Kia EV5 vs Leapmotor C10

The Leapmotor C10 is the cheaper car. It opens at $47,990 driveaway for the entry Style against the Kia EV5's $49,990 for the Air Standard Range, and the gap widens as you climb. The C10 Design LR, the grade most buyers should want, is $50,990 driveaway, while the EV5 Air Long Range most owners will pick is $59,990. That is close to a $9,000 difference between the two cars each maker points you toward. Both prices ride on driveaway campaigns current at September 2026, so confirm them before you sign. The EV5 answers the price gap with a longer warranty and phone mirroring rather than a lower sticker.

Be careful here, because the two makers quote different test cycles. Kia rates the EV5 on the stricter WLTP cycle, from 400km for the Air Standard Range to a lineup-best 555km for the Air Long Range. Leapmotor rates the C10 on the older, more generous NEDC cycle, from 480km for the Style to 605km for the Design LR. Because NEDC flatters its numbers, you cannot line the two up and declare a winner; a WLTP figure and an NEDC figure are not the same measurement. In the real world both are competent rather than class-leading, and both land short of the most efficient rivals. Treat the headline range figures as a rough guide, not a promise.

The C10 Design LR charges fastest, but only in that grade. The Kia EV5's DC charging peaks at 141kW on the Long Range grades for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in about 36 minutes, which reviewers consistently rate as behind newer 800-volt rivals. The Leapmotor C10 Design LR is one of those newer 800-volt cars, and charges noticeably faster than both the EV5 and its own entry sibling. The catch is the run-out C10 Style, which keeps the older 400-volt hardware and is among the slower-charging EVs on sale. So the fast-charging win goes to the C10, but only if you buy the Design LR; buy the Style and the EV5 pulls ahead.

Both are properly roomy mid-size SUVs, and they trade blows. The Kia EV5 has a boxy, practical cabin and a 513-litre boot, plus a small 67-litre front boot for cables. The Leapmotor C10's calling card is its second row, which reviewers rate as close to best in class, with a flat floor and enough space for tall adults to sit behind tall adults. Comparing their boot figures is tricky because the two makers measure to different standards, so we would not hang a decision on a single litre count. If your priority is rear-seat space, the C10 leans ahead; if it is a big square boot, the EV5. Both take a family and its gear without fuss.

Both are five-star cars, tested by ANCAP to its 2024 criteria, and the sub-scores are close enough to call a wash. The Kia EV5 scores 88 per cent for adult occupant protection and 82 per cent for safety assist; the Leapmotor C10 scores 89 and 77 respectively, and edges ahead on child occupant protection. Both come with the expected active-safety suite as standard, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise. The practical difference is calibration, not hardware: the C10's driver-assistance systems, especially its chimes, are the single most-criticised part of the car in Australian reviews, while the EV5's are less intrusive. On paper it is a tie; in daily use the EV5 is the more restful.

On the Kia side, the entry Air Standard Range drops to a 400km WLTP range and a smaller 64.2kWh battery. It still keeps the full safety suite, dual screens and heated front seats. Stepping up to the Air Long Range is mostly about range and faster charging. On the Leapmotor side the compromise is sharper: the Style is the run-out grade on the older 400-volt architecture, so it charges slowest and travels least far, even though it still gets a 360-degree camera and a panoramic roof. For not much more, the Design LR fixes the C10's charging and range in one step, which is exactly why it, and not the Style, is the C10 to buy.

This one genuinely splits. The Kia EV5 carries a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, capped-price servicing around $400 a visit and 12-month, 15,000km service intervals, plus up to eight years of roadside assistance. The Leapmotor C10's vehicle warranty is shorter at six years and 150,000km, but its battery is covered for eight years and 160,000km, a year longer than the Kia's, and its service intervals stretch to 20,000km, so it visits the workshop less often. As electric cars, both skip petrol and most engine servicing. If you keep a car past the warranty and value the unlimited-kilometre safety net, the EV5 is the more reassuring; if longer service gaps and battery cover matter more, the C10 answers back.

For most buyers it comes down to most-car versus least-fuss. The Leapmotor C10 Design LR is the value champion: more cabin space, 800-volt charging and a lower price than the equivalent Kia, provided you can live without Apple CarPlay and are willing to switch off the safety chimes each trip. The Kia EV5 Air Long Range is the safer all-rounder, with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, wireless phone mirroring, a familiar cabin and Kia's much larger dealer network. Neither is the sharpest thing in the segment to drive. If your budget is the hard limit, buy the C10; if you want the lowest-stress ownership and the badge reassurance, buy the EV5.