The Chinese startup Leapmotor will be launching in the UK in 2025 with the £15,995 T03 city car (Image: Getty)
A new has announced it is launching in the UK, with their first model being one of the on the market.
Leapmotor is an electric car startup company that was formed in Hangzhou, and has received investment from the global motoring giant Stellantis, who own a number of famous car brands including Peugeot, , and .
The company’s first car to be sold in the UK, with the first deliveries taking place in December 2024, will be the T03, a with a list price starting from £15,995.
This puts it in direct competition with the , currently the cheapest new electric car in the UK at £14,995, and a low-cost alternative to other small EVs like the and .
Made under licence in Poland, the Leapmotor T03 is the first Chinese-designed electric model to sell in the UK for less than £20,000. However, it could face some stiff competition from brands such as in the near future.
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In China, Leapmotor cars have been on sale since 2020, with more than 400,000 sold (Image: Getty)
A five-door hatchback, the Leapmotor T03 has mostly conventional yet cute styling, featuring a minimalist front end and SUV-like black plastic wheel arches.
All models sold in the UK from launch will feature a reasonable amount of standard equipment, which includes a panoramic sunroof with an electric cover and air conditioning.
The T03 will also come with a 10.1-inch touchscreen as standard, which features voice control, sat-nav and 4G connectivity.
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Stellantis, who own Peugeot and Vauxhall, hope to sell the T03 in existing dealerships (Image: Getty)
Powered by a 37.3kWh electric battery pack, the Leapmotor T03 is capable of covering up to 165 miles per charge, a figure the company claims is possible due to a cloud-based temperature control system.
Whilst it is only capable of charging at up to 48kW, significantly less than most other new electric cars, the small battery can be topped up from 30 to 80 percent in a little over half an hour.
The Leapmotor is also fitted with a 95bhp electric motor for the front wheels, giving it a very reasonable 0-62mph acceleration time of around 12 seconds.
Zhu Jiangming, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Leapmotor, highlighted that the model has been a hit with buyers in China since it was first introduced in 2020.
He explained: “As of the first half of July [2024], Leapmotor has accumulatively sold over 400,000 EVs in China since the company’s first sale.
“China is the biggest and most competitive EV market in the world and our products have proved their value by being acclaimed by the local customers.”