Range-extended electric vehicles are having their moment and nowhere more so than China. There, ‘REEV’ or ‘EREV’ models are booming because they answer a really real consumer objection: not range anxiety a lot as charging anxiety.
The recipe is easy. Drive the wheels with an electrical motor for the quiet, punchy, one-pedal EV experience, then carry a small petrol engine that, somewhat than powering the wheels, acts as a generator to top up the battery when needed. Remember the Vauxhall Ampera of last decade, anyone? Or the BMW i3?
Today that formula has helped create a few of China’s hottest family SUVs. And the direction of travel is evident: Reuters reported 2024 sales growth for extended-range EVs and plug-in hybrids far outpaced pure EV growth in China, with manufacturers piling in to satisfy demand for long-range electrified cars.
Leapmotor’s C10 REEV is that fulfilling that trend, translating it for UK roads. It’s actually the primary REEV to be sold within the UK.
The C10 REEV is a mid-size, D-segment SUV that’s, in day-to-day driving, an electrical automotive. Propulsion comes from a rear-mounted 158kW electric motor driving the rear wheels. The important thing difference versus the C10 BEV – which hit UK roads last February – is what happens when the battery runs low.
As a substitute of sending the driving force looking for a rapid charger, the C10 REEV fires up a 1.5-litre petrol engine that spins a generator to make electricity. There’s no actual mechanical connection from engine to wheels.
Leapmotor positions it because the “better of each worlds” option: the smoothness and responsiveness of an EV, plus the long-distance confidence of liquid refuelling.
How the REEV system works
At its launch on the back end of 2025, Tianyue Zhong, Leapmotor’s global head of product, made an easy case: the barrier holding back EV adoption is usually charging confidence, not whether the vehicle can physically go far enough.
The C10 REEV is supposed to remove the wait. On a protracted run, you’ll be able to simply stop, refuel, and proceed, as a substitute of constructing your journey around rapid-charging dwell time.
Mechanically, the story is a smaller 28.4kWh battery than its BEV sibling offering 90 miles of electrical range (WLTP); a 1.5-litre petrol engine to generate electricity, either feeding the motor and/or maintaining the battery’s state of charge.
The mixture offers a major leap in total range. With petrol and electricity working together, Leapmotor quotes 603 miles (WLTP) combined.
If that feels like a pitch for a plug-in hybrid, listen again. A typical PHEV starts life as a combustion platform that’s been electrified, which often means a smaller battery and shorter EV range.
A REEV nevertheless starts life with an EV architecture, then adds an auxiliary energy source. In theory you retain the EV character, and you continue to get proper plug-in capability.
Battery modes that allow you intend
Leapmotor also gives drivers control over when the engine intervenes through selectable energy modes.
EV+: prioritises EV running with the range extender holding off until battery state of charge is below 9%; EV: EV-first, but with the range extender stepping in below a 25% battery charge; Fuel: where a pre-set threshold allows the driver to “bank” electric miles for a clean-air zone or city centre at the tip of a visit, and at last, Power+: where the range extender runs constantly for optimum performance. In plain terms, it helps you to determine whether petrol is a final resort or a part of the plan.
That last point is essential for REEV positioning: REEVs is usually a stepping-stone. While owners often buy them for peace of mind, they discover that charging is definitely easier than feared and since electricity is cheaper than petrol, they’ll find themselves plugging in most of the time. The thought is that REEVs construct familiarity and nudge buyers towards BEVs next time.
Charging and running costs
Since it’s fundamentally an EV, the C10 REEV still expects you to plug in. It supports 65kW DC charging from 30% to 80% in 18 minutes and a 6.6kW onboard charger for a full charge at home in around 4.5 hours.
For UK buyers, the headline numbers are designed to land. Leapmotor prices the C10 REEV at £36,500 OTR and keeps the range easy with a single trim “the whole lot as standard” strategy.
Leapmotor lists 38g/km CO₂ and a 6% BiK rate for 2025/26, which should put it firmly on the radar for drivers who need a company-car-friendly alternative to a PHEV, without having to bet the farm on public charging.
Where the worth story lands
The C10 REEV’s “one trim, fully loaded” approach is the last word clean proposition: pay the value, pick your paint, job done. Leapmotor says the REEV shares the identical design, cabin and overall layout because the C10 BEV, to the purpose that the fuel flap is the principal visual giveaway. That matters because this isn’t being sold as a compromise drivetrain. It’s being sold as the identical automotive, with an added layer of flexibility.
Leapmotor UK managing director Damien Dally explains that the high level spec across the recently launched B10 and C10 family was a purposeful selection: coming as they do with panoramic roof; heated and ventilated seats; 20-inch alloys; 14.6-inch central touchscreen plus 10.25-inch driver display; 12-speaker, 840W audio system; a set of ADAS features and a 5-star Euro NCAP rating besides.
Verdict: who’s it for?
The C10 REEV makes most sense for buyers who like the best way EVs drive but should not yet able to organise their life around charging. In case your use-case is generally local mileage with occasional long motorway runs, it offers a reputable “electric-first” option with a real long-distance safety net.
It is usually a really China-native answer to a really European problem: the mismatch between rising EV ambition and uneven charging infrastructure.
In that context, Zhong’s “future-proof” argument matters. If the industry believes higher-level ADAS and software-defined features play best on EV architectures, a REEV that’s BEV-based, somewhat than an ICE platform with a battery bolted on, is an interesting middle ground.
If buyers are willing to plug in repeatedly but need a plan B for motorway mileage, the C10 REEV is one of the crucial convincing routes into electrification at this price point.
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
