New Leapmotor B05: alternatives to this £30,000 Chinese electric car

This is the new Leapmotor B05, the first non-SUV model to come from the Chinese brand. It comes with shed loads of kit, 300 miles of range and a sub-£30,000 price tag, making it a tempting alternative to a lot of more mainstream electric cars.

We’ll walk you through the Leapmotor B05’s stats, as well as offer you five alternatives to consider to help you decide if this is the right electric car for you.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

Everything you need to know about the Leapmotor B05

The Leapmotor B05 is an electric hatchback which, from some angles, looks a lot like a Volkswagen Golf. The sloping bonnet line and sleek headlights look very similar to the VW, but the rear end does look slightly more distinctive thanks to the full-width light bar.

It may not look as distinctive as something like a Renault Megane, but the Leapmotor stands out thanks to its huge list of standard equipment. There’s just one trim level to choose from, starting from £28,995 with Leapmotor’s £1,500 Leap Grant discount, and it comes with:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Heated seats and steering wheel
• 14.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Panoramic sunroof
• LED headlights

Inside, the B05 has a pretty simple dashboard layout. You get the central screen, a digital driver’s display and very few physical buttons. It looks neat, but isn’t as interesting as the Peugeot E-308’s cabin.

Powering this car is a 215hp motor driving the rear wheels, paired with a 67kWh battery which delivers a claimed 300 miles of range. It also gets 178kW DC fast charging, allowing you to go from 30-80% in 17 minutes.

Order books will open in early July this year, with first deliveries expected in late July.

Leapmotor B05 alternatives: what are the cars it’s going up against?

The Leapmotor B05 isn’t short on competition in the electric hatchback market, and there are lots of alternatives to choose from. Here are five of the best.

• MG4
• Renault Megane
• Cupra Born
• Jaecoo E5
• Peugeot E-308

1. MG4

The most obvious alternative to the B05 is the MG4, because both cars offer a lot of kit and range for not a lot of money. The MG actually starts from a couple of grand less than the Leapmotor, or you can spend £33,000 on the Extended Range version which goes up to 338 miles on a charge.

That’s impressive for the money, and so is the interior. A recent facelift added more physical buttons and improved cabin materials, but it still has quite a small boot and it’s noisy on the motorway. We can overlook these shortcomings at this price though, especially with average savings of £6,250 through Carwow at the time of writing.

2. Renault Megane

If you’re after something stylish, the Renault Megane is an EV well worth shortlisting. It looks super-chic, both inside and out, and it’s also packing an excellent Google-based infotainment system which is as easy to use as your smartphone.

It may be a bit short on rear headroom, and the massive boot lip hampers practicality, but the Megane is comfy to drive and feels really well-made. Prices start from around £33,000, but through Carwow you can save an average of £5,500 on a new Megane at the time of writing to sweeten the deal.

3. Cupra Born

Maybe you fancy something sporty? In this case, you’ll want to check out the Cupra Born. It looks the part with its angular front end and deep bodykit, and inside you get bucket seats which hug you through corners.

It’s not quite as fun to drive as the looks suggest, but it still feels agile when you chuck it into a bend and it’s comfortable for daily driving. At almost £36,000, it’s a lot more expensive than the Leapmotor. Thankfully, at the time of writing, you can save an average of £8,250 on a new Cupra Born through Carwow.

4. Jaecoo E5

The Jaecoo E5 is actually larger than the Leapmotor B05, and it’s an SUV rather than a hatchback. Despite this, it starts from around £1,500 less than the Leapmotor, and you can save a further £5,500 on average through Carwow at the time of writing.

The Jaecoo has a great infotainment system, lots of interior space and a big boot, but the 248-mile range falls short of the Leapmotor. The 80kW DC charging speed is also a bit behind alternatives, but for this money you won’t get as much space and equipment anywhere else.

5. Peugeot E-308

If you really want an EV which stands out, the Peugeot E-308 fits the bill. It’ll be sure to turn heads, and while onlookers admire the styling you can enjoy the fabulous interior. It looks way more interesting than the Leapmotor’s cabin, and it feels really posh as well.

The infotainment system isn’t the easiest to use, and the Leapmotor offers a bit more range, but the Peugeot E-308 is lovely to drive and is available with average savings of £3,250 through Carwow at the time of writing.

Maybe wait for: Volkswagen ID3 Neo

Another option which could be worth waiting for is the new Volkswagen ID3 Neo. It’s a heavily-revised version of the brand’s electric hatchback, and offers some key improvements.

The fiddly touch-sensitive sliders inside are gone, and in their place are proper knobs and switches. It also gets 20 miles more range than before, putting it up to an impressive 391 miles.

You’ll be able to order a new ID3 Neo by the end of the year, and we expect prices to start at around £31,000. The old ID3 was comfortable to drive and practical, so this new and improved version could be well worth waiting for.

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