2026 Leapmotor B05 review
That’s the initial observation with the new Leapmotor B05, a fresh electric hatchback that arrives in Australia amid the ever-expanding guard of Chinese proponents.
The third member of the Stellantis-owned Leapmotor arsenal in Australia, the new B05 is the perfect demonstration of why Chinese vehicles are becoming so prevalent in Australian driveways. It addresses many of the criticisms levelled at Leapmotor's existing C10 and B10 offerings, and plays on a long-admired Aussie segment – the warm hatch.
Still, the Leapmotor B05 is far from perfect and has some holes in its armour that require attention. No doubt they will be addressed in swift time.
How much does the Leapmotor B05 cost?
The Leapmotor B05 range opens at $35,888 (plus on-road costs) for the entry Style variant, moving up to $39,888 for the Design Long Range flagship driven here – with the pair distinguished from one another by their equipment levels and electric drivelines.
At the time of writing Leapmotor Australia was offering an introductory launch price of $35,990 drive-away for the Style and $39,990 drive-away for the Design Long Range.
At those figures, the B05 competes with like-minded Chinese rivals including the MG4 (from $39,990 drive-away) and BYD Dolphin (from $29,990 plus on-road costs).
A comparable internal combustion sedan is now similarly priced to the above, with the Kia K4 (from $32,090 plus ORCs), Mazda 3 (from $31,610 plus ORCs) and Toyota Corolla Hybrid (from $32,110 plus on-road costs) all in the same ballpark.
What is the Leapmotor B05 like inside?
Surprisingly roomy.
For its 4.43-metre length, the B05 offers strong dimensions across its first and second rows – with ample space for four adults on longer journeys.
The other immediate impression is the minimalist nature of the cabin, which is also adorned in nice materials and resplendent with surprising elements including frameless windows.
A 14.6-inch centre touchscreen forms the nerve centre of the entire car – assuming responsibility for the infotainment, HVAC controls, safety systems, audio, settings, wing mirror positioning and much, much more.
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It means the Leapmotor doesn’t offer so much as a start button or a volume knob: there is window switchgear and four buttons on the steering wheel. On the road, it can make for a highly distractive and complicated experience.
Outside of the centre screen, there’s a separate 8.8-inch digital display for the driver. It offers pretty bland layouts, and like the centre screen, the font size and style are hardly legible for older eyes; forcing you to take your eyes off the road for long periods while checking basic information.
With little in the way of switchgear, navigating the countless menus and simple functions of the vehicle feels much clunkier than it ought to. This is the sort of simple, mundane stuff that manufacturers need to be better at.
One area Leapmotor has listened is with its expansive moonroof, which covers both rows of seats but happily includes an electric cover to save you from radiant heat on a hot day.
The seats up front are supportive and comfortable on longer journeys and the storage is well thought out, too: a centre bridge-style console with cup holders and a big open cubby underneath and cavernous door pockets. The dashboard design also offers space for phones and the fitment of aftermarket tablet holders and the like.
On that note, the B05 offers two USB ports up front and a ventilated 50W wireless phone charger.
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Rear-seat space is befitting of a traditional family sedan, with a flat floor and strong shoulder room for two adults. Toe room is a bit snug on account of the battery underneath the floor. The rear seat is complete with door pockets and rear power, but no dedicated air vents.
The boot area is less accommodating; the 375-litre layout offers enough space for a full-size suitcase but not a lot more. Stowing the 60:40 rear seat liberates up to 1205 litres of room. The B05 comes standard with a luggage cover, but no spare tyre. You get an inflation kit instead, with all of the above accessed by one of the weirdest boot release placements in memory; if you’re anything like us, you’ll spend five minutes trying to find it…
What equipment does the Leapmotor B05 come with?
Leapmotor has done an admirable job of bundling a lot of equipment into the prices of its two-model B05 line-up.
The base Style variant gets 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, frameless doors, climate control, wireless charging, cloth seats, a digital key and NFC key, and Bluetooth functionality.
Infotainment comprises the aforementioned 14.6-inch touchscreen display, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a six-speaker audio system. Connected services are also included, with options to pre-heat the car, check the vehicle status and more.
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Meanwhile the Design Long Range upgrades to Technoleather synthetic upholstery, a panoramic glass roof, electric front seat adjustment, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, power folding mirrors, rain sensing wipers, tinted rear windows and an enhanced 12-speaker audio system.
The Leapmotor B05 range is backed by six-year/150,000km warranty, while the battery is backed by a separate eight-year/160,000km battery warranty. An eight-year roadside assist package is offered standard with the car, and customers can purchase capped price servicing for up to eight years/160,000km (at a cost of $2980 based on 12 month/20,000km intervals).
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How safe is the Leapmotor B05?
On paper, it’s very safe – backed by a five-star ANCAP rating (albeit with the crash testing based on European results).However, in practice, much of that safety kit is clunky or plain annoying.
Both models come with seven airbags and 21 different ADAS features, including autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, driver attention monitoring and more. The systems are driven by 14 different sensors and cameras, but unlike some of the chassis tuning conducted in Europe, the ADAS systems were honed in China.
The B05 also offers the ability to record your driving (ala dash cam). Leapmotor Australia has assured customers that footage is only available when a USB device is connected, meaning recordings will not be shared elsewhere.
What powers the Leapmotor B05?
The Leapmotor B05 sits on a rear-wheel-drive electric platform and is offered in two states of tune.The base Style is fitted with a 56.2kWh battery that powers a 160kW/240Nm electric motor. This correlates with an EV range of 401km (WLTP cycle).
The flagship Design Long Range again shuffles drive to the rear wheels. Outputs are identical at 160kW/240Nm, but the larger 67.1kWh battery extends range to 482km claimed.
Nought to 100km/h time is rated back to 6.7 second in the flagship, while the larger battery imposes a circa 100kg weight penalty compared to the donor – raising total heft to 1.8 tonnes.
Both cars sit on MacPherson strut front suspension and a multilink arrangement at the rear, with a claimed 50:50 weight distribution front-to-rear.
In terms of recharge performance, the B05 offers a maximum AC rate of 11kW – which is largely par for the course. Maximum DC charging rate is set at 156kW on the Style and 174kW on the Long Range.
Those figures equate to a 30-80 per cent AC charge time of three hours, and as little as 18 minutes when connected to a DC public charger.
The B05 includes Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, giving users the ability to recharge appliances on the go. There is no vehicle-to-grid (V2L) option at the time of writing.
What is the Leapmotor B05 like to drive?
The Leapmotor B05 offers a sound driving experience that is at-times undermined by annoying ‘safety’ bings and bongs.The initial drive experience is heralded by light low-speed steering, a compliant around-town ride and a quiet cabin environment. The McPherson strut front/multilink rear axle arrangement does a commendable job of shaking off bumps in regular conveyance, while the cabin is impressively hushed on coarse-chip surfaces.
Acceleration is effortless from a standstill, making light work of any sign posted speed limit. However, the modulation of the acceleration could be better; we found a big swell of torque arriving long after we’d inputted our foot on the pedal in some driving modes.
Steering feel is about what you’d expect irrespective of which of the three modes you’re in: accurate but ultimately a little lifeless and devoid of meaningful feedback.
The B05 offers three different levels of regenerative braking, but rather than changing on the go via steering wheel mounted paddles, you have to navigate through the finicky touchscreen menus to find them.
Speaking of charging, we were able to consistently match or marginally better the 15.9kWh/100km claim, meaning the 482km range claim holds up in reality.
With that said, far and away the biggest detraction here is the safety binging and bonging, which borders on plain annoying.
Turning these systems off demonstrates how good the B05 could conceivably be. However, in doing so you’re ultimately defeating the purpose of said systems in the first place.
In a dynamic setting the B05 offers decent road holding and poise through fast changes in direction. A lack of roll stiffness and the vehicle’s overall weight are both highlighted upon throwing the car into a faster corner – with tyre screeching and panicked grabbing from the ESC quickly declaring the vehicle’s limits.
But those virtues will likely be addressed by the B05 Ultra, a wicked up version of the hatch that has been mooted for Australia.
The NRMA’s take on the Leapmotor B05
Much like its maker, the Leapmotor B05 is a work in progress.We walked away from our first drive quite impressed at the price and specification, the B05’s redeeming drive dynamics and its suppression of bumps and outside noise.
The cabin is also comfortable and spacious.
However, to really elevate itself from the growing hordes of Chinese EVs, the B05 needs more effective (read: less intrusive) safety systems and a more cohesive infotainment interface.
One thing is for sure: by the time the next Leapmotor arrives in Australia, there’s a safe bet these issues will be addressed. Watch this space.
What we liked
- Compelling price and equipment specification
- Cavernous rear seat area comparable in size to a Toyota Camry
- Decent ride and handling mix, excellent cabin refinement
What could be better?
- Invasive and unintuitive safety systems detract from the drive experience
- No spare wheel, touchscreen-centric infotainment system, no rear windscreen wiper
- Relatively expensive servicing intervals for an EV, small (but growing) Australian network
