Leapmotor C10 plug-in hybrid a starter for NZ?

Leapmotor has confirmed it will sell a range-extender, plug-in hybrid version of the C10 in Europe later this year. This will be the first time the new brand has offered a hybrid in an export market.

The C10 plug-in is a Series Hybrid, the internal combustion engine (a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol) powering a generator to supply electricity to the battery. 

Dubbed a ‘range extender’, the hybrid C10 uses the same 160kW electric motor to drive the rear wheels as the full-electric version, but it has a smaller battery pack. 

The latter is rated at 28.4kWh (compared with 69.9kWh for the fully-electric model) and allows the hybrid C10 a 145km electric-only driving range (according to the European WLTP lab-test standard).

Read the 2024 Leapmotor C10 review

The total combined range is claimed to be more than 950km, with fuel consumption rated at 0.4L/100km (10g/km). This all depends on how often you recharge however.  

The hybrid can be fast charged at the DC pump at rates of up to 65kW. The brand claims the C10 hybrid can replenish “half of its electric range” in approximately 18 minutes on a 65kW DC fast charger. So we are guessing a full charge will take about 40mins.

The Leapmotor brand is currently in expansion mode, last year launching its models in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and South America.

Along with the Leapmotor C10 mid-size SUV – which is available to order as an electric-only model in NZ – it also has the T03 city hatch on sale in Europe and recently revealed the B10 small SUV. 

Locally, Leapmotor has said it plans to launch a further five models in the next few years. Should the range extender version of the C10 land here, it would likely be similar in price to the electric version, which goes for $54,990.