2026 Leapmotor A05 (B03): Compact Hatchback Claims Up to 510 km Range

Leapmotor has opened a new front in the budget EV war with the A05, a compact hatchback that undercuts most of the compact-EV segment on price while still offering a 53 kWh battery, LiDAR-based driver assistance, and a claimed 510 km of range. Announced by Leapmotor and its international partner Stellantis on July 29, 2026, and launched in China on August 11, the car carries two names at once: A05 domestically, and B03 for every market outside China. Pricing spans roughly $9,475 to $13,475 across five trims, positioning the A05 (B03) as a direct answer to budget-focused rivals like the Geely EX2 and BYD Seagull at home, and as Leapmotor's eventual entry into the small-hatchback class that cars like the Renault 5 E-Tech occupy in Europe. The car is aimed squarely at young, urban, first-time EV buyers who want real range and real tech without a premium price tag. Two battery packs, two motor outputs, and an optional 128-channel LiDAR sensor round out a spec sheet that punches well above the car's price class.

A Tale of Two Names: A05 in China, B03 Everywhere Else

Leapmotor's own press materials state it plainly: "Leapmotor unveiled the all-new Leapmotor A05 (B03 global naming), a smart and agile compact hatchback that brings together dynamic design, advanced intelligent technologies and everyday practicality." In other words, this is one car with two badges depending on where you buy it. Inside China, showroom cars, marketing, and the window sticker all say A05. Once the car reaches international markets, the same hatchback will wear a B03 badge and license plate holder instead, a naming shift industry watchers have linked to Leapmotor moving its export lineup onto a B-segment and C-segment letter scheme so cars aren't mistaken for a smaller A-segment model than they actually are. Buyers shopping outside China should simply know that "A05" and "B03" refer to the identical vehicle, not two different products.

Performance & Specs

The A05 (B03) uses a single front-mounted motor in every configuration, so there's no all-wheel-drive version at launch. Entry-level 405-range trims get a 70 kW (94 hp) motor, while the longer-range 510 trims step up to a 90 kW (121 hp) unit; both are rated at 150 Nm of torque. Leapmotor quotes 0-100 km/h in 11.02 seconds for the 70 kW motor and 10.58 seconds for the 90 kW motor, with a 160 km/h top speed across the board. These aren't quick numbers by EV standards, but they're in line with what buyers expect from a car priced to compete with entry-level gasoline hatchbacks rather than performance EVs. The standout is efficiency: Leapmotor's own consumption figures for the 510 pack work out to roughly 10.6 kWh per 100 km on the CLTC cycle, a genuinely strong number for the class.

Powertrain	Single-motor FWD BEV
Power	90 kW (121 hp)
Torque	150 Nm
0–100 km/h	10.58 s
Battery	53 kWh LFP
Range	510 km (CLTC)

POWERTRAIN TYPE	Single-motor FWD BEV
HORSEPOWER	94 hp (70 kW) or 121 hp (90 kW)
ACCELERATION	11.02 s or 10.58 s (0–100 km/h)
TOP SPEED	160 km/h
DRIVETRAIN	FWD
BATTERY	39.8 kWh or 53 kWh LFP
ELECTRIC RANGE	405 km or 510 km (CLTC); up to 510 km (WLTC, pending final homologation)

Dimensions & Practicality

Length	4,175 mm
Width	1,790 mm
Height	1,560 mm
Wheelbase	2,605 mm

At 4,175 mm long with a 2,605 mm wheelbase, the A05 (B03) is a genuinely compact hatchback, closer in footprint to a European B-segment car than to the larger crossover-hatches common in China. Chinese homologation filings list the production car fractionally larger at 4,200 x 1,800 mm, likely reflecting final trim and mirror details finalized after the official announcement, but the wheelbase figure is consistent across every source at 2,605 mm. Inside, Leapmotor promotes a "large dual-layer trunk" and a flexible, five-seat cabin with roughly 33 separate storage compartments scattered around the interior, plus a fold-flat rear bench on higher trims that turns the back seat into a flat sleeping platform for road trips. The trunk holds 474 liters with the rear seats up, expanding to 1,308 liters with them folded, plus a smaller 91-liter underfloor storage cubby, genuinely competitive numbers for a car this size.

LENGTH	4,175 mm
WIDTH	1,790 mm
HEIGHT	1,560 mm
WHEELBASE	2,605 mm
CARGO VOLUME	474 L (1,308 L seats folded)

Charging & Battery

Both battery options use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, sourced from suppliers including Gotion High-Tech and Jiangsu Zenergy, chosen for cost and long-term durability rather than outright energy density. The entry 39.8 kWh pack is air-cooled and delivers 405 km of CLTC range, while the 53 kWh pack used in 510-range trims switches to liquid cooling to support faster charging and delivers the headline 510 km figure. On a DC fast charger, Leapmotor quotes a 30-80% top-up in about 30 minutes for the smaller pack and roughly 16 minutes for the larger one. A full charge from a home AC wallbox takes around 5 hours, though Leapmotor has not published the onboard AC charger's exact power rating.

BATTERY	39.8 kWh LFP (405 trims) or 53 kWh LFP (510 trims)
AC CHARGING	Full charge in about 5 hrs (onboard charger rating unconfirmed)
DC 10-80% TIME	~30 min (405 pack) / ~16 min (510 pack), 30–80% SOC

Design & Interior

Leapmotor frames the A05 (B03) around four design pillars: "Beautiful to Look At, Easy to Drive, Fun to Use, and Reassuringly Safe & Smart." In practice that translates into a clean, rounded hatchback silhouette with a two-tone black roof, slim LED headlights wrapped around a body-color front fascia, and Leapmotor's circular "LP" badge instead of a traditional grille, since there's no engine to cool. The launch photography leans into soft pastel colorways, including a dusty pink and a deep periwinkle blue, both paired with black roofs and 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels, a clear signal of the young, style-conscious buyer Leapmotor is chasing. Inside, the cabin swaps hard plastics for what Leapmotor calls "segment-leading soft-touch surfaces," finished with contrast stitching and configurable ambient lighting that runs the width of the dashboard. Higher trims add heated and ventilated front seats, a feature rarely seen at this price point, along with the fold-flat rear bench for cargo or camping duty. The steering wheel carries Leapmotor's own logo rather than a shared corporate design, and even the base cars come with the same 14.6-inch center display used across the range.

Technology & Features

Every A05 (B03) trim runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 cockpit chip paired with an 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch 2.5K center touchscreen, a genuinely premium display setup for a car starting under $10,000. Stepping up to the 510 LiDAR trim (85,900 yuan, about $12,735) or the range-topping 510S (90,900 yuan, about $13,475) adds a second chip, the Qualcomm 8650, working alongside a roof-mounted 128-channel LiDAR sensor to handle both cockpit duties and real-time driver assistance. Leapmotor claims these top trims support 43 separate assisted-driving functions, including a door-to-door navigate-on-autopilot mode that the brand says makes it the only premium hatchback in its price class offering LiDAR-based autonomy. The LiDAR trims also add a 12-speaker sound system, versus a more basic setup lower in the range.

Safety & ADAS

Entry-level A05 (B03) trims come with either basic adaptive cruise control or Leapmotor's camera-based "Pilot Vision" system, combining adaptive cruise with lane centering. From the Enjoy+ trim up, a 360-degree camera system is added, and select trims include a sentry mode and built-in dashcam function for parked-car monitoring. The two LiDAR-equipped trims unlock the fuller assisted-driving suite, with automatic emergency braking active up to 130 km/h and automatic emergency steering active between 80 and 130 km/h, on top of the navigate-on-autopilot capability. Front and side-curtain airbags are standard, with additional coverage on higher trims. Leapmotor is also backing the car with a lifetime vehicle and battery warranty for the first owner, an unusually strong guarantee for a car at this price.

ADAS LEVEL	L2 (L2+ NOA on 510 LiDAR and 510S trims)
ADAS FEATURES	AEB (to 130 km/h), AES (80–130 km/h), ACC, lane centering, 360° camera (Enjoy+ trims), NOA (LiDAR trims), sentry mode/dashcam (select trims)

Available Versions

VERSION	POWER	TORQUE	0-100	TOP SPEED	DRIVETRAIN	BATTERY	EV RANGE	COMBINED RANGE	PRICE	KEY DIFFERENCES
405 Comfort	94 hp	150 Nm	11.02s	160 km/h	FWD	39.8 kWh	405 km	—	$9,475	Base trim, basic cruise control, cloth seats
405 Premium	94 hp	150 Nm	11.02s	160 km/h	FWD	39.8 kWh	405 km	—	$10,065	Adds Leapmotor Pilot Vision ACC + lane centering
510 Premium	121 hp	150 Nm	10.58s	160 km/h	FWD	53 kWh	510 km	—	$11,250	Larger liquid-cooled battery, faster DC charging, no LiDAR
510 LiDAR	121 hp	150 Nm	10.58s	160 km/h	FWD	53 kWh	510 km	—	$12,735	Adds 128-channel LiDAR, Qualcomm 8650, NOA, 12-speaker audio
510S	121 hp	150 Nm	10.58s	160 km/h	FWD	53 kWh	510 km	—	$13,475	Range-topping trim, heated/ventilated seats, flat-fold bed function

Pricing & Availability

Leapmotor opened blind pre-orders for the A05 in late July 2026 for a refundable 99 yuan (about $15) deposit, then officially launched the car in Hangzhou on August 11, a day later than originally planned after Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province. Official pricing runs from 63,900 yuan (about $9,475) for the base 405 Comfort trim to 90,900 yuan (about $13,475) for the range-topping 510S, spread across five trims. For now, the A05 is sold exclusively in China. Leapmotor's own international press materials confirm the car will go global under the B03 name, describing a global debut "later in the year," but as of August 2026 no specific export markets, dealer network, or on-sale dates have been confirmed.

How It Compares

Leapmotor pitched the A05 directly against the Geely EX2 in its own launch materials, and the numbers explain why: for roughly $600 more than the EX2's entry price, the A05 (B03) offers double the range (510 km vs 250 km on the entry-level EX2) and slightly more power. Against the BYD Seagull, still China's best-selling budget EV, the A05's base trim actually undercuts the Seagull's price while beating its range by over 200 km, though the Seagull remains available at a slightly lower $10,890 in some configurations. Hyundai's IONIQ 3 undercuts the Leapmotor on price and offers more horsepower, but at 147 hp it's a different kind of small EV, and IONIQ 3 buyers won't find anything close to LiDAR-based driver assistance at that price. None of these three are direct badge-for-badge rivals to the export-market B03 once it lands in Europe, where the Renault 5 E-Tech and similar city EVs will be the real yardstick, but within Leapmotor's own domestic pricing ladder the A05 (B03) is positioned to undercut nearly everything else with a LiDAR option.