Leapmotor C10 vs Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 costs £1,490 more than the Leapmotor C10. For that premium it adds 70 miles more WLTP range, 91 kW faster peak rapid charging and 247 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Tesla Model 3 comes out ahead overall.

The Leapmotor C10 is £1,490 cheaper to buy. The Tesla Model 3 is cheaper to charge, roughly £144 a year versus £216 for the Leapmotor C10, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Leapmotor C10 comes out roughly £1,130 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 175 miles for the Leapmotor C10 and 229 miles for the Tesla Model 3 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Tesla Model 3 goes roughly 55 miles further between charging stops.

The Leapmotor C10 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 33 mm narrower than the Tesla Model 3. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 500 mm of total clearance for the Leapmotor C10 and about 467 mm of total clearance for the Tesla Model 3. The Leapmotor C10 also turns in a 0.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Leapmotor C10 and 92% for the Tesla Model 3. That gives the Tesla Model 3 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use LFP-type cells, which are happy charged to 100% every day. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.