BMW IX3 vs Leapmotor C10

What's the difference?

The BMW iX3 is a rarity in the market, a premium-feeling electric model that's not a whole lot dearer than petrol alternatives.

For those happy to trade some of the Tesla Model 3 and Kia EV6 GT's all-paw performance for a luxurious cabin, slick drive and badge cachet, the iX3 M Sport is a very attractive package. Until Audi's Q4 and Q6 e-tron arrive, the iX3 remains basically peerless in this part of the market.

No wonder, then, that BMW is Australia's third most popular electric car brand after Tesla and BYD. The vehicles capture everything the brand promises at a price that looks good on paper and better in the real world.

Leapmotor insists that even with the C10’s sub-par ADAS, distracting screen functionality and fiddly entry/start set-up, future OTA updates and downloads will sort them out eventually.

They blight an otherwise incredibly affordable, likeable, easy, efficient, practical, spacious and extremely well-equipped family-friendly SUV.

The fact is, the C10 in 2025 feels like some glitchy beta version and we’re the unwitting testers completing the user-experience development. As with phones and computers, OTA fixes are no guarantee of satisfaction.

Get your head around that, and the fundamentals are all there (perhaps with the exception of Apple CarPlay/Android Auto). But you’ll need patience and faith.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Now that we've seen the new X3, the current model is already dated. Not that it was a cutting-edge design at launch but there is precious little offensive about this mid-size SUV.

Fussy wheel designs, strange closed in grilles and clashing blue accents aside the iX3 M Sport remains a plenty handsome option as you approach.

Inside the cabin's shapes feel positively conservative next to BMW's latest efforts like the X2 and 7 Series but, in a way, this is no bad thing.

It's also nice that you can tailor this car's appearance to your liking without spending extra, the combination here rocks a nice blue paint with tasteful brown upholstery for a classy look.

You can have Oyster white leather or simple black and the paint colour palette is refined without being restrictive.

You could be forgiven for thinking that a V8 or diesel engine might lurk behind the C10’s doe-eyed face, with that high and bulky bonnet.

Yet the Leapmotor is packaged as a ground-up EV-first SUV. You’d never know by just looking at it.

Clean and uncluttered, there’s an unassuming simplicity and warmth to the C10’s design. And it does grow on you – more so, perhaps, than the Porsche Cayenne that clearly inspired it. That’s a feat in itself.

Nice visual touches include the smooth detailing, smart alloys, recessed door handles and clean lighting treatments.

A similar less-is-more approach is carried through inside.

The BMW X3 was developed with family buyers in mind and that has paid dividends because it has an extremely practical cabin with lots of thoughtful storage.

Each of the four doors has a bottle holder and generously-sized pocked for extra storage. There are two cup-holders in the centre with a wireless charging pad, secure spot for the key fob and USB port in easy reach. You can slide a roller cover down to hide valuables.

Key driving controls are smartly grouped together around the iX3's unconventional gear selector. Here, you'll find the start/stop button along with hard switches for drive mode selection, stability control and exterior cameras.

Right next door is where the rotary 'iDrive' controller lives with yet more physical shortcut buttons. Including the extra option to easily interact with the multimedia system on the move is a refreshing delight that you don't see in so many touchscreen-heavy EVs. There's also a physical stack for HVAC and seat heating controls.

The 12.3-inch touchscreen is responsive and bright with BMW's slightly older system having a more conventional appearance than the latest software in the iX2. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless and still work flawlessly.

If there are some negatives, they would be some build-quality niggles. On the whole the materials are high quality and the car is well screwed together but the indicator stalks feel decidedly flimsy compared to BMWs of old and I noticed a rattle from the parcel shelf on the road.

The eight-way power adjust seats with tilt and under-leg extension are classic BMW, being sporty enough to hold you in but with enough padding to stay comfy. Though we will knock this car down for lacking power lumbar adjust.

Those in the back will be plenty comfortable even if they're taller than 180cm with ample head, leg and toe-room. There doesn't appear to be a major compromise to the floor height despite BMW stacking 10 lithium-ion modules beneath.

Vision out is excellent with an expansive glasshouse and full-length sunroof.

Amenities include two USB-C charge points, a third climate zone, fold-out armrest with pop-up cup holders and generous storage in the doors.

Fitting child seats should be pretty simple with doors that open wide, two sets of ISOFIX ports (that you can't lose the covers of) and three prominent top tether anchors in the recline-adjustable backrest.

The boot is large with 510L of space at a minimum that expands to 1560L if you fold the 40/20/40 split backrest flat. There's a sense of solidity in that process, too, with sturdy levers and components.

So sturdy that the retractable luggage cover is quite difficult to remove, especially for shorter owners. Other niceties include a single shopping bag hook, LED lighting and 12-volt socket in the back.

No BMW X3 comes with a spare tyre so that should come as no surprise. The iX3 instead has a tyre repair kit. There is underfloor storage in the iX3, though, which is the perfect place to store both charging cables — Mode 2 and 3 — that are included.

The C10’s simple elegance carries on inside, with an appealing minimalism that leaves you no doubt that this is a modern EV.

Big and spacious, with more than enough space for five people to travel comfortably, the first thing you notice is how sumptuously soft and cosseting the front bucket seats are. You sink in them like a plush sofa.

These are positive first impressions, aided by large side windows and the panoramic glass roof that bathe the cabin in lots of light, though thankfully a solid blind is also included.

We’re in the up-spec Design grade, with its synthetic leather upholstery (dubbed “Silicone Leather with OEKO-TEX” in Leapmotor-speak) covering most dash/door/console surfaces, resulting in a high-quality look and execution that does feel expensive. Even the plastics seem decent. We constantly had to remind ourselves we were in a sub-$50K mid-sized SUV.

Finding the right driving position is no problem, ahead of concise electronic instrumentation that’s easy to read. Ventilation is ample and storage is plentiful. A lot of thought has gone into the C10’s packaging and presentation.

Too bad, then, that it slips on the details, beginning with an almost total lack of switchgear.

We’re glad that the steering column adjustment relies on a good old lever, because having to dive into the centre screen and then use the steering-wheel buttons to reposition the mirrors is constantly annoying. We’re never with the cars long enough for the memory function to learn our preferences, but stuff like this should never have to be so needlessly complicated.

The touchscreen itself is slick and fast, responding speedily to commands. It’s far from the worst we’ve experienced for logic and intuitive operation, and the decent size (14.6 inches) helps. But why is so much vehicle functionality access behind a crowded electronic display? Inevitably, warnings chimed while eyes strayed from the road as our concentration was divided. We’ll be so glad when this dangerous buttonless fad passes.

Speaking of access, the back doors open big and wide onto an equally opulent rear bench, with the chauffeured passenger privy to vent outlets, sturdy cupholders, overhead grab handles, USB ports and a folding centre armrest. Again, nicely presented and well put together, the premium sense prevails.

So person-focused is the rear seat area, in fact, that the luggage area suffers a little, being smaller than the C10’s 4.74m length suggests. VDA capacity is 546 litres with all split/fold seatbacks up, extending to 1375L with them dropped. That’s barely more than what a Nissan Qashqai offers. At least the floor itself is low, flat and nicely presented.

Overall, then, the Leapmotor would have come close to scoring a 10/10 for practicality, rather than 8/10, if it were not for its annoying keyless entry/start regime, almost complete lack of buttons and no spare tyre.

Imported into Australia by Stellantis, which has a 21 per cent share in Leapmotor and a 51 per cent interest in Leapmotor International (which is everything the brand does outside of China), the C10’s pricing strategy is the time-honoured mantra of ‘more for less’. More size, space, sizzle and specification for less money.

It’s how, in the 1960s, Japan won over a hitherto hostile post-war nation, followed by South Korea in the 1990s and China in the 2020s.

At $1600 below the EV equivalents, the base C10 REEV Style kicks off from $45,990 driveaway (d/a), making it our least-expensive PHEV at the time of publishing. An “introductory” price until July 1, it’s cheaper than the smaller and just-discontinued Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV, which started from $47,790 before on-road costs (ORC).

Standard kit includes electric front seats with layback ‘snooze’ function, dual-zone climate control, electronic driver display, a 14.6-inch central screen with live navigation, WiFi and 4G connection, DAB+ digital radio, imbedded app connectivity, premium audio, a 360-degree camera, rear parking sensors, panoramic glass roof with sunshade, wireless charging, a near-field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth key for auto entry/start and 18-inch alloy wheels. And let’s not forget Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, meaning it can power external equipment and appliances. Handy when camping.

Meanwhile, the C10 REEV Design, which is priced from $49,990 d/a adds not-so-little luxuries like heated and vented front seats, privacy glass, air-quality monitor, a powered tailgate, synthetic leather seat trim, ambient lighting, an LED rear light bar with start-up animation and 20-inch alloys.  

Note, though, that the C10 has some bewildering omissions.

You may already know that no grade has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

If you’re still with us, the lack of traditional keyless entry (let alone walk-to/away unlock/lock) system is even more baffling. Instead, you must download an app (that also offers ‘Vehicle Status’, ‘Remote Vehicle Control’, ‘Schedule Charging’ and ‘Vehicle Location’ info/capabilities), then have your smartphone or smartwatch at all times to get in and drive away using NFC tech.

Otherwise, a near-credit-card sized (it’s a bit larger and thicker, so won’t fit in all wallet pouches) ‘key’ is needed to precisely tap a tiny and not always easily visible raised area on top of the driver’s side-only exterior mirror, before placing said card onto the wireless charge pad for ignition. But then the car won’t start if you automatically slip the card back into a pocket or purse to free your hand for the fiddly door handle before sitting inside, especially if you’re carrying something. And you can’t unlock the passenger door either this way. Was any field testing done here? Pointlessly complicated and inconvenient, Leapmotor admits a rethink is underway.

Plus, as with most electrified SUVs, the spare wheel is swapped out for the deeply unsatisfactory tyre-repair kit. This is not good enough for Australia.

There’s no scrimping on safety, thankfully, with front/rear autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keep tech, as part of a host of advanced driver-assist safety (ADAS) systems. You’ll be reading more about those in the Driving as well as Safety sections later on.

Compared to similarly-sized PHEV rivals, the base C10 costs a couple of grand less than the new Jaecoo J7 PHEV from $47,990 driveaway, but is 10 per cent of the BYD Sealion 6 from $49K before ORC, and at least $10K under the GWM Haval H6 GT from $56K d/a and Mitsubishi Outlander from $56.5K before ORC.

Given that the cheapest PHEV here comfortably beats all but the bigger-battery H6 GT for EV-only range (at 145km WLTP) yet exceeds most for standard equipment, the C10’s perceived value is undeniable… compelling even – as long as those omissions aren’t deal breakers for you.

Unlike any of the above, the REEV is less a plug-in hybrid and more an EV with a range-extender engine that’s just there to top up the battery and that’s it, like the old BMW i3 Rex.

Not that you’d ever know it from the Leapmotor’s very conventional aesthetics.

In this case there isn't much under the bonnet except for electric gubbins. The single electric motor – that uses no rare earth materials – resides at the back and generates 210kW/400Nm.

Those outputs are fairly close to a petrol X3 30i, though of course this model is rear-drive only.

Thanks to the rapid response of electric motors, the iX3 M Sport can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds (claimed).

BMW has chosen to give the iX3 a long-travel progressive throttle pedal that makes grunt easy to meter out. However, the regenerative braking could do with a little more refinement.

There are two settings, 'D' — just like letting off the throttle in a combustion car — and 'B' which is quite strong. The blending between regenerative and physical caliper-on-rotor braking is vague, though, which can make low-speed moves a bit jerky.

As with the EV, the REEV’s powertrain centres around a rear-mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous electric motor, driving the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission.

In this plug-in application, power drops slightly to 158kW while torque remains the same at 320Nm. The 0-100km/h sprint time takes 8.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 170km/h.

But that’s only half the story.

Out goes the EV’s 69.9kWh Lithium Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, for a 28.4kWh LFP item, offering around 145km of WLTP range. It can be charged via a 6.6kW AC charger, 65kW DC fast-charger… or by an on-board internal combustion engine conveniently located under the bonnet.   

Supplied by Dongfeng, this is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder Euro-6-rated petrol unit of undisclosed power and torque. All it does is recharge the battery and has no physical connection to any transmission or driving wheels. It is a power generator, meaning the EV motor is constantly working.

Four driving modes are available – EV+, where the engine won’t kick in until charge drops below nine per cent; EV-normal, where the engine starts once the battery dips under 25 per cent; Fuel mode, which operates engine-charging from 20 to 80 per cent battery capacity; and Power+, where the engine is constantly charging. The latter is good for a battery top-up in preparation for EV-only driving in, say, congested city areas.

Note that the REEV weighs some 35kg less than the EV version.

The suspension – MacPherson-style struts up front and a multi-link arrangement out back – remains the same, and has been tuned by the Maserati sports carmaker (another Stellantis brand) of Italy.

The iX3 M Sport's WLTP rating is a respectable but not groundbreaking 461km on the combined cycle. The reality is a little bleaker, our test car displaying 316km on its digital instruments at 100 per cent charge.

Going against what you might expect for an electric car, the iX3 was not very efficient in town, we initially saw 24kWh/100km on the read-out which is quite high.

It is better suited to a longer, steady-state run. Our regular 200km country and suburban test loop dropped the consumption to 18kWh/100km for a real-world driving range of 411km.

When it's time to bring the charge levels back up the iX3 will take on AC electricity at 11kW, for flat to full in seven and a half hours.

Public fast-charging caps out at 150kW (DC) though averages to 104kW over a 10-80 per cent session. This should take 21 minutes, says BMW.

We only observed a maximum of 101kW on a DC charger though the pylon did not appear to be performing at full energy with other vehicles having similar issues.

Leapmotor says the C10 REEV offers an EV-only range of 145km (WLTP) from its 28.4kWh LFP battery, with its average electricity consumption stated at 15.2kWh/100km.

Switching to hybrid mode, 970km is possible thanks to a 50L fuel tank, with the 1.5L petrol engine averaging only 0.9L/100km, for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of just 21 grams/km.

As with most PHEVs, such numbers are pure fantasy when it comes to the real-world experience.

Driving it hard and fast over nearly 400km at speeds of up to 130km/h, we averaged an indicated 6.5L/100km, or between 19-21kWh/100km, which is a far cry from the official claims, but still good for a two-tonne mid-sized PHEV SUV with two adults on board and the AC blasting.

The C10 REEV sits on a 400-volt architecture and offers a maximum of 65kW DC charging capability, meaning it can be fast charged from 30-80 per cent in under 20 minutes, or overnight (at around 10-12 hours) to full capacity when plugged in at home due to its 6.6kW AC charger.

Despite no saucy straight-six, V8 or twin-cam four-cylinder there is an inherent 'BMW-ness' in the iX3 M Sport. The way it steers, accelerates and rides all match the brand's DNA.

It is not a plush SUV, with some firmness to the suspension even in Comfort mode on the adaptive dampers — this may have something to do with BMW's 40PSI front and 45PSI rear tyre pressure recommendations — but without ever being crashy.

Build up a little more speed, beyond 60km/h for example, and the body settles nicely with a solid, assured stance.

There's no evidence of suspension noise and road noise is very well insulated as well, even without the up-spec M Sport Pro's acoustically insulated glass. 

The steering is light in Comfort mode which makes it ideal for urban driving. It also has three turns lock-to-lock which is a lot for a sporty-ish BMW, however that is largely down to the improved steering angle. Without an engine or AWD system, the iX3 has a great turning circle of just 12.1 metres.

Moving things up a notch into Sport adds extra weight to the steering which helps judge the grip on good roads, which is pretty decent from the 245/45R19 Yokohama Advan Sport V107 tyres.

When you approach the limit, the iX3 is very secure but significant mid-corner bumps can unsettle the car, bringing its 2180kg tare weight (a 325kg penalty over the xDrive20i) sharply into focus. Pull it back a touch, though, and the iX3 M Sport is plenty rewarding on a country road.

Mostly, the iX3 is a refreshingly natural electric car out on the road. You could put anyone in the driver's seat and they'd be smooth just like in a combustion car.

Probably the most remarkable thing about C10 REEV is just how similar it feels to the electric version to drive.

Identical even, at least until the petrol engine fires up – and even then, that’s just a fairly-muted hum, rather than a louder, constant-revving experience as per the Outlander PHEV or Nissan’s e-Power alternatives.

Always relying on the electric motor to drive the rear wheels, it’s pure EV from start up as long as there’s enough charge in the battery, with the now-familiar near-silent surge of acceleration, combined with instant throttle response and a smooth, relaxed attitude. Pleasant stuff.

Keeping in mind that the WLTP EV-only range is around 145km, in EV+ mode, it’s entirely possible to never even engage the 1.5-litre petrol engine for most shorter trips. It’s only when charge drops below 10 per cent that you’ll hear it seamlessly kick in. The same applies in EV-normal mode except that the threshold is lower, and keeps dropping in the Fuel and Power+ modes to the point where it might be almost always on depending on driving style. Yet even then, it’s never intrusive.

Other C10 REEV plus points include light and easy steering, surprisingly precise handling and nicely-modulated brakes (not always a given in electrified vehicles), while the soft suspension and plush seating really offer an isolated and comfortable travelling experience.

And there wasn’t even that much road noise coming through over the (admittedly super slick) Spanish roads we drove this on.

In these ways, the Leapmotor feels far more sophisticated than its low pricing and relative inexperience suggest. At least over a relatively short drive.

Spend more time in the C10 and some cracks do start to show. And they jar.

For starters, we did notice a disconcerting lack of power when battery capacity is really down and the engine is working overtime trying to bring the charge back up. At freeway speeds, acceleration was throttled back to the point of it being gutless and slow. This was discovered when we deliberately depleted the battery to see how the car behaved, so our advice is to not let charge drop below about 25 per cent to avoid this.

Find a fast and tight set of corners, and the steering can seem lumpy and inconsistent, losing its linear feel, meaning that the driver must keep chipping away to make it flow more smoothly through a turn. Now, this isn’t pretending to be a driver’s SUV, so we’ll let that one pass as well. Unless you’re an enthusiast, in which case, look elsewhere.

But we cannot ignore the annoying, frustrating and even at-times hazardous advanced driver-assist safety (ADAS) systems, that end up blighting the C10 driving experience.

For starters, when driving at speed on (adaptive) cruise control, the Leapmotor would sometimes randomly brake abruptly, as if to prevent a collision with the slower traffic we were safely overtaking. We experienced this in Australia in the EV version earlier in the year, and it did exactly the same thing on European roads. This is unacceptable.  

Less worrying but no less problematic is how the lane-keep tech sometimes fights you if you’re attempting to change lanes by putting up torque resistance. If you’re needing to avoid something, this could be dangerous. If you’re an easily-spooked driver, it may also be downright frightening.

And the less said about the trigger-happy driver-fatigue warning chime the better. It won’t even allow enough time for a momentary glance at the touchscreen – which is necessary if you need to change the climate setting, for instance.

You can switch these off, but a correctly-tuned ADAS system is there to possibly save your life, so what’s the point of not having them? Plus, they reset every time you restart the car, meaning more distracting menu-diving whilst you’re on the move.

That all said, at least the promising news is that Leapmotor is periodically rolling out over-the-air updates, with a big one set to address many of the ADAS issues from September, 2025. And they’ll of course be retro-applicable. But that’s still a long time to put up with sub-standard driving and dynamic behaviours.

As it stands, then, the C10’s dynamic tune still feels very much a work-in-progress. A pity as it offers so much good stuff too and at a great price to boot.

Tested by Euro NCAP in 2024, the Leapmotor C10 EV has achieved a five-star crash-test rating, but there is no word as to whether the same applies to the REEV version.

Included are seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert/braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centring control, forward/rear-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, traffic-jam assist, driver monitoring, door-opening warning, 360-degree surround-view camera with transparent chassis and wheel view, side-collision sensor and an emergency data recorder.

The AEB system operates from 8km/h while the lane-support systems kick in from 60km/h.

ISOFIX latches are fitted to the rear seats, along with a trio of child-seat anchorage points.

Note that over-the-air updates for some of the advanced driver-assist safety systems have been implemented or are coming at a rate of about every three months, to address issues of over-sensitivity and driver-distraction. That in the meantime some drivers are tempted to turn these off as a result defeats the purpose of having them fitted in the first place.

The iX3 M Sport is now covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia.

Servicing is due on a conditional basis with the multimedia system prompting the owner when to visit a dealer.

BMW offers serviced packages for electric vehicles that last six years/unlimited kilometres, with the iX3's pack costing a reasonable $2325 over that time.

Better than average timewise if not mileage-wise, but some way short of the best (and inferior to the MY24 model’s seven-year/160,000km schedule), the MY25 C10’s warranty is six-years/150,000km, with service frequency set at every 12 months or 10,000km (REEV) and 20,000km (EV).

The battery warranty is at eight years/1600,000km, while Leapmotor also offers eight years of roadside assistance and capped-price servicing.

According to Leapmotor’s website, and with no distinction between powertrains, published prices are $260 for the first service, $460 for the second, $495 for the third and fourth and $290 for the fifth, totalling $2000 over five years.