BMW iX1 vs Leapmotor B10

The BMW iX1 costs £5,570 more than the Leapmotor B10. For that premium it adds 50 miles more WLTP range and 60 litres more boot space. The Leapmotor B10 is not just cheaper - it also offers 38 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BMW iX1 comes out ahead overall.

The Leapmotor B10 is £5,570 cheaper to buy. The BMW iX1 is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £192 for the Leapmotor B10, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Leapmotor B10 comes out roughly £5,290 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 267 miles for the BMW iX1 and 193 miles for the Leapmotor B10 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BMW iX1 goes roughly 73 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 29 minutes in the BMW iX1 and 20 in the Leapmotor B10, so the Leapmotor B10 loses less time at each stop. So the BMW iX1 stops less often while the Leapmotor B10 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The BMW iX1 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 40 mm narrower than the Leapmotor B10. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 555 mm of total clearance for the BMW iX1 and about 515 mm of total clearance for the Leapmotor B10. The Leapmotor B10 also turns in a 1.2 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the BMW iX1 and 90% for the Leapmotor B10. That gives the Leapmotor B10 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Leapmotor B10's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the BMW iX1's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.