Review: Leapmotor B10 Design - The sub RM120k EV that refuses to be an appliance

There’s a certain “RM100k plus EV SUV” vibe you can almost smell the moment you open the door. It’s the vibe of being very competent, very quiet, very screen-heavy, and very, “Please don’t ask me to feel anything, I’m here to transport your family and your GrabFood.”

And honestly, that’s fine, because most buyers don’t want drama. They want range, charging speed, a decent warranty, and the reassurance that nothing weird will happen on the way to Ikea.

Also Read: Leapmotor rolls out OTA software upgrade for B10 EV

Then the Leapmotor B10 Design arrives, priced at RM118,800, and it basically plants itself right in the middle of a very hot fight. You’re looking at the Proton e.MAS 7 Premium, the BYD Atto 3 Ultra, and even the MG S5 if you want to make the group chat extra spicy.

This is not an undercut-everyone bargain-basement special. It’s in the same money conversation as the familiar names Malaysians already trust, and that means the B10 has to win hearts, not just spreadsheet wars.

What makes it interesting is not the screen, not the “AI” buzzwords, and not the fact that it’s yet another modern SUV shape that will look perfectly normal at Pavilion’s valet. The hook is simple, the B10 is rear-wheel drive.

In this price band, rear-wheel drive is rare enough that it still feels like a personality trait. The default formula for this segment is front-wheel drive, easy, safe, predictable, and tuned for maximum chill.

Rear-wheel drive suggests the car is at least willing to be a little playful, or at minimum, a little more balanced when you’re hustling down a curvy road or doing a fast lane change on the highway with one hand on the wheel and the other hand holding your iced kopi.

Now, before anyone gets carried away, let’s set expectations properly. The Leapmotor B10 is not a drift machine. It’s not a sideways TikTok generator. It’s not trying to be a BMW, and it’s not pretending to be some track toy in SUV clothing.

What it does deliver is something much more useful for real Malaysian driving, it feels refined and properly sorted, like someone actually spent time getting the basics right.

The way it drives, the surprise isn’t speed, it’s composure

Most EVs around RM120k are quick-ish in a straight line and slightly… anonymous once you start asking questions. You point them into a corner, and they do the job, but you don’t really feel involved.

The B10 Design goes a different direction. It turns in neatly, it stays on line, and it carries itself with a calm, confident balance that you normally associate with cars a class above.

Even its tyres are a notch up compared to the regular Linglongs or Chaoyangs. The B10 is equipped with Linglong Sport Master, you know, the tyres that went viral for being better than the Michelins and Continentals in wet grip. It shows Leapmotor's intent when it comes to driving pleasure.

The steering is the part you’ll notice first. It’s light, yes, and it’s not overflowing with old-school feel, but it’s clean and consistent. You know what the front end is doing, and more importantly, you trust it. There's steering feel and what a surprise that was.

That sounds like a small thing, but on real roads, that confidence is everything. When the surface changes mid-corner, when there’s a patch of shiny tar, when the lane markings decide to disappear for no reason, the B10 doesn’t suddenly feel nervous or vague. It stays composed and predictable.

Handling is genuinely tidy. The B10 turns in well, doesn’t feel clumsy, and it feels like it’s working with you instead of just tolerating you. There is still body roll, because it’s an SUV and it sits like one, but it’s controlled roll, not sloppy roll. It leans, takes a set, then holds its line. That last part is the key. It doesn’t float, it doesn’t wobble, and it doesn’t feel like it needs a moment to gather itself after every bump or direction change.

Then there’s the ride. This is the real charm point. The B10’s ride feels properly balanced, it rebounds well, it deals with bad roads without feeling crashy, and it doesn’t feel unsettled when the road gets broken.

If you live anywhere with the classic Malaysian road combo, patchwork tarmac, uneven manhole covers, sharp-edged potholes, and those speed bumps that feel like they were designed by someone who hates suspension, the B10 feels like a car that has been tuned with reality in mind. It’s refined, polished, and it doesn’t punish you for simply existing on our roads.

The numbers, where the B10 wins and where it doesn’t

On paper, the B10 Design runs a single rear motor with 218 PS (160 kW) and 240 Nm. That power figure is right there with the Proton e.MAS 7, because the e.MAS 7 is also 160 kW. But the Proton hits harder with torque at 320 Nm, and the BYD Atto 3 Ultra also outmuscles the B10 on torque at 310 Nm, even though its power output is lower at 150 kW.

This is where you feel the B10’s first “hmm” moment. It’s not slow, but it’s not the punchiest on paper at least. Punch the pedal when you're behind the wheel and it's plenty fast.

The B10 does 0 to 100 km/h in 8.0 seconds, and that’s totally fine for daily life, but honestly, it just feels faster than that.

But the B10 has a different spec sheet flex, charging.

The Design gets a 67.1 kWh LFP battery and a WLTP range figure of 434 km. That is more than the e.MAS 7 Premium’s 410 km WLTP, and it’s also ahead of the Atto 3 Ultra’s 420 km WLTP.

The range numbers are close enough that your right foot, your tyre pressure, and your air-con settings can easily shuffle the order in real life, but the B10’s figures are strong and competitive, and it doesn’t feel like it’s entering the segment with a handicap.

Then you look at DC fast charging. The B10 Design supports up to 168 kW DC. The e.MAS 7 Premium is up to 100 kW DC. The Atto 3 Ultra is up to 88 kW DC. That’s a meaningful real-world advantage for anyone who actually uses public charging regularly. It’s the difference between “quick stop, continue life” and “okay, now I have time to scroll three reels, reply one WhatsApp, and question my choices.”

AC charging is fast too. The B10 supports 11 kW AC, which matches the e.MAS 7, and beats the Atto 3 Ultra’s 7 kW AC. In simple terms, if you have a proper AC setup at home or office, the B10 is built to make that routine easier.

Practicality, it quietly nails the family EV brief

Here’s the thing, even if you love driving, most people buying in this segment are still doing school runs, grocery runs, and the occasional “let’s go Genting because why not” trip. The B10 understands that.

The boot is 430 litres, expanding to 1,700 litres with the rear seats folded, and you also get a 25-litre frunk. That frunk is a small win, but it’s such a useful one. Charging cables, tyre inflator, that random emergency umbrella, all the stuff you want in the car but don’t want rolling around in the boot with your groceries.

Inside, the B10 Design comes with a fixed panoramic sunroof with a powered sunshade, rear air vents, an 8.8-inch instrument display and a 14.6-inch centre touchscreen running Leap OS. The system runs on a Snapdragon 8155 platform, and the interface is generally designed to feel fast and modern, not laggy and frustrating.

The Design trim also brings the “nice to have” stuff that makes daily life better, powered and ventilated front seats, heated seat function, silicone leather upholstery, 64-colour ambient lighting, auto-fold mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, an electric tailgate, and a 12-speaker sound system. It’s a proper top-spec experience without needing to climb into a higher price bracket.

The stuff I don’t like, because the B10 is not perfect

Now let’s talk about the quirks, because this is where you find out if a car fits your life or annoys you slowly over six months.

First, there’s still noticeable body roll. It’s controlled, but it’s there. If you drive like a normal human, you’ll never care. If you drive like you’re late for buka puasa, you’ll notice it.

If you want maximum familiarity and you like the Proton or BYD ecosystem, the e.MAS 7 and Atto 3 still has a strong case, especially with its established presence and feature set.

But if you want the one that feels a bit more driver-minded without sacrificing daily comfort, the B10 Design is the one that stands out.

Rear-wheel drive gives it a different character, the chassis feels sorted, the ride is beautifully balanced for Malaysian roads, and the charging performance is genuinely strong for this price point.

It feels like a refined, polished drive, not just another EV that happens to be fast in a straight line.

It’s not perfect, and it has quirks that will either amuse you or annoy you. But as a complete package, the Leapmotor B10 Design comes across like a car that was engineered, not just assembled with a checklist.

Also Read: Leapmotor C10 PLUS launched in Malaysia, 800V, 510 km Range, 299 hp from RM148k