New Leapmotor T03 LCV revealed, and it could become Britain’s cheapest new van

Leapmotor’s £1,500 'Leap-Grant', means its £14,495 Leapmotor T03 is not only the cheapest electric car you can buy in the UK, but the cheapest car altogether. Now the dinky EV has spawned a van variant called the T03 LCV which looks set for the UK. 

The T03 might not look like the most logical choice for a van given its tiny proportions, but Leapmotor says there’s a “rapidly growing demand for efficient, affordable and sustainable urban logistics solutions” due to “stricter emission regulations, expanding low‑emission zones and the rise of last‑mile delivery”. 

Although the T03 LCV will be rolled out in Europe to begin with, we expect Leapmotor’s little van to eventually come to the UK. Last year, Damien Dally told Auto Express the company “is looking into” a T03 van. The first T03 LCVs are expected to arrive at European dealerships in the summer, priced at 14,590 euros excluding VAT (£12,694). Here in the UK we should see the TO3 LCV comfortably undercutting its main rival, the £16,489 Dacia Spring Cargo and the £17,535 Citroen e-C3 Van.  

Despite measuring just 3,620mm in length, 1,652mm in width and 1,577mm in height, the T03 LCV has no rear seats and a mesh bulkhead, as with the Dacia and Citroen. However, the 657-litre load volume is way down on the Spring Cargo’s 1,085 litres and the e-C3 Van’s 1,220 litres. The T03 LCV’s city-car platform is evident through the rather tiny 220kg payload. 

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The LCV retains the standard T03’s fairly impressive kit list, apart from the panoramic sunroof. The cabin features an eight‑inch digital driver’s display, a 10.1‑inch central touchscreen, control buttons on the steering wheel and air-conditioning. On the main screen there is 4G connectivity and voice control, while the T03 LCV will even receive over-the-air updates. The T03 LCV, like the rest of the Leapmotor range, is compatible with the Leapmotor App to remotely control functions such as charging, climate control, vehicle status and the location of the van.

Three exterior colors are offered for the European market: Caribbean Blue, Light White and Canopy Grey. Instead of 15-inch alloy wheels like the T03, the LCV sits on 15‑inch black steel wheels, which reinforces “its functional and professional character”, according to Leapmotor.

The powertrain is carried over from the T03, with the electric motor offering 94bhp and 158Nm of torque and paired with a 37.3kWh battery. Range drops a little from 165 miles in the T03 to 159 miles in the van, although charging remains the same, with a 45kW maximum rate resulting in a 36-minute 30 to 80 per cent top-up. 

The T03 is undergoing a change in production plant from Poland to Spain, although the “production finalization” for the LCV takes place at Leapmotor’s parent company Stellantis’ Mirafiori Plant in Turin. 

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