The Leapmotor C10 Plus fixes the EV bits, but our biggest complaints remain
WHAT we have here is the Leapmotor C10 Plus, and while Leapmotor has improved the electric part of the electric car quite substantially, most of the actual car remains very familiar.
The biggest changes are underneath. Battery capacity grows from 69.9kWh to 81.9kWh, increasing its WLTP range from 424km to 510km.
The Plus also moves to an 800V architecture, with DC charging increasing from a rather pedestrian 84kW to a much healthier 180kW. A 30 to 80 percent charge is claimed to take around 22 minutes, while AC charging is rated at 11kW.
There’s more power too as the rear-mounted motor now produces 299PS and 360Nm, up from 218PS and 320Nm previously, cutting the 0-100 km/h time from 7.5 seconds to 6.2 seconds.
So Leapmotor has effectively fixed the EV aspect of the C10. You get more range, much faster charging and more performance, all of which are worthwhile improvements.
The irony is that I only had the C10 Plus for two days and spent most of that driving around town, so I barely got to experience the two biggest improvements in the first place.
What I did get reacquainted with was everything else.
Visually, almost nothing has changed, which is fine. I said before that the C10 looks like a fairly generic SUV and my opinion hasn’t really moved since.
There’s nothing particularly offensive about it, but neither would I turn around for another look after parking. At 4,739 mm long and 1,900mm wide, it is a decently-sized thing though.
The same applies inside. There is plenty of room, particularly in the rear where legroom remains generous, and the cabin materials feel decent for what the car costs.
The seats are soft and comfortable enough, the panoramic glass roof adds to the sense of space and refinement is generally good. As a big family EV, there is very little wrong with the basic packaging.
Unfortunately, the user interface is also largely the same, which means you’re still expected to interact with that massive centre screen for far too many things.
Even adjusting the direction of the air-conditioning vents requires fiddling with the display, and there still isn’t Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. In 2026, it’s a big no-no.
The audio system has a habit I remember noticing in the original C10. Certain bass frequencies seem to get deliberately stifled, almost as though the system is limiting the output to prevent distortion.
You can tell there’s a subwoofer capable of reproducing those lower frequencies, which makes it even stranger when the bass suddenly feels nerfed just as it should be coming alive.
Changing the audio settings and EQ doesn’t seem to get rid of it either. Curiously, I didn’t notice the same behaviour in the cheaper B10.
On the move, the extra performance is noticeable and the C10 Plus feels properly brisk now, even if I wouldn’t call it a night-and-day transformation.
Throttle calibration itself is decent enough that I didn’t think much about it, which is generally what I want from an accelerator pedal.
Being rear-wheel drive helps too. Put a lot of torque through the front wheels of some EVs and you can feel them scrabble for traction when you ask for too much too quickly.
I didn’t launch the C10 Plus hard enough to explore its limits, but under normal use there was none of that front-wheel spin to deal with.
The steering is typical, in that there’s little meaningful feedback through the wheel and nothing about it feels particularly memorable. It points the car where you ask and gets the job done.
The brakes are worse. Pedal feel is simply poor. There’s a slightly jumpy response in the initial part of the travel, but push harder afterwards and the braking force doesn’t seem to ramp up proportionally with the extra pressure you’re applying.
So instead of judging how much braking you’re getting through your foot, you end up relying on your internal G sensor.
Press the pedal, feel how quickly your body is moving forward, then adjust accordingly. You eventually learn it, as humans tend to adapt.
The suspension remains one of the C10’s better dynamic traits. There’s a bit of firmness over sharper road edges around town, particularly with those 20-inch wheels, but it isn’t harsh.
Larger movements are controlled reasonably well and the car settles down nicely once you’re travelling at highway speeds.
Compared with the B10, the C10 actually feels better judged here. The smaller car is a tad too soft for my liking and carries more secondary movement over undulations, whereas the C10 has a slightly more mature balance between comfort and control.
It’s still no driver’s car and you’re always aware that this is a large, heavy EV SUV, but the ride itself is something I’m happy to stand by.
Unfortunately, I can also stand by everything I previously said about the ADAS because it remains every bit as annoying.
The speed limit warnings, lane assistance and driver monitoring system are all far too eager to get involved, and switching systems off only buys you peace until the next restart.
I’ve written before about how certain warning systems may be tied to regulations in other markets, but regulatory requirements do not automatically excuse terrible implementation.
If a system is going to insist on warning me, it should at least be accurate and intelligent about when it does so.
The lane keep assist is also annoying because it tugs at the steering with more force than I’m comfortable with.
I can accept some intervention if I attempt to change lanes without signalling, but it also does this while I’m negotiating a bend. I’m turning. Let me turn.
As for the driver monitoring system, apparently my face still hasn’t passed Leapmotor’s eligibility requirements.
Look towards the mirror, rest your head in the wrong position or simply possess small eyes and there’s a decent chance the car thinks you’re falling asleep.
Surely there must be a way to monitor someone with eyes like mine without making me feel discriminated against. This is a Chinese car after all. You’d think recognising small eyes would be the one thing it has plenty of training data for. Oh, the irony.
Let’s talk about the all-important price. The C10 Plus officially retails at RM148,000, but is currently offered at RM129,000 after rebates.
Coincidentally, that is also the price of the recently introduced locally assembled C10, although the CKD model retains the smaller 69.9kWh battery, 400V architecture, 218PS motor and 84kW DC charging.
At the same RM129,000 price, the Plus is frankly the obvious choice while stocks last. You’re getting an 81.9kWh battery, more than 500km of claimed range, 800V architecture, 180kW charging and nearly 300PS for the same money.
I could excuse more of the original C10 when it first arrived because its size-to-price equation was compelling and many of the irritations seemed fixable through software.
More than a year later, the battery is bigger and it charges much faster, but the things that bothered me every single time I got behind the wheel remain largely unchanged.
The C10 Plus is objectively a better EV than the non-plus version. More range and faster charging address two very measurable weaknesses, while the added performance is nice to have. But my biggest complaints were never about its range or charging speed in the first place.
A bigger battery can fix range anxiety. An 800V architecture can fix charging times. Neither can fix brakes that feel like mush or a car that keeps shouting at you because it doesn’t approve of your face.
Leapmotor C10 Plus Specs
Motor: Single rear motor
Power: 299PS/360Nm
Battery: 81.9kWh
Range: 510km WLTP
Charging: 11kW AC / 180kW DC
0-100km/h: 6.2 seconds
Price: RM148,000; currently from RM129,000
We like: Spacious cabin, good ride, brisk performance, long range, faster charging, good value at RM129,000
We don’t like: Poor brake calibration, intrusive ADAS, no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, screen-dependent controls.