It is truly astonishing how far Leapmotor has come in just a few years with an EV only line-up making solid and dependable cars that are now attracting the attention of U.K. buyers.

In fact, Leapmotor is a very young company that was born in China just 11 years ago, with the first car sold only 4 years later. What’s even more surprising is that Stellantis’ joint venture with Leapmotor was finalised only in 2024 in a sort-of merger.
However, to give you some perspective of the confidence Stellantis has in this young company, they’re going to be partnering with various Stellantis brands to manufacture Vauxhall, Opel and Peugeot electric cars in the next few years.

With Leapmotor now maturing, it has launched a C-Segment all-electric hatchback with the B05. This is - or was - one of the most popular segments for ticking all the right customer boxes, because they suit family life so well, plus making commutes and holidays easy. Plus they’re not too big that they won’t fit in a Tesco parking bay. Should the Volkswagan Golf be worried?

Price and Driving Dynamics

Prices start at £28,995, including the £1,500 LEAP-GRANT (not a Government grant), which means it is aimed squarely at challenging the dominance of the Volkswagen Golf that starts at almost the same price - £28,910. But the B05 has much more significance because it is an electric car only, meaning EV’s have truly met price parity with their petrol equivalents.

Where it differs to the Golf is in its driven wheels, because the new B05 is a rear-wheel drive car with a perfect 50/50 weight distribution which should make for very impressive driving dynamics.
In fact, the B05 has the latest and greatest Cell-to-Chassis architecture, meaning less weight, impressive torsional rigidity, a safer structure, and improved driving dynamics.
It also has multi-link rear suspension specifically tuned for European roads. We just need to see if it’s pot-hole friendly, too.

Battery, Charging and Range

The B05 is no slouch with 218 PS and a highly respectable 0-62mph time of just 6.7 seconds, which is hot hatch territory, all adding to the good potential driving dynamics. This is actually a near identical 0-60 time as the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid that costs £11,000 more!

The 67.1 kWh battery provides up to 300-mile (WLTP) of range and can be charged from 30-80% in 17 minutes. However, do note the shifting metrics because most manufacturers quote a 10-80% charge time, so be prepared to wait for 25 - 30 minutes because the onboard DC charger is rated at 174 kW. This is actually quite good, but it does depend heavily on that charging curve.

The other good news is the B05 uses LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries, meaning that they prefered to be charged to 100% each time its plugged in at home, for example (provided it’s not left sat around for too long as multiple days unused at 100% isn’t good practise). It means, that with each charge you’re effectively starting off with a full tank, or in this case, a full charge.

Standard Equipment

Standard equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic air-conditioning, automatic LED headlights and taillights, and electrically operated heated and folding exterior mirrors.

There’s also a Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ as standard, plus a wireless charging pad is included, too. The standard audio systems gets 12-speakers that Leapmotor developed in-house, suggesting they’re working on vertical integration - a method whereby manufacturers design, develop and manufacturer as much of the componentry as possible. This helps reduce costs, and align software allowing for a rapid rollout of over-the-air software updates, which this Leapmotor is capable of.

And it gets better because both front seats are electrically adjustable (4-way for the passenger and 6-way for the driver) and are made with sustainable materials.

Practicality

The B05 has a 345 litre boot, which expands to 1,400 litres with the rear seats folded, but there is no information on whether it has a frunk/froot. This isn’t class leading, but it’s also not worst-in-class, too.
There are an additional 25 storage spaces scattered throughout the car, including in the centre console, door panels and seat backs, plus there are two rear ISO-fix points.

At 4430 mm in length with a 2735 mm wheelbase, the Leapmotor hatchback should prove to be spacious and accommodating inside and is considerably larger than the Golf which is 4,284 mm in length and has a 2,619 mm wheelbase.

Colours and Options

Five paint options are available:

Lightning Yellow (as pictured)
Starry Night Blue
Windy Grey
Metallic Black
Galaxy Silver

The interior colour choice are either a two-tone Light-Grey, or a Shadow-Grey trim colour and each are a no-cost option.

Safety

As well as structural safety with the Cell-to-Chassis architecture, the Leapmotor features 21 driver assistance systems that, when combined, allow for Level 2 semi-autonomous driving.

There’s also advanced emergency braking, automatic lane change, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, door open warning (for cyclists and scooterists) and adaptive cruise control.
Underpinning all of this safety tech are 14 high-precision sensors and cameras, including four surround view cameras, four ultrasonic sensors, two front radars, two rear corner radars, a front view camera and a driver fatigue monitoring camera.

Efficiency and Convenience

The B05 - like all the other Leapmotor models - utilises their next generation drive system, developed for high efficiency. Leapmotor says that it “uses a special oil cooling system to regulate temperature, even at higher-speed driving, improving efficiency while increasing longevity and smoothness of operation. The motor is both lightweight (around 60kg in total) and is 94% efficient, which means less energy is wasted during everyday driving”.

There’s also a heat pump as standard meaning winter range should be impacted less thanks to an efficient cabin heater.

The Leapmotor App includes remote air conditioning to precondition the car before taking a trip, ensuring that the traction battery isn’t being used to heat the car up when setting off (if plugged in).

The app also controls central locking, steering wheel heating and electric seat heating or ventilating, plus it can be used as virtual Bluetooth key, meaning drivers don’t need a key to enter and start the car if they have their phone with them. Leapmotor also issues an NFC card in lieu of a physical key.

Damien Dally, Leapmotor UK Managing Director, said: “Our bold promise to offer UK buyers the best value for money EVs continues with the exciting B05. Like our other models, it delivers the highest level of specification and the highest level of technology, all as standard. Yet it combines this exceptional offer with truly desirable design and a dynamic driving experience.

“We’ve made great strides since we launched our brand just over a year ago, and the B05 is proof that our exciting journey shows no signs of slowing down. Moreover, it serves as further evidence of our unwavering commitment, alongside our industry-leading LEAP-GRANT*, to make the switch to electrification as smooth, affordable and desirable as ever.”

Warranty and Sale Date

The B05 is covered by a 4-year, 60,000-mile warranty, whilst the battery comes with a separate eight-year and 100,000-mile warranty.

The Leapmotor B05 is available to order from early July, with first customer deliveries expected by late July.

About the Author

Graeme Cobb is a lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for writing about cars, EVs, industry updates and more.

You can find Graeme on 𝕏 at @graeme_cobb

Leapmotor B05 Jumps into the C-Segment Hatchback Foray