European built Leapmotor B03 announced: The Budget Hatchback to shake Up the Small EV Scene?

Leapmotor - a joint European venture with Stellantis - has just pulled the covers off its latest (China-market for now) model, the A05. Over here it will be known as the B03 (not to be confused with the B03X), and it looks set to be another properly affordable small electric hatch for UK and European markets arriving late 2027 (we think).

This is the second car on Leapmotor’s new A platform, following the B03X crossover that we covered recently. Where the B03X is the taller, more SUV-shaped version, the A05/B03 is the five-door hatchback. Think Renault 5 E-Tech, Peugeot e-208 or the forthcoming VW ID. Polo territory, but with Leapmotor’s usual approach of throwing in a lot of kit for the money and it sits below the family hatchback B05 that we will be driving and reviewing soon on the channel.

B03. What we know so far

Dimensions sit at roughly 4.18–4.2 metres long with a 2.6-metre wheelbase. That puts it firmly in the supermini class while still offering decent rear space, thanks to the dedicated EV platform and flat floor.

You’ll recall from our T03 review, even that little thing has decent rear legroom and headroom for backseat adults or the mother-in-law.

Power comes from a front-mounted motor available in 70 kW or 90 kW versions (about 94–121 bhp). Battery options are 39.8 kWh and 53 kWh both LFP packs. In China they claim 405 km and 510 km range on the CLTC cycle. Expect real-world UK figures closer to the low-to-mid 200s for the bigger battery once WLTP testing is done, which is impressive for such a small car.

DC charging is claimed at 30–80% in around 16 minutes on the higher-spec versions - a seemingly new, simplified metric. Diving into the weeds, it’ll not be a charging monster but will likely achieve same max DC peak of around 100kW that the B03X does and AC will be 11kW max.

Optional LiDAR appears on some China models for more advanced driver assistance, though it remains to be seen how much of that hardware (and the associated software) makes it to European cars. We would guess that Europe will not get these Lidar enabled cars.

Why it matters for the UK

Leapmotor already has a solid foothold here through its Stellantis partnership. The dealer network is growing fast, often sharing sites with existing Stellantis brands, and the cars come with a four-year/60,000-mile warranty plus eight years on the battery.

Production of several Leapmotor models, including this one, is planned for the Stellantis plant in Figueruelas, Spain, from 2027. Building in Europe should help cut tariffs and potentially improve eligibility for any remaining incentives.

No firm UK pricing yet, but as ever, the China starting point is extremely low and doesn’t really bear any resemblance to landed European prices. However, even with the usual uplift for European-spec cars, expect this to undercut a lot of the established competition. Early estimates for the related B03X were low to mid  £20’s, a hatchback version sitting in a lower segment/bracket will likely be less - seeing as the T03 is ~£13k - we’d hazard an educated guess at it being around the 18 grand mark but watch this space.

Timing

Pre-orders have already opened in China, but the official European reveal could come as soon as the Paris Motor Show in October, with UK availability for the B03 looking like early-to-mid 2027 at this stage. That puts it a little behind the B03X, which is due later this year.

Early thoughts

Leapmotor has already shown with the T03, B10 and C10 and the upcoming B05 that it can deliver no-nonsense, well-equipped electric cars at prices that make the established players look expensive and lagging behind in comparison.

The B03 continues that theme in a body style that still matters to a lot of UK buyers who simply want a practical hatch rather than another crossover.

One imagines it will not be the most exciting drive in its class, and the Ui ‘quirks’ are still a bit of a Leapmotor trademark, although OTA updates do, and will help, change that. To be fair, the software is very quick and snappy, though.
And, if the price lands where it should, and the real-world range is competitive, and the dealer experience stays as good as it has been so far, this could be another strong seller for the brand.

We’ll keep an eye on official UK pricing, final specs and that all-important first proper drive. In the meantime, what do you make of it? Another cheap Chinese EV we should be watching, or just more of the same? Drop your thoughts on our X channel @CtrlAltRefuel and look out for our upcoming drive and reviews of the B10 and the B05 soon!