The arrival of budget electric cars had been quite glacial in recent years, until the arrival of Hyundai's Inster and the Spring from Dacia - both of which have come on to the Irish market with prices below €20,000.
Now, a new Chinese company - Leapmotor - has arrived with another small suburban EV priced at €18,950.
The Leapmotor T03 will be officially launched next month - the first of three models due to be launched by the company over the next year. A medium-sized SUV will be the second arrival next month.
Leapmotor is backed by the international Stellantis group, which owns Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel, among others, and their cars will be distributed in Ireland by the Gowan Group - the distributor of these brands in Ireland.
We’ve not driven the car yet, just seen it briefly, and it looks a little like a cross between the Hyundai Inster and a Fiat 500 in terms of dimensions and profile. It’s 3.6 metres long - the optimum length for budget EVs in the sub-€20,000 bracket being under four metres.
The T03 has a modest 37.3 kWh battery, and Leapmotor is claiming a range of 265 kilometres. The usual caveats about claimed ranges apply, and we’ll soon see what the real-world consumption will be. Charging time on a fast charger is said to be "approximately 36 minutes".
As is usually the case with new companies arriving to compete on the Irish market, a bundle of standard equipment is offered to get new customers interested. Those who may be interested in a Leapmotor option will obviously be moving out of other brands, and a long list of extras included in the price will be the carrot.
T03 customers will be offered a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, a 10.1" infotainment screen and advanced driver assist functions as standard. There will be only one trim level, the Style, and four colour options.
Other standard equipment includes a reversing camera, voice control, keyless entry, basic air conditioning, automatic headlights and navigation capacity.
Based on its claimed range, the T03 looks very much aimed at urban and city drivers, and the dimensions suggest that. Like other small EVs, it is not designed to be a long-haul prospect, but we look forward to experiencing what exactly it is capable of and what it offers in terms of a driving experience.
