Volvo EX30 vs Leapmotor C10

What's the difference?

Volvo has taken a bit of a risk because I'm not convinced that the EX30 knows who its audience is. However, our Twin Motor Performance Ultra test model is well-specified and the overall owner experience (from driving, usability and ongoing ownership costs) is great. This is a fun car and it looks super cute.

Plug-in hybrids are really gaining popularity in Australia and it’s great to see the reemergence of range-extender technology because it allows you to drive an EV, but not have the inherent range anxiety that comes with it.

The Leapmotor C10, as a base, is far from a perfect car, but its appealing price point and the amount of space it offers is commendable. It's not a driver's car, but rather just a means of transportation.

The C10 REEV's range-extender powertrain firms as the pick of the C10 line-up if you want the flexibility of being able to charge up the car, or just fuel it up with petrol for simplicity's sake. While it mightn’t be as efficient as rival PHEVs, it generally is quieter, safety system chimes aside.

I look forward to seeing whether Leapmotor can continue to improve the safety systems in the C10 because while the REEV on test here is better than the original EV I drove earlier this year, the way the systems operate still makes it hard to recommend.

The EX30 is gorgeous. It has an interesting shape that makes it look larger than it is and it's unique enough to attract users who might not love the Volvo aesthetic.

You can still see that it's part of the Volvo family with its crisp pleating in the panelling and 'Hammer of Thor' LED headlights, but its look is new and fun.

Large Volvo badging is framed by rectangular LED lighting at the rear and our test model's Cloud Blue paintwork is offset by a sporty black roof and frameless side mirrors.

The interior aesthetic is very pared back - think simple and classic lines, no buttons or dials and large air-vents.

The dashboard is headlined by a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which also houses all of the info you'd expect to see on a digital instrument cluster because there's no head-up display or cluster in this model and it does take a while to get used to.

At first the simplicity is a bit too much to wrap the head around but once you do, the interior is incredibly intuitive to use and as a driver, it felt a little Zen-like.

There are four interior design choices Breeze, Mist, Pine and our test model's Indigo which couples 50 per cent recycled denim jeans for its accents, a grey and blue Nordico (synthetic fabric) upholstery and lots of recycled soft/hard plastics in various tones of blue and greys.

To be honest, the materials didn't always work for me but the cabin is still pleasant to look at.

If you haven’t already noticed, the Leapmotor C10’s technology seems heavily inspired by Tesla. The same can be said for its design, which is incredibly minimalist.

It’s hard to find any distinguishing features on the outside of the C10 that makes it uniquely a Leapmotor. Everything, even the car’s rounded, jelly bean-like silhouette, is generic and doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

In saying this however, the C10 REEV test car does turn heads and a few people asked what it was. This is likely because no one knows what a Leapmotor is.

It also helps the test car was finished in the delicious-looking Jade Green exterior paint. It’s definitely my pick of the available colour options.

There are the popular exterior design trends like animated lighting sequences, a rear LED light bar, connected front headlights, flush door handles, and Leapmotor script on the tailgate. Nothing revolutionary here in terms of design.

The only way to tell the C10 REEV apart from the C10 EV is its fuel filler flap on the right-hand side of the car. Everything else is identical.

Inside there are two colour choices – Black or Camel Brown. Our tester is fitted with the former, which is definitely the more conservative option.

Regardless of the colour option, the majority of the interior is finished in that colour. It’s more noticeable with the almost orange-looking brown colour option.

This makes the interior look a little bland as it lacks contrast and visual interest.

There’s no denying there are some high-end-feeling touches inside, especially for the price point. You really need to go searching for harder and scratchier plastics, but they are present lower down in the cabin.

Virtually every touch point is soft and spongey, with the entire dashboard being covered in a smooth synthetic leather. Pretty cool for $45k.

This is even before mentioning the seats. The top-spec C10 Design comes with silicone leather upholstery, which is by far one of the softest seats I’ve ever touched and sat in to date. It’ll be interesting how this finish holds up after years of use, however.

A lot of the interior design pivots around the large, 14.6-inch central touchscreen. Thankfully unlike Teslas, there’s also a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which also displays critical information, like your current speed.

The cabin up front features plenty of leg- and headroom as well as cleverly designed storage options.

The rear row is surprisingly comfortable for space behind my driving position but I'm only 168cm tall and it might get squishy if you're behind taller front occupants. It's best to think of this car as a four-seater for adults though, the middle seat is an emergency seat.

The seats themselves are very comfortable for long trips, and both are powered and feature heat functions. My favourite feature inside are the door handles - easy to use and they look great too.

Like I mentioned earlier, the design is rather intuitive to use for every day. The only controls in the cabin are the window buttons and they're discreetly placed on either end of the middle console. The front only feature two buttons but you can switch them over for the rear window use via a little touchpad.

Individual storage is great for the class, with a large open centre console that features a dual opening lid with a shallow cubby, which is perfect to hide away any charging cables for the two USB-C ports.

There is a dedicated phone storage space in the form of a 'lean-to' scenario which also features the wireless charging pad and it's large enough to accommodate bigger devices like an iPad.

There is a sneaky glove box which is located underneath the multimedia screen but it irks me that you can only open it via the screen. It's large enough to hold a manual.

The other sneaky but super handy element is the retractable cupholder shelf that slides away into the middle console. You can also position it so only one cupholder is available or slide the cupholder insert backwards for a large cubby.

The rear gets large storage bins in each door, a drawer from the centre console but it's disappointing that the rear row misses out on cupholders or an armrest for added comfort. It does get two USB-C ports.

There is a 7L frunk storage plus the boot is adequate for overnight luggage or a grocery run with its 318L of capacity but that can jump up to 904L if you fold the rear row.

The multimedia system is fairly easy to use but you have to get used to it as it's a bit different from other Volvo systems I've sampled in the past. You also have to get used to accessing everything for the car, even for turning the car off, via the screen. I do like having buttons/dials but not having them in the EX30 mostly works.

Although the Leapmotor C10 REEV is a mid-size SUV, its interior space feels considerably larger and more spacious, especially in the second row. This is because the car is built on an EV architecture and has no driveline running down the middle, so interior space can be maximised.

Up front both seats are electrically adjustable, though neither of them offer adjustable thigh support which is a pain for people with longer legs, like myself, as it can sometimes feel like you’re slipping out of the seat. It doesn’t help that the seats are so soft and buttery.

I will say though, the heated front seats and steering wheel get warm almost instantly, which was great in the almost Arctic weather Melbourne has been experiencing recently.

While I can appreciate the minimalist design of the dashboard, from a practical standpoint it’s a huge pain. There’s virtually no physical switchgear beyond the indicator and gear selector stalks, with the majority of the controls built into the touchscreen multimedia system.

Want to adjust your side-mirror position, the air-vent direction, or drive mode? That all needs to be done via the touchscreen. Sure there are some buttons on the steering wheel which help with functions like adjusting the volume and cruise control, but it doesn’t do them all.

This is incredibly frustrating because when you do interact with the touchscreen on the move, the driver attention monitor chimes at you for not keeping your eyes on the road ahead.

Add to this, the touchscreen runs Leapmotor’s own operating system. Admittedly it does run really smoothly, but it doesn’t offer any smartphone mirroring functionality, which is a negative for some.

I imagine you would get used to using the selection of inbuilt third-party apps if you own this car, but I find the connected satellite navigation app particularly painful because it would send me on a slower route. Having Google Maps or Waze would be much more intuitive.

Up front there are two cupholders next to the wireless charging pad, a storage shelf under the centre console, a massive centre console box, a mediocre glovebox, a USB-A and USB-C port, and a 12V socket.

Moving to the second row, it’s arguably the best place to be in the C10 REEV. There’s oodles of space on offer and a completely flat floor.

At a leggy 182cm tall, I had plenty of legroom behind my driving position and also plenty to look at thanks to the huge fixed panoramic glass sunroof which, thankfully, has an electric block-out blind if the sun gets too bright.

The second-row bench feels like a big, soft couch in the best way. It’s leans backwards, allowing you to lay back and relax as a passenger.

One of the few things that detract from the space is high floor, due to the high-voltage battery pack placement. It makes you feel like your knees sit higher than normal.

Second-row amenities include centre console-mounted air vents, USB-A and USB-C ports, seat-back map pockets, door pockets, and a fold-down armrest. If you’re looking for cupholders, they’re right next to the air vents on the centre console.

Like the C10 EV, you can fold the front seats backwards to create an almost-flat space for lounging. You need to remove the front seat headrests to do this, but once you do it’s a cool novelty to show to your friends, or use while charging.

Around the back the tailgate opens quickly and quietly. Once it’s open the space on offer is decent, but not class-leading.

Leapmotor claims there’s 546 litres of boot space on offer with the rear seats upright, which is 35 litres less than the C10 EV. Folding the rear seats expands this space to 1375 litres.

Boot-related amenities include a retractable cargo cover, a light, some bag hooks, as well as two boot floor storage compartments for things like the charging cable.

Unsurprisingly, there’s no spare wheel of any kind in the C10 REEV. Instead you get a tyre repair kit under the boot floor, which is handy if you have a slow leak but not if you have a complete tyre blowout.

Just like the EV, the Leapmotor C10 REEV is offered in two spec grades – Style and Design. Our test vehicle is the latter, which is top-spec.

Pricing for the C10 REEV starts at $43,888 before on-road costs, and extends to $47,888 before on-road costs. This is $2000 cheaper than the C10 EV.

It’s also firmly in the price bracket of plug-in hybrid rivals like the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV and Jaecoo J7 SHS.

Standard equipment across the C10 REEV line-up mirrors the EV equivalents. On the base Style you get 18-inch alloy wheels, a fixed panoramic glass sunroof, automatic LED headlights, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system, a 12-speaker sound system, synthetic leather upholstery and powered front seats.

It’s a pretty high level of equipment for a base-model vehicle, especially for the price point.

Moving up to the C10 REEV Design adds 20-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, an LED rear light bar, a power tailgate, multi-colour interior ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, silicone leather upholstery, and heated and ventilated seats.

While this does sound like a lot of standard equipment, there are some notable omissions. One of the most obvious is the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the entire range.

Leapmotor does however include apps like Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Deezer, Zoom, connected satellite navigation, and a browser app built into the touchscreen multimedia system as standard. TikTok was even added with a recent over-the-air software update.

Another feature omission is a regular key with buttons to unlock and lock the car. Instead you get a key card you need to tap on the driver’s side mirror to unlock and lock the vehicle, then tap on the wireless charger pad to start up the car.

You can also use your smartphone as a key, but it’s worth noting that you can only connect one smartphone key to the car at a time. This might be a pain if you share the car because one of you will need to use the key card instead of their phone.

It’s worth noting the Leapmotor smartphone app also gives you access to a range of remote functions, like battery charging, climate control, locking and unlocking, among others.

The Twin Motor Performance Ultra grade is an AWD with twin electric motors which combine to produce 315kW of power and 543Nm of torque (115kW front/200kW rear) + (200Nm front/323Nm rear).

The EX30 has a single-speed auto transmission and can go from 0 -100km/h in just 3.6-seconds - making it the fastest Volvo.

The key difference with the Leapmotor C10 REEV compared to the C10 EV is what’s under the bonnet.

Both feature an electric motor that drives the rear wheels, however the C10 REEV’s is slightly detuned to produce 158kW, compared to 160kW in the C10 EV. Torque for both is 320Nm.

Both also have a high-voltage lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, but the C10 REEV's is smaller at 28.4kWh, compared to 69.9kWh in the C10 EV.

However, under the bonnet of the C10 REEV is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a generator to charge up the battery pack.

Unlike typical plug-in hybrids, the engine cannot directly power the wheels at all. It’s a similar concept to Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, but with a considerably larger battery pack.

In addition to three driving modes, there are four ‘energy drive’ modes. EV+ doesn’t kick in the petrol engine generator until the battery charge drops below nine per cent; EV doesn’t start the battery until the battery charge drops below 25 per cent; Fuel, which can hold the battery charge or use the engine to generate charge up to 80 per cent; and Power+ which constantly has the engine charging the battery.

Leapmotor claims the C10 REEV can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds, which is one second slower than the C10 EV.

It’s worth calling out the C10 REEV is around 30kg lighter than the C10 EV, but with a tare mass of almost 2000kg, it’s far from lightweight.

The EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra has up to 445km (WLTP) driving range, which felt pretty accurate this week despite throwing some heavy open-road trips into the mix.

This variant has a 69kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery and an official energy consumption figure of 18.0kWh/100km (WLTP). After doing some urban and longer trips I saw my trip computer flitting between 19.0kWh and 22.0kWh/100km.

The EX30 has a Type 2 CCS charging port, which means you can hook it up to a DC charger and it will accept up to 175kW on a DC charging system.

On an AC 2.4kW standard domestic plug port, expect a long charging time of around 38 hours to get up to 80 per cent.

On an AC 11kW system, you can go from 0-100 per cent in eight hours (again, a little slow but reasonable enough for overnight charging).

On a DC 175kW system, you can go from 10-80 per cent in around 28 minutes.

Leapmotor claims the C10 REEV has an electric range of up to 170km, according to NEDC testing.

All up with a single battery charge and full 50-litre fuel tank, the company claims you can travel a total of up to 1150km, also according to NEDC testing.

In EV mode, Leapmotor claims the C10 REEV has an energy consumption of 15.2kWh/100km. In practice during my testing I saw an average of around 13kWh/100km, which is fantastic and almost Tesla-like in terms of efficiency.

This theoretically means you can travel 218km on a full battery, but it's worth noting the battery pack will never fully deplete its charge.

Combined fuel consumption is claimed to be 0.9L/100km, though your fuel consumption will depend heavily on how much and how often you charge the car.

During my testing I tried out multiple different drive modes, including one section where I kept the car in a battery charge hold mode called ‘Fuel’. During this I saw an average of 6.7L/100km, which isn’t fantastic for a hybrid.

With this as-tested fuel consumption figure you can theoretically travel 820km on petrol power alone. Adding the theoretical EV range, you get a theoretical total range of 1013km.

You’re able to AC charge the C10 REEV at rates up to 6.6kW, which is notably slower than the C10 EV (11kW). The DC fast-charging rate is also notably slower at 65kW, compared to 84kW in the C10 EV.

It’s worth noting, however, Leapmotor claims you can DC charge the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in the C10 REEV in 18 minutes, whereas it takes 30 minutes in the C10 EV.

Driving the EX30 Ultra is a mostly fun and lighthearted experience but it's not cutesy, no matter how adorable the external design is.

The twin motors deliver serious power and you can fully expect 'tummy-sucking' moments of pure enjoyment whenever you put your foot down.

Coupled with a graceful on-road presence which assures you that the car will stick to the road like glue, and you have the fun-factor.

The lightheartedness comes from how nimble and easy the EX30 is to manoeuvre. The steering firmness can be customised and its compact dimensions makes it your best friend in tight city lanes.

You can't customise the regenerative braking, or at least, I couldn't figure out an easy way to do so outside of selecting the one-pedal drive option.

The cabin is mostly quiet and there's a refinement to longer journeys because of it. You get occasional wind noise at higher speeds and a little bit of road feedback too but longer journeys are lovely.

My only real nag is that there is no head-up display or instrument panel for your speedometre and I found my eyes directed away from the road because of it. You can find your speed info on the central multimedia system but I prefer something in front of me.

Parking my little blue cloud this week has been easy as pie because the 360-degree camera system is clear and the large windows provide excellent visibility.

Setting off in the Leapmotor C10 REEV, it’s surprising just how much it’s like the EV version.

The rear-mounted electric motor provides all the power, so you get a zippy feel from a standstill and at lower speeds. The acceleration is gradual and won’t snap your neck like some EVs.

This car is beautifully quiet and serene in pure EV mode. The light steering and tight turning circle also makes this an easy car to drive and park in the city.

However, the pedals feel like they’re mounted too high, which makes you awkwardly bend your ankles back to press the pedals comfortably. This can be tedious in stop-start traffic.

Add to this the disjointed interaction between the regenerative braking system and traditional friction brakes. There were many times where I’d be pressing the brake pedal and as soon as the car got below 5km/h it would stop dead. It’s not the most pleasant feeling and something I never mastered during my three-day loan.

Depending on how often you charge up the car’s battery pack, it’s possible that you might never have the 1.5-litre petrol engine kick in during your daily commute. Even if it does when the battery charge gets down low enough, you likely would not be able to tell.

The first few times it happened I genuinely had no clue the engine had started. There’s no jolt through the accelerator or dip in acceleration. The only way I found out was by going into the vehicle status menu on the touchscreen and seeing the engine temperature and revs in the top left-hand corner. It really is that quiet.

When the engine is charging up the battery at city speeds, it’ll rarely rev above 1800rpm, which at that point it’s imperceptible in the cabin. Out on the open road however it can creep up to 2500rpm, which then makes its presence known a little more. It's still nowhere as buzzy as a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, however.

For a brief period I tried out the Power+ mode on some country roads and I found the engine really did come alive at this point, and not in a good way. It would frequently rev above 3000rpm, and the droning engine sound would enter the cabin.

The Leapmotor C10 REEV is generally a nippy car, but when the battery charge does get down it can limit the amount of power the electric motor sends out.

Below 25 per cent a charge warning light comes up on the digital instrument cluster, and unless you’re in Power+ mode, it limits the power output to around 100kW. It’s not terribly slow, but if you’re needing to overtake, it can notably slow the process down.

In terms of dynamics, Leapmotor claims the C10’s suspension was tuned by Maserati engineers. Like the C10 EV I drove previously, however, the ride errs on the comfort side and big bumps can unsettle the car.

In the twisties the car is also far from a dynamic weapon. It tends to get the leans in the bends and can wallow around when changing directions rapidly. The steering also has no feel whatsoever, making it feel like you’re piloting a car in a video game.

For context though, none of its direct rivals are fantastic from a high-speed dynamics standpoint, so it’s almost par for the course.

Unlike the Leapmotor C10 EV, the C10 REEV hasn’t been awarded an ANCAP safety rating just yet. It also hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP.

Standard safety equipment includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, and rear parking sensors.

A notable absence on the safety equipment list is front parking sensors. This isn’t offered on any Leapmotor C10.

As noted above, the C10 REEV offers a range of connected services. Owners get three years of complimentary access to a range of remote functions through the Leapmotor smartphone app.

In terms of the safety system’s functionality, this C10 REEV's does feel less intrusive than the C10 EV I drove back at the vehicle’s launch in February 2025, however that was a very low bar as they were horrific.

It’s worth noting Leapmotor has made some tweaks to the safety systems with over-the-air software updates, and more are likely on the way.

There are still plenty of chimes that come from the driver attention monitor, though the intensity seems to have been dialled down. It still struggles to see my eyes, though, when I’m wearing sunglasses.

The intelligent speed limit assist chimes incessantly the moment you start travelling over what the car thinks is the sign-posted speed limit. It frequently picks up the wrong speed limit as it only uses the cameras and not sat-nav data.

Thankfully, both of these safety systems can be quickly turned off with a swipe-down control centre-style menu on the touchscreen. Annoyingly, however, they default back on every time you drive the car.

The adaptive cruise control system activates in the same way a Tesla does (with two downward pulls of the column-mounted gear selector). When active the acceleration efforts can feel jerky, and it’ll brake heavily even if a car is way off in the distance. I much prefer driving myself.

Lastly, the lane-keep assist and emergency lane-keep assist systems continue to act poorly, especially on tighter roads with poor lane markings. The moment you drift off the centre of the lane the system vibrates and kicks at the steering wheel, almost making you fight against the resistance to regain steering control.

It’s not a pleasant feeling, and the system cannot be completely turned off on the move. You need to be stopped and in park.

The AEB system engages from 5km/h, while the lane-keep system kicks in from 60km/h.

ISOFIX child-seat anchorage points are fitted to the outboard rear seats, along with three top-tether points.

The EX30 is covered by Volvos five-year/unlimited km warranty and the electric battery is covered by an eight-year term - both are normal terms for the class.

What endears the EX30 to me is that servicing is included, which is very rare for a luxury brand to offer. Servicing intervals are reasonable at every two years or 30,000km, which ever occurs first.

Leapmotor quietly made some changes to its ownership structure for model year 2025 (MY25) cars.

All 2025 Leapmotor C10s, including the REEV, are covered by a six-year, 150,000km warranty. It was previously seven years, 160,000km for MY24 cars.

The high-voltage battery warranty remains unchanged at eight years, 160,000km.

Some key differences, however, are eight years of roadside assistance (previously five years), as well as eight years of capped-price servicing (previously five years).

The Leapmotor C10 REEV requires logbook servicing every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, which is notably shorter than the C10 EV’s 12 month/20,000km intervals. This will likely add up if you travel long distances.

Capped-price servicing for the C10 REEV totals $4000 after eight years or 80,000km, whichever comes first. That averages out to $500 per service. Ouch…

For context, servicing the C10 EV for eight years or 160,000km, whichever comes first, costs a total of $3000. That’s $375 per service, which is still a little on the high side for an EV.