Leapmotor B05 review

Imagine a shoe brand with a catalogue that consists almost entirely of trainers. You can choose different colours, materials and price points, but they're all still trainers. So what does a company do if customers want something different? You diversify, which is exactly what the Leapmotor B05 represents.

Leapmotor is a relatively new Chinese brand in the UK, having first entered the market in 2025 with the backing of automotive giant Stellantis, but its line-up mostly consists of SUVs, such as the Leapmotor B10 and Leapmotor C10. 

The B05, which is a Volkswagen Golf-sized hatchback, is an electric car that aims to appeal to buyers looking for a more affordable, more compact option in the line-up. But perhaps, not as compact as the comparatively tiny Leapmotor T03 city car. 

Establishing a footing in this area of the electric car market is no easy feat, because the B05 has some strong rivals to contend with, including the Cupra Born, MG4 and Renault Megane. So, does the B05 have the range, comfort, technology and practicality to tempt buyers away from those cars?

What’s new?

- July 2026: First deliveries of B05 to UK customers take place

- June 2026: We drive the B05 for the first time in Germany. Trims and specs for the UK market are also announced, with prices starting from £28,995 with the £1500 Leap Grant included

- September 2025: The Leapmotor B05 is revealed at the Munich Motor Show

How fast is it and which engine is best?

The Leapmotor B05 only has one power option. It consists of a 215bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels, delivering 0-62mph in 6.7sec. That’s quicker than the Cupra Born 79kWh (7.0sec) and Renault Megane (7.5sec) on paper, but slower than the MG4 Extended Range (6.2sec). In real-world driving, it provides more than enough oomph for everyday driving, with plenty of power for pulling away swiftly or overtaking.

Unusually for an electric family car, the B05 has launch control. However, it doesn’t make much of a difference to the performance, making it a disappointment if you’re hoping to use it to show off to your friends. 

If you like the idea of a B05 with more performance, you’ll have to wait for the B05 Ultra. It’s a hot hatch variant that’s expected to launch in 2027.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The B05 is positioned by Leapmotor as a sporty, rear-wheel drive hatchback. While it’s not as agile as the Born or Megane, the B05 body stays flat enough through the bends. We wouldn’t say it’s fun or sporty, but it handles tidily. 

Meanwhile, the steering in the B05 has a more natural weighting to it than the very light setups in the Leapmotor B10 and Leapmotor C10 SUVs. Okay, while in Comfort mode it still has a light, wooly feel, the Standard and Sport modes add a good amount of weight as you build speed, which helps you to position the car on the road with confidence. That said, it doesn’t feel as direct or natural as the steering in the Born or Megane.

Ride comfort isn’t a strong suit of the B05. The suspension fidgets over small imperfections in town, while at speed, it tends to thump over larger ones. Overall, the Born and Megane provide a better balance between comfort and handling.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The B05 is super hushed. On the motorway, there’s minimal wind and tyre noise, making it a very quiet car to travel around in.

It’s an easy car to drive smoothly, too. Even when you step on the accelerator for a quick burst of speed, the motor delivers the power in an almost leisurely manner, particularly in Comfort and Standard modes. It’s a bit more responsive in Sport mode, but it still doesn’t deliver its power as quickly as the Born or MG4.

With braking, the B05’s brake pedal has a firm, progressive feel to it, making it easier to come to a smooth stop than the grabbier setup in the Born. For the regenerative braking, there are three modes: Weak, Medium and Strong. There’s also a separate one-pedal mode.

What’s the range and efficiency like and how quickly can it charge?

The B05 is powered by a 67.1kWh (usable) capacity battery that delivers an official range of 300 miles. That’s pretty good, being the same as the 58kWh Born and better than the MG4 Long Range (280 miles) and Megane E-Tech (285 miles). However, the Born and MG4 have bigger battery versions that can travel farther; the Born 79kWh can do 389 miles, while the MG4 Extended Range can manage 338 miles.

Charging speeds for the B05 are pretty competitive. With a maximum rate of 174kW, the battery can be topped up from 10-80% in approximately 24 minutes, which is similar to the Born but faster than the Megane E-Tech and MG4 Extended Range.

When using an 11kW home charger, a 30-80% charge is expected to take around 3hr30mins, while a 3kW charger will deliver the same charge in around 11 hours.

“The level of adjustability on the B05 is impressive, but some of it is a bit overkill. For example, I don’t think you need Comfort and Sport modes for brake pedal feel.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The B05’s interior is very similar to the brand’s other models, particularly the Leapmotor B10. This means you get a minimalist design, with almost no buttons, and a large touchscreen that takes centre stage. All cars come with a fixed panoramic sunroof, which helps create an airy feel. 

The quality of the materials is pretty good. While the plastic on the grab handles is hard, the graining is pleasant and it doesn’t sound hollow and harsh when you tap it. There’s also lots of padded faux-leather on the doors, which helps to give a high-quality feel. Our only main criticisms relate to the sound of the doors when you close them, because they sound a bit tinny (particularly the rears), and the cheap-feeling plastics on the lower dash. Overall, interior quality is similar to its main rivals, including the Cupra Born, MG4 and Renault Megane. 

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The B05’s driving position is pretty comfortable. The driver’s seat gets six-way electric adjustment as standard, so the ideal seating position is easy to find. For the front passenger, the seat only slides and reclines, and because it’s perched up quite high, tall occupants might find themselves looking at the top of the windscreen. 

The seats themselves are well-padded and comfortable, but some extra side-bolstering wouldn’t go amiss to keep you in place when cornering. Taller drivers might find the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach or rake as much as they would like, either. 

Forward visibility is mostly good, with a big windscreen and low bonnet helping to give you a clear view of the road, but you do have to peer around the thick pillars at junctions. Rear visibility is decent, which is helped by the small rear quarterlights, but a lack of a rear wiper will cause issues when the window gets covered in road grime. All cars come with rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera as standard.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Every B05 has a large 14.6in central touchscreen. While it has sharp graphics and a quick response, almost everything – from the mirror controls to the temperature settings – is operated through it. As such, you’ll regularly find yourself tapping on the screen while driving, which makes it quite distracting to use. This isn’t helped by the fact the icons on the home screen are tiny.

Overall, the system in the Megane is far superior. It has a more intuitive layout, plus the physical climate controls in that car means you can keep your eyes on the road for longer while driving. If you want to bypass the system in the B05, all models come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring as standard.

For the driver, there’s an 8.8in digital instrument display that shows your speed on the left, driver assistance information in the middle and trip info on the right. It’s nice and easy to use, with trip data and a map you can scroll through on the right-hand side via a physical button on the steering wheel.

“I think the lack of a rear wiper in the B05 could be a real issue in the UK, especially in the winter, when our roads get particularly wet and mucky.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

How much space does it have for people?

The B05 offers a generous amount of space for the driver. There’s lots of head, leg and shoulder room available, but as mentioned previously, tall passengers will find themselves perched up high, because of the raised and fixed position of the seat. They should have enough head room spare, though, thanks to the carved-out space from the sunroof. 

In the back seats, leg room is plentiful. When sitting behind a tall driver, six-footers will have plenty of knee room spare, while a flat floor allows for a good amount of foot space.

Head room is on the whole very good, but those well over six-feet tall will find their head brushing the ceiling because of the sunroof shade eating into headlining. Overall, the B05 is better in the back seats than the Renault Megane, but a Cupra Born and MG4 have more head room. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

The B05 has lots of storage spots, including a deep centre cubby under the armrest, a wireless phone-charging tray and two cupholders. The door bins are deep and long, too.

In the boot, the B05 has 345 litres of space. That’s less than the Born (385 litres), Megane (440 litres) and MG4 (363 litres), but it should be enough for a weekly shop or a few soft weekend bags. 

Unfortunately, there’s no front boot or underfloor storage area, so the charging cables will eat into boot space. There’s also a slight loading lip to lift items over. 

If you need to carry longer items, the seats fold in a 60/40 configuration. That’s pretty standard for the class, with the Megane and MG4 offering the same setup, but the Born does have a ski hatch for added flexibility.

“At 6ft2in, I had just enough head room spare when sitting in the back, but I think anyone taller than me will struggle.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Leapmotor B05 is very well priced against rivals. With the £1500 Leap Grant included (since it doesn’t qualify for the UK Government Electric Car Grant), it undercuts the Cupra Born, MG4 and Renault Megane by quite a margin.

Standard equipment is very generous, too. There’s only one version available, but it comes with 19in alloy wheels, faux-leather upholstery, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a wireless phone-charger, ambient interior lighting, adaptive cruise control, automatic LED headlights, automatic windscreen wipers and rear privacy glass. All versions have a battery heat pump, too, for more efficient warming of the interior. 

Is it reliable and how long is the warranty?

Leapmotor is a new brand to the UK, so it’s yet to feature in the What Car? Reliability Survey. To give some peace of mind, though, the B05 comes with a four-year, 60,000 mile warranty. That’s not bad, being better than Renault’s three-year, 100,000-mile cover, but Cupra and MG offer longer warranties. The battery has its own eight year, 100,000-mile warranty.

How safe is it?

The B05 is yet to be tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, but it does come with a long list of safety kit as standard. This includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), driver drowsiness and attention warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, door-opening warning (for passing traffic or cyclists), front cross traffic alert and braking, and rear cross traffic braking. 

On our test drive, we did find some of the safety systems to be very sensitive. For example, the lane-keep assist constantly tugs on the wheel, even if you’re well within the lines. Unfortunately, you can’t turn it off fully; once you do switch it off, it turns itself back on as soon as it thinks you’re too close to the line. It proves very tiresome, but Leapmotor has said it can address this issue with a future over-the-air (OTA) software update.

“I do think it’s a shame the lane-keep assist was so poorly calibrated. I was particularly frustrated to find it switching itself back on, even after I turned it off. I wasn’t getting very close to the lines, either." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

Buy it if

- You want an electric car with lots of standard kit

- You value a high-quality interior

- You do lots of motorway miles

Don’t buy it if

- Ride comfort is a top priority

- You regularly carry tall passengers

- You need a big boot

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here