Wait a moment on the electric revolution: First drive of the Leapmotor C10 Plug-In

Israel is plugging in, but a little differently. Since the beginning of the year, 38,000 fully electric cars have hit Israeli roads, compared to 22,000 plug-in hybrids, i.e., cars that can charge from a plug and drive dozens of kilometers on electricity. During the same period last year, the gap was much wider: 49,000 electric cars versus 5,500 plug-ins.

The rise of plug-ins is one of the reasons for the decline in fully electric car sales. They allow most Israelis to drive electrically for daily commutes, errands, and school, and go on longer trips without range anxiety. Battery depleted? You get a slightly less efficient hybrid, because it carries a heavier battery than a regular hybrid, yet it’s still much more economical than non-electric gasoline vehicles.

It’s not that plug-ins haven’t sold here before; the Kia Niro PHEV and MG EHS each sold thousands in previous years. But this year, supply has surged: The Niro plug-in left the scene, the plug-in version of the EHS successor, called HS, arrived, and at the same time, JAC 7 landed here as Israel’s top-selling car, along with plug-in versions of the Chery Tiggo 7 and 8, and soon Lynk & Co 01 returning after a facelift and price reduction, Lynk 08 with an official 200 km range, the larger Tiggo 9, Omoda 7 and 9, and also the BYD Seal U and soon the new Seal 5.

All of them, by the way, are Chinese: Beijing encourages this technology for those without a permanent electric car charger, and plug-in sales in China have crossed 50% of the market. European and Korean manufacturers have their own plug-ins, and Europe’s emission regulations encourage these models, but they are much more expensive than the Chinese. So Israel sees some European luxury plug-ins, but not a single mass-market model.

In short, it’s a good time for Leapmotor to launch the C10 plug-in here. The large crossover, previously offered as a fully electric model that sold slowly due to single-phase slow charging, now comes with a gasoline-electric version that solves this drawback, at a slightly higher price: NIS 185,000 for the basic Life trim and NIS 190,000 for the well-equipped Design we drove (in electric versions, the price gap is larger: NIS 170,000 and NIS 185,000 , respectively).

A word on Leapmotor: Another Chinese electric start-up imitating Tesla, like ExPang, but one of which 21% was sold to the European-American Stellantis group (Peugeot-Citroën + Fiat and Jeep), which received global sales rights. The deal hasn’t led to Leapmotor production in Europe yet, but it boosted the brand’s sales by 91% in the first half of 2025 to 221,000 units. If you can’t beat them, buy a stake in the rival.

The driver’s environment is identical to the electric version and, again, shows a strong Tesla influence, not for the better. Material quality is higher, but everything operates from the 14.6-inch screen, including climate control and even airflow direction. These features impress in the showroom but dangerously capture attention on the road. At least there is a separate driver display.

The only shortcoming addressed compared to the electric version is the hysterical safety warnings. They weren’t completely recalibrated, but an option was added to disable several at the start of a trip. There’s no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, only a screen-sharing app and dongle provided by the importer, less efficient than the apps it replaces.

What’s here is plenty of space, both front and even more so in the rear. Need to transport three adults or three toddlers in car seats? This is the car. The rear floor is flat, with AC vents and charging sockets, and unlike many other Chinese cars, the seat is not too low.

Leapmotor claims 250 km/L in combined driving, which is as realistic as a vision of autonomous cars taking over the world. One reason is that, unlike modern plug-ins, the C10 lacks a hybrid mode where the car decides which engine to use for optimal consumption. When the gasoline engine activates, it’s not always quiet.

You can choose between electric mode that starts the gasoline engine after the battery drops to 25%, a mode that delays activation to 9%, and a battery preservation mode with direct charging from the gasoline engine. After battery depletion, we achieved no more than 12 km/L with the engine running.

Fast charging is possible at 65 kW, or slow at 6.6 kW, which requires about five hours to charge the large 28.4 kWh battery.

The C10 plug-in is spacious, well-equipped, high-quality, and economical if used correctly. It has a competitive price and good value. The plug-in version solves the slow charging problem of the electric version (and a new model addressing this has already launched globally). It’s a good solution for those wanting an electric car without range anxiety, able to charge daily—here, the battery will never leave you stranded. On the other hand, many plug-in owners rarely charge, and using this car as a regular hybrid yields high fuel consumption, similar to a gasoline crossover.

Ergonomics are still insufficient, safety systems need proper calibration, and a 2025 car should come with Android Auto and CarPlay, not a promise for future software updates. Warranty is shorter than most other Chinese models. This crossover is a good car, which could be excellent with a little more attention—still not too late to provide it.