Leapmotor has rationalised its Australian C10 EV line-up back to its most expensive model while adding significant value.
The entry-level BEV Style grade has been dropped after just 18 months on sale, leaving the Design as the sole battery-electric option — now rebranded as the Long Range and carrying a larger 81.9kWh battery (up from 69.9kWh), 800V electrical architecture (up from 400V), and more power, all at the same $49,888 before on-road costs.
The C10 Design LR now claims 510km on the WLTP cycle, up from 420km for the previous model. The updated rear motor delivers 220kW and 360Nm, up from 160kW/320Nm, cutting the 0–100km/h time from 7.5 seconds to 6.2 seconds.
READ MORE: Leapmotor C10 grows a set! AWD Sports+ Special Edition has 440kW/760Nm and 4.0 sec 0-100km/h
READ MORE: Leapmotor C10 gets smarter! OTA update adds dashcam, smoother ADAS and global radio, but still no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto
READ MORE: 2025 Leapmotor C10 REEV Design Review: Is this range-extender SUV the most frustrating new car on-sale in Australia today?
The charging story is where the MY26 update addresses arguably the biggest complaint about the original C10. When we tested the 2025 model, its 84kW DC peak charge rate was a standout frustration — especially when competing EVs were already capable of twice that.
The LR variant fixes this decisively, moving from 400V to 800V electrical architecture and supporting DC fast charging at up to 180kW. Leapmotor claims a 30–80 per cent top-up now takes around 22 minutes, down from 30 minutes previously.
The 800V platform and 81.9kWh battery are shared with the limited-run C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition, which uses dual motors to produce 440kW/760Nm and claims 437km of WLTP range — notably less than the single-motor LR despite the shared battery, reflecting the performance model’s higher energy demands.
Other MY26 changes include Yokohama Advan Sport EV tyres replacing the previous Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber, a sealant canister added to the tyre repair kit, and two NFC keycards now standard.
A new exterior colour, Light White, joins the palette alongside Terra Grey, Metallic Black, Jade Green, and Midnight Grey. Interior choices remain Camel Brown and Black.
What the update doesn’t address is Apple CarPlay, still absent from the C10 despite being one of the more consistent complaints about the car.
Android users can mirror their phones via QDLink, but iPhone owners remain without a native solution for this generation.
The ADAS refinements introduced via the late-2025 OTA update carry over, though Leapmotor’s press materials don’t specifically confirm whether the lane-keeping calibration issues noted in our earlier test have been resolved.
MY26 details for the C10 Hybrid EV — the range-extender variant, recently rebranded from REEV — are yet to be announced. Both Hybrid EV grades currently on sale are MY25 stock.
The full C10 range in Australia is currently priced as follows (MSRP, excluding on-road costs):
- C10 Hybrid EV Style (MY25) — $43,888
- C10 Hybrid EV Design (MY25) — $45,888
- C10 BEV Design Long Range (MY26) — $49,888
- C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition (MY26) — $53,888
