Leapmotor T03 vs Renault 5

The Renault 5 costs £7,000 more than the Leapmotor T03. For that premium it adds 27 miles more WLTP range, 32 kW faster peak rapid charging and 116 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Renault 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Leapmotor T03 is £7,000 cheaper to buy. The Renault 5 is cheaper to charge, roughly £144 a year versus £176 for the Leapmotor T03, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Leapmotor T03 comes out roughly £6,840 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 112 miles for the Leapmotor T03 and 160 miles for the Renault 5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Renault 5 goes roughly 47 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 31-36 minutes.

The Leapmotor T03 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 156 mm narrower than the Renault 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 748 mm of total clearance for the Leapmotor T03 and about 592 mm of total clearance for the Renault 5. The Leapmotor T03 also turns in a 0.6 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Leapmotor T03 and 84% for the Renault 5. That gives the Leapmotor T03 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Leapmotor T03's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Renault 5's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.