“Once you set off in the Leapmotor T03, it feels secure, stable and ready to showcase its 165-mile range.” Alastair Crooks, senior news reporter.

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The Leapmotor T03 is cheap to buy, so expectations are low in terms of interior quality. While there are some cheap-feeling materials about the cabin and it’s pretty basic all-round, it does at least feel well put together. In places where you’re more likely to look or touch, material quality is improved, such as the faux-leather steering wheel and chrome door handles.

There are very few physical buttons in the cabin as most of the key controls are operated via the touchscreen, including the radio, navigation, climate controls and driving assistance settings. This is in-keeping with lots of modern cars, but some might find the physical controls in the Dacia Spring easier to use on the move.

Is the Leapmotor T03’s infotainment and navigation system easy to use?

The Leapmotor T03 gets an eight-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.1-inch central touchscreen. The driver’s instrument display shows all the key information you’d need, though it isn’t configurable.

We don’t like the positioning of the infotainment touchscreen because it’s too close to the steering wheel which obscures some of the view. You’re also likely to need some time to familiarise yourself with the various menus and digital buttons – it’s far from the least intuitive layout, but there’s still a lot to get your head around. That said, it’s quick to respond to your touches and the screen resolution is good, although the shortcut bar at the bottom is strangely blurry. 

Sat nav comes as standard and the map is easy to follow, although we’d advise against using the gimmicky 3D view – it looks distorted to the point that it’s distracting and seems pointless.

We found the T03’s driver assistance systems to be more of a nuisance than a help most of the time, with relentless alerts that quickly wear thin. The lane-keeping assistance is particularly overzealous, frequently nudging the steering wheel on narrow country roads in a way that feels more intrusive than reassuring. To make matters worse, switching these systems off requires using the touchscreen – but only when stationary – making the whole process unnecessarily frustrating.

Is the Leapmotor T03 well equipped?

Though the Leapmotor is only available in one trim, we think it’s well equipped for an EV of this price. The aforementioned infotainment with sat nav and driver’s display are included, while all models get 15-inch wheels and a panoramic roof with an electrically operated sun shade, plus features like air conditioning, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, 4G connectivity, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking. While it costs around £1,000 more than a Dacia Spring, it certainly makes up for that with the amount of equipment thrown in.

What options should you choose on the Leapmotor T03?

The only choice you need to make when it comes to buying a T03 is which colour you want. There are just three options to choose from: Light White, Starry Silver and Glacier Blue. It’s safe to say that’s not the most inspiring palette, but at least it keeps costs down and makes choosing one easy.

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There’s no getting past the fact that the Leapmotor T03 is a small car, so it’s not the most practical. That said, clever packaging makes the most of the space on offer – it may be shorter and narrower than the Dacia Spring, but it feels like the more spacious of the two.

While the front two seats are fairly close together, there’s more headroom and legroom than you get in the Spring. It’s a similar story in the back two seats – there’s more headroom than you’d expect and just enough kneeroom for adults. It’s strictly a four-seater, and there’s no fold-down armrest between the two rear seats.

Does the Leapmotor T03 have a big boot?

The Leapmotor T03’s boot isn’t the most spacious on offer and the Dacia Spring boasts a much larger capacity. There’s just about enough room for your weekly shop or a short weekend away for two, but it’s not the most usable space because of its awkward shape. The opening curves around the rear lights, which makes the boot harder to access, while the load lip is disappointingly high. There’s no underfloor storage available either.

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The T03 is the first Leapmotor model to hit the UK and as such neither the model nor the brand have featured in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. It’s also yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, but it does come with a wide array of safety assistance systems which might put your mind at ease.

It’s hard to comment on reliability with how new the brand and model are to the UK, but Leapmotor is backed by Stellantis which owns a majority stake. To reassure customers, the Leapmotor T03 actually gets a longer warranty than some other EVs from Stellantis, lasting for up to four years or 60,000 miles – a year longer than cars sold in mainland Europe.

How safe is the Leapmotor T03?

Leapmotor says the T03 should prove very safe once it’s tested by Euro NCAP thanks to its body-cage structure which consists of a one-piece aluminium beam and high strength steel over 60% of the car’s body. It’s too early to say for sure, though, so we’ll wait until the T03 is tested to say for sure whether it’s safe or not.

The Leapmotor T03 comes with a wide array of safety tech making use of three cameras and five radar sensors. These include lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic speed assist with traffic sign recognition, a driver fatigue monitor, blind spot detection and an automatic emergency braking system.

What is the warranty on the Leapmotor T03?

The Leapmotor T03 is backed by a four-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s a year longer than customers in mainland Europe get, and a year longer than the industry standard. There’s also a separate eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the battery.

Still, the Dacia Spring wins in this department with the brand’s impressive seven-year, 75,000-mile warranty when you service it every year or every 18,000 miles via an official dealer. Peugeot’s eight-year, 100,000-mile Allure Care warranty for its EVs is even better.

Should you buy a Leapmotor T03?

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The Leapmotor is an impressive affordable electric city car that’s definitely worth your consideration if you want to take the leap into EV motoring – pun intended. The city car market has been in decline for some time and an electrified reinvention of this sector could be just what’s needed to reignite it.

Not only is the Leapmotor T03 cheap, though, it’s also well equipped with gadgetry you’d reasonably expect on a modern supermini thrown in to sweeten the deal. The T03 does lack some personality and flair, admittedly, but it’s good enough to drive and comfortable, too. 

The Leapmotor is not just a contender for other electric rivals like the Dacia Spring, but we think it’s good enough to give better-established petrol-powered city cars like the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 a run for their money.
 

Leapmotor T03 alternatives

The Leapmotor T03’s main rival is Dacia’s latest bargain electric car, but it’s also likely to be considered alongside conventional petrol-powered city cars, too.

• Dacia Spring
• Kia Picanto
• Hyundai i10