Leapmotor C10 vs MG MG5

What's the difference?

The Leapmotor C10 mid-size SUV has been on sale in Australia for more than six months now, but a lot of people still give you a puzzled look when you mention the brand.

Initially offered in electric vehicle (EV) form only, the Chinese carmaker has now introduced a petrol-electric hybrid version to bring the fight to the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV and Jaecoo J7 SHS, among others.

Dubbed the C10 REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle), it reintroduces a powertrain technology that has previously only been offered in two cars locally. These include the Holden Volt and BMW i3 REx.

With an electric motor providing all the driving power, there’s also a petrol engine that acts purely as a generator. This is claimed to allow the car to still feel like an EV, but also have the flexibility of being able to fuel up for longer distances.

Australian deliveries of the C10 REEV started a few months ago, but CarsGuide is now getting a first local drive of this car following a brief drive in Europe back in April.

How does it stack up? Read along to find out.

@carsguide.com.au

Can you tell the difference between these two 2025 Leapmotor C10 models? ⚡ On the right is the new C10 REEV (Range-extender electric vehicle) which has only recently arrived in Australia. Here are some fast facts: ⏩ 158kW electric motor ⏩ 1.5L petrol engine generator ⏩ Up to 1150km total range ⏩ $43,888 before on-roads P.S. How good does Jade Green look? P.P.S. If you said the difference between the cars is also the interior colours, pat yourself on the back #leapmotor #c10 #leapmotorc10 #reev #rangeextender #EV #SUV #car #carsguide #fyp

♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

MG has a knack for bucking market trends. The MG3 hatch currently makes up more than a quarter of the brand’s sales at a time when the ‘light car’ category is in gradual decline. Electric cars are too expensive? Here comes the MG4 for less than $40K.

So is this, the MG5, here to resuscitate the sedan? A market segment that’s on the way to flatline here in Australia (aside from the Tesla Model 3's relatively niche appeal)?

If it does, it’s going to do it the same way MG has before. Low pricing. Both MG5 variants come in at less than $30K drive-away and convincingly undercut rivals… but at what cost?

MG delivers a strong value proposition with its small sedan, but it largely only comes with the essential safety features needed to be sold in Australia.

Does the MG5 bring enough to the table to be worth considering without common active safety features like lane-keep assist or rear cross-traffic alert? Let’s find out.