Skoda Scala vs Leapmotor B05

What's the difference?

The new Skoda Scala Select proves base models can be well-equipped and have a great price tag, which is not always the case at this grade level.

Its driving experience might not be as exciting as some rivals but it’s a great urban dweller nonetheless and it offers really good value overall.

Now I know how my school teachers felt. There is a lot of potential in the Leapmotor B05, but the brand needs to study harder and apply itself in some key areas to really put in its best performance. 

There is so much potential, there is definitely a good car underneath it, and the brand also deserves credit for the improved interior design. 

But there is also some important work to do to make it really enjoyable and a more relaxing drive. Given the rate of improvement from the C10 to the B05, there is every indication that Leapmotor could soon find itself becoming more popular in Australia.

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

The new Scala has had a minor facelift that sees a redesigned black grille with slim LED headlights, refreshed 17-inch alloy wheels and an extended rear windscreen.

The new Scala more than holds its own against its European rivals when it comes to looks and while it's more unassuming at the kerb side than its peers, there will be those who appreciate that it's not too cutesy-looking.

Head inside and there are similarities between its corporate cousin, the VW Polo with the sharply-designed dashboard and air vents but it’s softened by lovely grey fabric-accent panels and soft touchpoints that have been liberally scattered across the cabin.

The technology screens look premium, if small, and the black and grey cloth seats look a lot nicer than the standard black fabric you usually get in base models.

There's also a certain charm to seeing the traditional elements, like the gearshift and new physical buttons for the climate control. There's enough in the cabin to satisfy most.

While the B05 was very much driven by the European side of the Leapmotor International operation because of its preference for hatchbacks, there’s no doubt it has a distinctive family look to sit nicely alongside the B10 and C10 SUVs.

The company says it has a ‘coupe silhouette’ and a ‘wide-body stance’ to give it a sporty look, which also helps it cut through the air better and help with range. While it’s very much a conventional five-door hatch, it does look well proportioned and inoffensive, which is a good place for Leapmotor to find itself in these early days in Australia.

But to help it stand out and make sure you don’t think this is a plain, vanilla hatchback, it comes in the distinctive Lightning Yellow paint as standard. It’s a bold move, but this is the hero colour used in all marketing material, and clearly Leapmotor hopes the yellow will help give the B05 some cut-through.

And as a bonus, if you don’t want a yellow car, it costs $990 more - even for plain white.

Inside it’s relatively simple - for better and worse.

One of the criticisms of the C10 I had was the extreme simplicity of the cabin. Every surface was seemingly covered in the same terracotta colour trim and it lacked definition, and that made it feel cheap.

For the B05 there are more varied trim elements - around the cupholders, door trims and dashboard - which make for a more interesting and polished design.

From an ergonomic perspective, the seating position lacked enough adjustment for me to get really comfortable, in particular the under thigh support, so there are some design areas where Leapmotor can improve.

However, overall the finish and the design of the cabin is another step forward for the brand.

Ooh, the cabin of the new Scala offers fantastic practicality because it's class leading when it comes to space. There is no 'sardines in a tin' experience here, front and rear passengers get stacks of head- and legroom.

The only stumble on this front is the elbow room up front as you can at times jostle a co-pilot on the annoyingly sloping armrest.

Access is easy enough and you surprisingly don't 'fall in' or grunt when getting out, despite the low 149mm ground clearance.

The storage is good for a hatchback with the front getting a glove box that can fit more than just a manual, small middle console, two cupholders and a drink bottle holder in each door. As well as a sunglasses holder (always handy) and a medium-ish storage cubby in front of the gearshift that can accommodate a phone and wallet.

The rear enjoys two map pockets, two device pockets and a drink bottle holder in each door but misses out on a centre armrest and cupholders.

The boot is massive with its 467L of available capacity and we managed to fit luggage and golf clubs on a roadie this week without trouble.

There’s a temporary space saver tyre underneath the floor and while there’s no powered tailgate, it's not a difficult lid to operate. It even has a neat little toggle to help pull it down.

Other amenities feel well-rounded with two USB-C ports in each row, directional air vents, a 12-volt socket and reading lights.

The touchscreen multimedia system is responsive but looks tiny as it's almost the same size as my iPhone 15 Pro Max. This translates to smaller text and icon sizes as well as a smaller screen for the reversing camera.

There’s also not much in the way of customisation or extra features, like satellite navigation but the new wireless functionality for the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto makes it feel modern. Although the wireless function for the CarPlay drops in and out a lot.

Technology is clearly a key selling point for Leapmotor, with a lot of its marketing presentation focused on a younger demographic.

It certainly has a clean and straightforward interior, but that’s what’s expected of most modern cars, but in particular the Chinese. There are the two screens for all information and entertainment, but almost no buttons or switchgear.

It means you need to either rely on the voice command, which can be hit and miss, or navigate the multimedia screen menus or remember what each of the multi-purpose buttons and dials on the steering wheel do.

In short, it’s not a particularly user-friendly car to drive, especially when you’re new and learning its controls.

But there is some interesting technology. Starting with the digital key and NFC card, which completely replaces a traditional key fob. It’s not going to please everyone, as unlike typical keyless ignitions that work on proximity, to turn on the B05 you need to place the NFC card in the smartphone charging tray, you can’t just leave it in your pocket.

Alternatively you can set up a pin code that you enter on the multimedia screen to get the car started. You can also share that pin code, and a digital key via the Leapmotor app, that allows your partner, kids or friends to drive the car if you’re not there to hand over the NFC card.

You can even geo-fence it, setting a radius on the app so you can get an alert if the kids or friends stray too far.

The B05 also comes with an e-SIM and its own data plan - 2GB per month - with Leapmotor footing the bill for at least the first three years. However, there are no clear plans for what happens after that date. It means you can run apps, such as the included Spotify and TikTok, through the multimedia screen without connecting your phone.

Another technological selling point is the ‘Automated Routines’, which can be programmed into the car. So, for example, if the ambient temperature reaches a certain degree, it can automatically turn the air-conditioning to a preselected temp.

As for the space, it’s a well-packaged car, with good room front and rear. You’ll get two adults or teenagers, and three smaller kids, in the back. Rear seat occupants in the Design get a centre armrest with cupholders (no such luck for Style buyers) and there are air-con vents, a USB-A and USB-C port as well as a small pull-out storage spot that can double as a tissue dispenser.

As for the boot, it measures 357L, with the space to expand to 1205L if you drop the rear seats. However, there is no spare tyre, only a puncture repair kit if you find yourself with a flat.

Chinese cars have built their reputation on value, which is where Leapmotor has an obvious advantage over Stellantis stablemates like Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Jeep which are not known for being particularly cheap.

Having said that, the B05 is not the cheapest hatch you can buy, and certainly not the cheapest electric hatch, but from launch the brand is offering drive-away deals of $35,990 for the entry-level Style and $39,990 for the more generously equipped Design.

Rivals include the MG4, GAC Aion UT and BYD Dolphin but none of them have the traditional low-slung hatch shape of the Leapmotor.

The Style is not the most generously equipped small car you’ll find, but it does have all the essential areas covered. The Design not only has a larger battery but also a bit more gear.

B05 Style standard equipment:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights 
• 8.8-inch digital driver display
• 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite Navigation
• Wireless phone charger
• NFC & Bluetooth key

B05 Design standard equipment, in addition to Style:

• Fixed panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade
• Synthetic leather seats
• 12-speaker Surround Audio System 
• Interior ambient lighting
• Six-way electrically adjustable driver seat
• Four-way electrically adjustable passenger seat
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated front seats
• Rear centre armrest and cupholders

Notably, Leapmotor does include two different charging cables - Type 2 and 3 - as standard, which is surprisingly rare for modern EVs.

The Scala Select is a front-wheel drive with a seven-speed auto transmission. It has a 1.0L three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces up to 85kW of power and 200Nm of torque.

At first glance you might think those outputs sound low and while most of its rivals have better outputs, there's plenty of oomph here to move the little Scala around. 

The B05 is powered by a 160kW and 240Nm electric motor which, unlike most hatches these days, drives the rear wheels. That obviously has a major impact on its dynamic performance, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

That power is enough for the B05 to accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, using it's launch control function. Which is good without being particularly rapid, but this is not a hot hatch, so you shouldn’t expect punchy performance.

The new Select has almost hybrid fuel efficiency with its official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel figure of 5.4L/100km. In comparison, its hybrid rival, the Toyota Corolla isn’t too far away with its 4.0L usage.

Based on its 50L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 925km, which is excellent for an urban dweller.

After doing a road trip combined with a fair amount of city-driving, my real world usage has popped out at 5.7L/100km. Which is a great result overall.

While the Style and Design have the same motor, the two different trim levels get different batteries.

The Style features a 56.2kWh lithium phosphate battery (LFP) which provides up to 410km of driving range, according to the WLTP test cycle. While the Design gets a larger 67.1kWh LFP battery that extends the range to a theoretical 482km.

Maximum charging is 156kW and 174kW DC for the two models, respectively. This means the Design can charge from 30-80 per cent in approximately 18 minutes.

Hatchbacks are always a bit of fun to drive because of the dodgem car-esque handling and when the Scala is in Sport mode, it has enough pep to earn it a fun badge.

Out of Sport mode, the power delivery is still responsive enough for it to be a pleasant open-roader but you won't whoop with joy when you accelerate.

The steering is light without feeling loose and the Scala is nimble when cornering or in tight turns.

The ride comfort is very good and despite hitting some bad weather the Select didn’t miss a beat. It's a confident on-road experience because of its surefootedness.

There's a bit of road noise although its pretty quiet in the cabin, which also makes it a refined open-roader.

The visibility is decent and it’s easy to feel the dimensions of the car when you're in a skinny city laneway.

The Select gets a reversing camera with dynamic reversing guidelines and a clear quality feed but its tiny in the little screen.

The additional front sensors round out the parking experience considerably. You shouldn’t have any issue in parking this one!

This very much depends on how the safety systems are behaving, because it dramatically changes how you experience the B05.

Getting the positives in first, as part of the European focus of the B05 it was tested and had its handling tuned at the Balocco proving ground in Italy, which is where Alfa Romeo has tuned its cars for decades.

This underlines the Stellantis influence on the B05, because hatchbacks are not popular in China so it is very much focused on the European audience. Which should be more inline with traditional Australian tastes.

The combination of this European influence with the rear-wheel-drive layout means the B05 can be a genuine pleasure to drive, even on the winding mountain and flowing country roads we experienced it on.

To be blunt, the roads we drove in the B05 would have been insufferable in the C10 I experienced from Leapmotor in the past.

There are three different settings for the acceleration, steering and regenerative braking, so you can tailor it between sporty and comfort modes, depending on the conditions and your preference.

It’s by no means perfect, the steering could be improved to make it more direct and responsive, but for what is a hatchback and not a hot hatch, the B05 impresses. The rear-wheel-drive layout helps it feel balanced and responsive in a way front-wheel-drive hatches simply aren’t.

Unfortunately, this improved dynamic experience is largely spoiled by the poorly calibrated and integrated active safety features. The primary culprit is the lane keeping assist, which tugs at the wheel and sounds an alarm anytime you even get close to a lane marking.

Even if you try turning it off it keeps turning itself back on unless you also turn off the driver attention monitoring system. Putting aside the obvious dangers and pointlessness of turning safety systems off, it is clear that Leapmotor still has a lot of work to do with calibrating this kind of technology.

Even though the Stellantis side of the operation did the ride and handling tuning, the Chinese-based team at Leapmotor still did the safety calibration. Perhaps drawing on the experience from the likes of Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Opel, etc would be beneficial in making sure the driving experience isn’t spoiled by intrusive safety technology.

Putting the lane keeping assist aside for a moment, the B05 actually has a pretty comprehensive suite of safety features as part of the LEAP Pilot system. This incorporates all the usual safety technology you expect in a modern car.

In addition to this, there’s also:

• Leapmotor Connected Services
• 360-degree camera with dynamic guidelines
• Integrated 360-degree dash cam 
• Rear parking sensors  

All this is enough for the B05 to score a five-star ANCAP rating (based on a EuroNCAP test), and notably it was tested to the 2026 protocols. That makes it one of the first to achieve this new, more strict crash testing procedure, as the majority of cars rated this year have been to the previous protocols.

However, and not to be unkind to ANCAP, but the fact that the B05 scored a 99 per cent rating and reportedly performed “very well” for its lane keeping assist during the testing is a glaring problem. Based on my experience with the car it suggests there is still a gulf between the testing procedure and the real world, which is not good for Australian customers who are not getting clear information.

A system that scores 99 per cent shouldn’t be something you’re eager to switch off, it should be seamlessly integrated into the car and not disturb the driving experience unless the driver needs it. 

Instead, at one stage during our test drive, a car on the opposite side of the road drifted into our lane and when we attempted to steer left to avoid a head-on collision, the lane keeping tried to correct course back to the right which could have resulted in an accident.

While this safety technology is undoubtedly worthwhile, as motorists we should be demanding a higher standard from both manufacturers and the safety bodies.

The Scala is offered with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is good for the class and you can pre-purchase a seven-year/105,000km servicing program for a flat $3650, which is competitive.

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12-months or 15,000km. You also get roadside assistance as a part of your servicing pack if you service on schedule. 

The Scala likes to drink the good stuff, though, and Skoda recommends a minimum 95 RON premium unleaded petrol be used.

Leapmotor offers a respectable, but by no means segment leading, six-year/150,000km warranty plus an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty as well as eight years roadside assistance and eight years of capped-price servicing.

As for how much that servicing will cost you over the eight years, it works out at a cost of $2980. A minor service costs $215 but the major ones are up to $470, and they are due every second year.

While we’re discussing ownership, one of the reasons for the brand’s slow growth in Australia is the fact it has a limited number of places where you can actually buy one. Leapmotor only has 25 dealers and service centres in Australia (at the time of publication), and while there are plans to expand, it does leave it lagging behind many of its competitors.