Four years ago I wrote an article praising the Leapmotor T03. Back then the small electric car was only available in China with NCM batteries and it toke almost 7 months until it also got LFP batteries.
Now, this great small electric car is finally coming to Europe with a WLTP range of 265 km, a 41,3 kWh (37,3 kWh usable) LFP battery and a price of 18.900 euros. This model arrives disassembled from China to Stellantis factory in Poland where it’s put together like an IKEA furniture.
To reduce production complexity it’s only available in one variant, which I like, as it’s extremely well equipped for an electric car this small.
Let’s see what we get.
2024 Leapmotor T03
Basic specs
- Seats: 4
- Length: 3.620 mm
- Wheelbase: 2.400 mm
- Width: 1.652 mm
- Height: 1.577 mm
- Luggage capacity: 210 L
- Weight: 1.200 kg
- Vehicle warranty: 3 years or 120.000 km
Powertrain
- Electric motor: 70 kW
- Maximum speed: 130 km/h
- Range (WLTP): 265 km
- Battery capacity: 41,3 kWh (37,3 kWh usable)
- Battery chemistry: LFP (LiFePO4)
- Battery warranty: 8 years or 150.000 km
- TMS:Â Intelligent liquid heat management system (heating + cooling)
- DC fast charging: 45 kW (30-80 % in 36 minutes)
- On-board charging: 6,6 kW (30-80 % in 6 hours)
- System efficiency: up to 92,3 %
Safety equipment
- Disc brakes on front and rear wheels
- 11 ultrasonic sensors
- 1 face recognition camera
- CCS Cruise Control System
- LDW Lane Departure Warning System
- SLIF speed limit identification system
- DFM fatigue driving warning system
- FCW Front Collision Warning System
- ACC adaptive cruise system
- LSF low-speed following system
- AEB automatic emergency braking system
- LKA Lane Keeping Assist System
- APS Intelligent Parking System
How it compares with the Dacia Spring?
2024 Dacia Spring
This small electric car comes in three variants.
- Essential (33 kW): 16.900 euros
- Expression (48 kW): 18.900 euros
- Extreme (48 kW): 19.900 euros
Basic specs
- Seats: 4
- Length: 3.701 mm
- Width: 1.767 mm
- Height: 1.519 mm
- Wheelbase: 2.423 mm
- Turning circle: 4.800 mm
- Trunk capacity: 308 L - 1.004 L with the rear seats folded down
- Frunk capacity: 35 L
- Weight: 984 kg
- Wheels: 15-inch
- Starting price: 16.900 euros
Powertrain
- Electric motor: 33 or 48 kW
- Maximum speed: 125 km/h
- Range (WLTP): 225 km (33 kW version) and 228 km (48 kW versions)
- Battery capacity: 26,8 kWh
- Battery weight: 186 kg
- Battery chemistry: NCM
- DC fast charging: 30 kW - from 20 to 80 % in 45 minutes (600 euros option)
- On-board charging: 7 kW - from 0 to 100 % in 4 hours
- Consumption: 14,6 kWh/100 km
It also comes packed with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to meet the latest European Global Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) safety standards.
- Emergency braking system (with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle detection)
- Traffic sign recognition with speed alert
- Rear park assist
- Emergency stop signal
- Lane change alert
- Lane keep assist
- Driver attention warning
- Emergency call (eCall)
Sadly, the only version that makes sense is the most expensive (Extreme) and starts at 19.900 euros, then you also have to pay 600 euros for the DC fast charging.
The Leapmotor T03 with its all-inclusive one variant for 18.900 euros and a more durable LFP battery offers much better value for money than the 20.500 euros Dacia Spring.
With NCM batteries we usually get 1.500 charge/discharge cycles before reaching the EOL (End of Life) - where the initial battery capacity is reduced to 70-80 % -, while with LFP is usually around 3.500 cycles and can be even higher, as it’s the case with the BYD Blade Battery with its amazing 5.000 cycles longevity.
By December first deliveries to European customers of the Leapmotor T03 will already began and Dacia Spring will have a hard time justifying its high price tag. I think that Dacia should make the Spring only available in one very well equipped variant and put the starting price at 14.900 euros.
To make things worse for the Dacia Spring, the long awaited European BYD Seagull will arrive next year…
Current Dacia Spring is based on the old Chinese Dongfeng Nano Box, the next generation will probably be based on the much better Dongfeng Nammi Box, which already has a long-lasting 42,3 kWh LFP battery, 310 km of WLTP range, 70 kW motor and looks super cool (new smart vibes).
Curiously, the Dongfeng Nammi Box is already being sold in Switzerland for 21.990 CHF (23.367 euros) and Czechia.
What do you think? Can the Dacia Spring survive with its current generation and a generous price cut, or it really needs a new generation based on the Dongfeng Nammi Box?
