The B05 has 19-inch wheels as standard, and they’re shod with premium-brand tyres, but they do generate a fair bit of road noise on poorly paved surfaces. That aside, the suspension is well judged, with bumps generally getting soaked up easily without unsettling the car. It doesn’t roll much in bends, thanks in part to the battery lowering the car’s centre of gravity.
The lane assistance system really needs work, though. We wouldn’t expect a safety feature like this to be rearing its head so often on a country road, but in the B05, we found it would constantly intervene for no reason at all, and often quite aggressively. When you try to disengage it, you’re confusingly presented with multiple elements to turn off. You’re best off getting rid of them all, but ideally, you shouldn’t need to turn such systems off.
The B05’s respectable power output means it’s easy to get up to speed when joining a motorway, and overtaking other cars won’t be a problem. Road noise, as mentioned, is a bit higher than we’d like, and it’s not the most hushed in terms of wind noise, but it’s not that bad either. Factor in the lack of engine noise, and you have a reasonably relaxing way to munch the miles.
| 0-62mph | Top speed | ||
| Leapmotor B05 | 215bhp | 6.7 seconds | 105mph |
“We can live with the fact the B05 isn’t hugely thrilling to drive, but we could do without the driver assistance systems being so poorly calibrated.” Matt Robinson, special contributor.
Running costs for the B05 should be low if you charge at home, but the high insurance rating is concerning
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Like most EVs around this price, the B05 should be a very cheap car to run, particularly if you have an electricity tariff with a low overnight rate and can time your charging sessions to suit. It’ll make for a cheap company car, and the asking price is nowhere near high enough for the Leapmotor to incur the expensive car tax surcharge. Make sure to get some insurance quotes before committing, because the B05 could cost more to cover than comparable EVs.
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The B05’s 300 miles of range looks impressive compared to a lot of rivals. A Renault Megane E-Tech is good for 258 miles, the incoming Volkswagen ID.3 Neo manages 258, and a Vauxhall Astra Electric can do up to 281 miles. One of the few alternatives that exceed the B05’s range is the MG4 Premium Extended Range, but it costs more.
When we last tested the B05, we averaged about four miles per kWh during a mix of driving, which would give a real-world figure just under 270 miles.