Leapmotor B03X

Founded in 2015 in Hangzhou, Leapmotor tied up with Stellantis in 2023, which matters in daily use because the group’s dealers sell and service the cars. The B03X is the brand’s fifth global model, but it is still imported from China and therefore carries European import duties, while part of the range will be built near Zaragoza.

A smile for a signature

The B03X measures 4.27m long and 1.81m wide, on a 2.60m wheelbase. The styling goes for friendly rather than aggressive, with a front light bar shaped like a smile and rear lamps to match. Inside, the horizontal dashboard makes the cabin feel wide, and two screens organise the layout, a free-standing 14.6in touchscreen in the centre and an 8.8in digital cluster ahead of the driver. It is all very pared back, almost too much so, and the steering wheel says it best, two buttons and nothing else. Perceived quality, on the other hand, gives little to complain about, with foamed surfaces where your hands fall, plus a heated wheel and heated seats.

Rear space from the class above

This is where the B03X makes its case. As the first front-wheel-drive Leapmotor, it frees up room at the back, with 95cm of rear legroom and a good metre of headroom, figures from the class above. The boot holds 405 litres, plus a washable, waterproof 105-litre compartment under the floor, so 510 litres in total, a benchmark in the segment, and 1,605 litres with the bench folded. Better still, the rear cushions tip up so tall items can travel upright.

Two trims and no boxes to tick

Leapmotor keeps the line-up deliberately simple, with only two trim levels, LIFE and DESIGN, both comprehensively equipped. No standalone options and no packs to stack up, which makes comparison with rivals more honest than it first looks. The B03X inherits the driver assistance systems of the B05, awarded five Euro NCAP stars, and is targeting the same score in early 2027. A 10-metre turning circle also keeps it genuinely easy to place in town.

Steering far too soft

First impressions were positive, but the car’s limits show up quickly from behind the wheel. The steering is too soft. Far too soft. The first quarter turn lacks any real consistency and sends back almost nothing, so you correct constantly to hold a precise line. On a winding road confidence never really builds, and because the wheel does not firm up on the way back to centre, you have to anticipate the exit of every corner. Around town the vagueness goes largely unnoticed, but as the pace rises it becomes the car’s main weakness.

Then the front axle. Close to 200bhp through the front wheels makes itself felt, and traction fell short for our taste. As soon as we applied real throttle out of a roundabout, the inside wheel let go and the traction control stepped in late. We put both points to the manufacturer, who took them squarely. Both are software, he says. The steering will get the calibration already signed off on the B05, and the acceleration parameters can be revised so the power arrives less abruptly, both within a matter of weeks. Nothing else invites criticism, the car is quiet and the ride suits its intended use.

401km and a sixteen-minute stop

Two lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are offered. The smaller 39.8kWh pack feeds a 177bhp motor for 301km on the WLTP cycle. The larger 53kWh pack lifts output to 197bhp and range to 401km. Either way the maker quotes 8.6 seconds from 0 to 100km/h and a 160km/h top speed. The official figure is 15.7kWh/100km. On our first route, driven with no regard for efficiency at all, we recorded 17 to 18kWh. A second run, closer to everyday use, brought us down to 14kWh, better than the homologated figure and genuinely good news on a battery this size. On a rapid charger, 30 to 80% takes sixteen minutes.

Our verdict

The B03X does not set out to impress, it sets out to convince in daily use. Space, storage, standard equipment and a controlled price, the equation adds up for anyone who wants to go electric without overspending. In Luxembourg it costs 24,900 euros in LIFE trim and 28,900 euros in DESIGN. With 6,000 euros of incentives available, it becomes genuinely affordable. What remains is that Leapmotor has to sort out the steering and the traction, and the company has committed to doing so. If that promise is kept, this crossover deserves a place on any shortlist in the segment.