Leapmotor B10 vs Jaecoo J7

What's the difference?

I’ll be a shame if the B10 doesn’t sell well, because it doesn’t suffer from many of the downfalls of its compatriots and its price is extremely competitive for what you get.

As a comfortable smallish SUV, it meets par, and it’s on the better side of tech when it comes to cars from China, and it doesn’t have any major on-road red flags.

You really wouldn’t be disappointed with this having paid $40K, just skip the base model and go for the Design.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Jaecoo J7 SHS Track enters the medium SUV segment with a sharp drive-away price and generous equipment list. The ongoing ownership benefits add strong value but the on-road driving experience needs some finessing and the cabin doesn't quite hit every mark for practicality. Although it's ‘on track’ to make waves in this corner of the market, it hasn't yet carved out an iron-clad niche for itself. It's worth a look but it's not class-leading.

Right after we praise the B10 for its value, we need to talk about its looks. A slight drop in tone as the second Leapmotor to land in Australia looks an awful lot like the first, and it’s relatively bland.

It’s not ugly, but it’s not particularly inspiring and there’s not much character to this little electric SUV.

It’s got a very upright silhouette at the front with a slightly sloping roofline at the rear, so the overall shape is appealing, but the lack of distinct features makes the B10 an anonymous commuter for now, especially with its similarities to the C10.

You can tell them apart by the C10’s slightly larger size if they’re near each other, or the B10’s more in-line headlight bar, where the C10’s have a ‘droop’ at the sides.

The large section of black at the lower half of the front is also unappealing, though darker colours like the optional 'Starry Night Blue' or 'Dawn Purple' (both $990) blend into it better than standard 'Light White'.

To its credit, at least the B10 doesn’t fall victim to the design crutch of adding trim and plastic for no reason.

In terms of the specifics, the B10 is 4515mm long, 1885mm wide and 1665mm tall with a 2735mm wheelbase, making it quite the large small SUV.

Inside, the cabin looks and feels roomy thanks to the test car’s light interior, decent windows and the light from the sunroof, as well as the fact the EV powertrains are compact and generally don’t interfere with cabin space.

Materials aren’t all scratchy hard plastic, though it is dotted around, and the general look of the B10 inside feels more premium than its price would have you thinking, despite the simplicity of the layout and design.

The J7 is, in essence, a scaled-up version of its smaller sibling, the J5 - a car my family affectionately dubbed the “Temu Range Rover” during our week with it. The resemblance remains.

The squared-off proportions, upright grille and slim lighting signatures lean heavily into that premium off-roader aesthetic, and there’s no doubt the look will appeal to buyers chasing presence without the associated price tag.

Compared to the J5, the J7 carries a touch more personality. 

There’s a small racing-flag accent panel along the flanks, flush-fitting door handles and a set of 19-inch aerodynamic alloy wheels that add some visual flair.

Inside, the cabin is cleanly executed with its pared-back styling and the 13.2-inch central display dominates the dashboard. This makes it the visual anchor of the interior as physical buttons are minimal and most functions are accessed via the media screen. That screen-led design will divide opinion, but it does create a modern aesthetic.

The synthetic leather upholstery feels convincingly premium, and the materials do enough to lift the ambience beyond what you might expect at this price point.

Getting into the B10 requires a minor annoyance - unlocking and locking the car requires a keycard to be tapped on the drivers’ side mirror like you're scanning to access your floor in a hotel elevator.

There’s an app that adds a fair bit of functionality, but having to whip your phone out ahead of jumping in the car is also irritating.

Once you’re in, though, the space inside the B10 is well laid-out, even if much of its functionality is crammed into the big central touchscreen - it’s always ‘points off’ for a lack of physical buttons in this section of a review.

Once you’re used to it and have sorted out your personal settings on the multimedia software, it becomes more natural and less distracting, though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would occasionally lag in the car on test.

The good news is they now exist for the brand in the B10, with the Leapmotor C10 still lacking the vital in-car mirroring tech.

The ergonomics and interior space work well, generally, with comfortable pews and good vision, plus decent spaces to keep things out of the way. The phone charger being in a very visible and accessible position might tempt some naughty screen-keen drivers, and being in the sun without a vent for cooling while charging means your phone will get proper hot.

The second row is extremely spacious, belying the fact this car is classified as a small SUV. Oodles of legroom and enough headroom for a tall adult means the B10 outguns rivals in terms of good options for parents (note the B10’s extremely strong 95 per cent child safety score from ANCAP, too) or anyone who needs to cart humans around regularly.

Behind the second row is a 490L boot, which becomes 1475L when the second row is folded down.

There’s space under the floor for cables and messy bits, but unfortunately no spare wheel, just a tyre repair kit, so more points off for that.

Up front, the J7 Track delivers where it matters. The electric front seats offer heating and ventilation functions and feel supportive over longer drives. There’s enough width and shoulder room to avoid feeling hemmed in.

Access is good with wide door apertures and an easy step-in, step-out height from both rows. In the rear, the available space is generous, and the thick seat padding and supportive backrests will make longer journeys quite comfortable. The flat floor also means the middle seat isn’t automatically the punishment position for an adult.

Storage has been thoughtfully considered. Up front, the large centre console shelves make it easy to keep clutter contained, while the dual-opening middle console is deep enough to swallow a small handbag. There’s also a small side pocket beside the driver that’s ideal for keys or a garage remote.

Rear passengers will enjoy four device pockets, as well as a couple of map pockets. There are two cupholders and drink bottle holders in each row, as well as good-sized bins in each door.

With all rows in use, the boot has up to 500L of capacity, and the flat loading floor makes it easy to slide larger items in and out. Overall, it’s a usable and practical space for gear storage but you'll notice the lack of a powered tailgate as there isn't a dedicated handhold on the outside of the lid to easily open the boot.

There's also no charging ports or power outlets in the boot, which feels unusual for a plug-in hybrid. You have to make do with a tyre repair kit rather than a spare wheel but that's not unusual in this corner of the market.

The individual charging options are functional with a single USB-A and C port offered in each row and a 12-volt socket up front but you miss out on a wireless charging pad in this grade. The multimedia touchscreen is responsive and the layout is fairly intuitive to use. However, the lack of physical controls for simple adjustments like side mirror positioning or climate control can become frustrating. Some functions are just better served by buttons.

The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto operate smoothly and the CarPlay has maintained a steady connection this week. The built-in sat nav is also easy enough to use.

There are two plug-in hybrid grades in the J7 line-up and we’re testing the entry-level Track here, priced at $43,990 drive-away. It’s a strategic price point because aside from its close relative, the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, which undercuts it at $39,990 drive-away, the Track is the second-most affordable option among its immediate rivals.

By comparison, the GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV lists at $51,990 drive-away, while the MG HS Super Hybrid Excite comes in at $52,696 drive-away. The BYD Sealion 5 undercuts them all as the most affordable plug-in hybrid in the country right now, starting from $33,990 before on-road costs.

It’s worth noting that the H6 GT is offered in a single, well-specified grade, and its higher price reflects that broader equipment list. Even so, the J7 starts from a strong position before you get into its features.

For a base variant, the Track gets some good stuff like electric front seats with heating and ventilation, synthetic leather upholstery, remote start with pre-entry climate control and a full suite of LED exterior lighting. That’s the sort of kit you’d expect to climb trim levels for.

Practical touches are scattered throughout. The centre console is air-cooled, the driver’s seat has a memory function, there are steering wheel-mounted controls and dual-zone climate control comes as standard. Then there’s the built-in karaoke app. Entirely unnecessary, but mildly amusing, however, you will need to supply your own microphone!

Technology feels well-considered as there’s wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in satellite navigation, a large 13.2-inch multimedia display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The 360-degree camera system is clear and complemented by front and rear parking sensors.

You do miss out on a powered tailgate and some charging options as there’s no internal vehicle-to-load (V2L) AC outlet and no charging ports in the boot. Still, as a base offering, the J7 Track presents as a neat package.

There’s only one powertrain option for the Leapmotor B10, a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW and 240Nm, which makes the electric SUV good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.0 seconds in both variants.

Top speed is a claimed 170km/h, also regardless of the variant.

Both plug-in hybrid grades of the J7 share the same powertrain, pairing a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a single electric motor. Combined outputs sit at a healthy 255kW and 525Nm which is the same as its Chery cousin and makes it more powerful than its MG rival but the GWM Haval H6 GT has bigger outputs.

However, once the EV battery is depleted and the system leans more heavily on the petrol engine, the outputs drop significantly to 105kW and 215Nm. This shifts the J7 from feeling spritely to serviceable on the open road.

Power is sent exclusively to the front wheels, and towing capacity is rated at 750kg unbraked. That’s enough for a small box trailer but it won’t be hauling any serious weekend toys.

Leapmotor claims the B10 will, from its LFP battery of either 56.2kWh for the Style or 67.1kWh for the Design LR, draw 17.2kWh/100km or 17.3kWh/100km, respectively under WLTP testing.

The result is the Style offering up a 361km WLTP-tested driving range, and the Design LR a more useful 434km.

While we were unable to properly confirm this claim on the launch, the trip computer after a mix of highway driving and more spirited back-road testing displayed a figure of 13.5kWh/100km, while the previous 1447km of driving had reportedly measured in at 14.7kWh.

Charging from 30 to 80 per cent takes approximately 20 minutes regardless of spec and battery size. The smaller battery can be charged via DC fast-charging at a maximum 140kW, and the larger at 168kW. Both max out at 11kW under AC charging.

The J7 Track has a Type 2 CCS charging port and accepts up to 6.6kW on AC power and up to 40kW on fast DC power. On that type of DC charger you can go from 30 - 80 per cent in as little as 20 minutes which is great for when you’re on the go. You can shop and charge without much fuss.

The 18.3kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery supports an electric-only driving range of up 90km (WLTP). That sits below its Haval and MG rivals with their respective WLTP ranges of 153km and 120km. Overall though, the J7 has a theoretical driving range over around 1200km, which is great. Of course, you will only see that type of range if you regularly charge it.

Jaecoo claims a combined fuel cycle usage (urban/extra-urban) of 1.0L/100km but my real-world usage has come out at 5.0L/100km even after regularly charging it. However, it's worth noting that I do a lot of longer, highway driving which is where plug-in hybrids are typically less efficient.

Jaecoo recommends a minimum 91 RON unleaded petrol to be used for the J7.

The Leapmotor B10 was developed with testing at Stellantis’ European proving ground in Italy. This is because despite Leapmotor being its own brand within China, its international operations are a joint-venture between itself and Stellantis.

There are some on-paper shreds of evidence for this, a rear-wheel drive layout and a claimed 50/50 weight distribution help, but get the B10 on the road and it’s clear this isn’t a car that’s relying entirely on price, a long list of features and some showroom shine to sell.

After the initial familiarisation that comes with many new electric cars, particularly from China, the Leapmotor B10 becomes easy to settle into a rhythm with, especially if you turn off some of its more intrusive ADAS features like lane-keep, driver monitoring and speed limit warning. The latter can sometimes get a limit wrong, and though the B10’s chimes aren’t audibly overbearing, they are persistent.

While the B10 doesn’t excel in any areas on the road, it doesn’t fall down significantly in any either.

Its suspension soaks up bumps relatively well, and despite some vibrations on rougher roads the B10 is pretty comfortable. The tyres it rides on as standard, however, are rather noisy, so if there’s an opportunity to swap out the Linglong defaults to something better, we’d advise it.

The tyres also squeal rather quickly when cornering, not necessarily because the B10 is about to let go, but just because the weight of the car appears to be pushing on the front outside tyre in cornering.

The B10 holds up better than\ a family car really needs to in dynamic driving, but we wouldn’t be doing mountain runs or track days in one. 

There’s a little body roll in corners, but not nearly as much as has been in other models riding on the apparently soft suspension preferred in China.

The steering, braking and acceleration all have a mild vagueness to them, but once you’re honed in they’re all predictable. The steering can be adjusted for weight, and its lightest setting is too light, while the acceleration feels lethargic in its lowest setting and too aggressive in its highest.

There’s not a lot of regenerative braking strength, but it’s enough to help regulate speed once you’re used to how mildly it comes in - again, depending on your preferences and settings.

The good news here is that the B10 is easy to drive, and only very serious road bumps on fast corners unsettled it on test - the kind you’d expect to upset any car.

This is where the J7 Track feels less resolved. It's not fundamentally flawed by any means but it's not as polished as it could be.

With a charged battery, acceleration is strong and immediate, and there’s enough punch for hills and confident overtaking. Even when the battery is running low, the drop in output doesn’t feel as dramatic in real-world conditions as the standalone engine figures might suggest. You won't win any drag races but it remains competent. It just loses some of the initial punch when accelerating.

Steering is light, which makes urban manoeuvring easy, and the suspension leans toward the softer side. Around town, that translates to a comfortable and compliant ride. Push it harder through bends, though, and the body control starts to feel a little loose.

Highway refinement is another area where there’s room for improvement. Road noise becomes noticeably more present at open-road speeds, although it remains quiet around town.

Visibility out the front and sides is good, and the driving position gives you a fairly commanding view of the road. I don’t feel like there are any large blind spots from my driving position.

There are three levels of regenerative braking, and running it in the strongest setting does a good job of harvesting energy. However, even on the lowest setting, the braking response feels abrupt. At low speeds when the system tends to remain in EV mode, the transition can feel lurchy.

The 360-degree camera system is clear and outside of the heavy-handed regen braking, the J7 is straightforward to park. Just be prepared for passengers, especially opinionated children, to comment on the body movement.

The J7 plug-in hybrid variant has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2025 and scored well across its individual criteria with an 81 per cent for its adult protection, 85 per cent for child protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user and 84 per cent for its safety assist.

Passive safety items include eight airbags including a front centre airbag and drivers’ knee airbag. Families will like that there are two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points but realistically, two child seats will fit best. There are also manual child-safety locks on the doors, powered locks for the rear windows and intelligent seatbelt reminders for all five seats. Parking is easy with the front and rear parking sensors and 360-degree view camera system.

Active safety includes forward and rear collision warning, lane keeping aids, lane departure warning and prevention, blind-spot detection, side exit assist and a relatively unobtrusive driver monitoring system.

Other highlights include emergency lane keeping, which will activate when there’s no response from the driver and the rear cross-traffic alert also gets assisted braking. The lane keeping can oversteer at times and the adaptive cruise control is best without the assisted steering on. The J7 misses out on emergency call capability but otherwise, the safety equipment feels pretty robust.

There’s autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and motorcyclist detection and is operational from 4.0 – 85km/h and up to 134km/h for car detection but it is more typical to see that top figure closer to 180km/h.

The B10’s post-purchase prospects are generally solid, though Leapmotor’s six-year, 160,000km warranty is an area where it falls short of rivals which are offering longer, unlimited kilometre warranties.

The battery is covered for eight years or 180,000km, whichever comes first, which is pretty par for an EV.

Servicing is capped-price for the first eight years, with each service costing $370 on average. The eight-year span makes it pretty appealing, per 12-month interval or every 20,000km.

There are currently 20 dealers across the country, though more are coming, while Leapmotor also offers eight years of roadside service.

The Chinese lucky number '8' is heavily featured in the ownership as the J7 is offered with an eight-year/unlimited km warranty, eight years of battery cover and roadside assistance, plus eight years of capped-price servicing where services average just $422 per visit. That's an impressive suite of terms for the class.

Servicing is well-spaced at every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres and for now the service network is still fairly small, with around 50 centres nationwide.