The C10 Hybrid EV is not a normal hybrid, and the difference matters when you are choosing a charging cable. The petrol engine never turns the wheels. It is a generator that makes electricity for the electric motor, which is the only thing driving the car. That means a C10 Hybrid EV is always an electric car. The question is only whether the electricity comes from your wallbox or from a tank of petrol.

Electricity from a cable is far cheaper than electricity made by burning petrol in your own engine. So on this car the charging cable is not an accessory, it is the thing that determines what the car costs to run. An owner who plugs in nightly does almost all their driving on the 94 mile electric range. An owner who never plugs in is running a petrol generator to power an electric motor, which is the most expensive way this car can possibly be used.

The good news is that the battery is small enough to make nightly charging easy. It holds 28.4 kWh, and the car accepts 6.6 kW on AC through a Type 2 socket. Our 32A Type 2 to Type 2 cable lets it take all 6.6 kW, which is empty to full in about five hours and roughly 22 miles of electric range added every hour. Home from work at six, finished before bed, every night.

Drop to a 16A cable and the car is held at 3.7 kW. Five hours becomes nearly nine, and you gain twelve miles an hour instead of 22. On a car whose whole economic case rests on getting the battery full before you next drive, spending less on the cable is a false saving.

Skip the 3-Phase 32A cable. The C10 Hybrid EV's onboard charger is single phase, so a three-phase cable draws exactly the same 6.6 kW for more money.

Leapmotor C10 Hybrid EV Charging Times

Leapmotor C10 Hybrid EV, 28.4 kWh usable, up to 94 miles on electricity

Maximum onboard AC charging speed: 6.6 kW, single phase

Times use the 28.4 kWh usable capacity. Electric range added per hour is derived from the official electric range and will fall in cold weather and at motorway speeds.

The five hour figure has a practical consequence worth spelling out. Because a full charge takes less than a working day, a C10 Hybrid EV can realistically be charged twice in twenty four hours, once at home overnight and once at work or a supermarket post during the day. Two 94 mile electric stints in a day means a high mileage driver can keep the petrol generator switched off far more of the time than a plug-in hybrid with a smaller battery ever manages.

Our Type 2 to 3-Pin cable is the sensible boot companion. At 2.3 kW it adds about eight miles an hour, so a full night on a household socket puts back around 100 miles, which on this car is a complete electric range. It is IP67 sealed for outdoor use, so it can sit on a driveway in the rain while it works.

The charge flap is on the rear left. Lengths run from 5m to 20m, with 10m the usual choice on a 4.7m car. Every cable is CE and TUV certified, IP55 sealed on the Type 2 to Type 2 and IP67 on the Type 2 to 3-Pin, rated from -30C to 55C, and comes with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and free next working day UK delivery.

The B10 Hybrid EV uses the same technology in a smaller package, and the pure electric C10 is the same car without the generator. Everything is listed on the Leapmotor cable page.

Questions About Charging The C10 Hybrid EV

How is a range extender different from a plug-in hybrid?

In a plug-in hybrid the petrol engine can drive the wheels directly. In a range extender it cannot. The C10 Hybrid EV's engine only ever spins a generator, so the driving experience stays electric whether the battery is full or empty. It also means the car is genuinely dependent on being charged to be economical.

Do I actually have to plug it in?

The car will drive perfectly well without ever seeing a cable, using petrol to generate its electricity. It will also cost you considerably more per mile than charging it, and you lose the point of buying it. If your circumstances mean you cannot charge at home or at work, a conventional hybrid is a better fit than this car.

Is 6.6 kW fast enough for a battery this size?

Yes, comfortably. 28.4 kWh at 6.6 kW is a five hour job, so the whole battery fits inside an evening, an overnight cheap-rate window, or a working day in a car park. The 6.6 kW ceiling is a real limitation on the 69.9 kWh pure electric C10. Here it barely registers.

Can I get by charging on a household socket every night?

Mostly, yes. Fourteen hours from empty is more than one night, but you will rarely arrive home empty. A typical evening plugged in at 2.3 kW recovers 80 to 100 miles of electric range, which covers most days. Fit a wallbox and use a 32A cable if you want the battery full in five hours instead.

Does the petrol engine refill the battery to full?

No, and it is not meant to. The generator maintains a working buffer so the motor always has power, but it does not recharge the pack to 100 percent, because making electricity from petrol is expensive. Getting a full battery is what the cable is for.

Can it rapid charge on a motorway?

It accepts DC rapid charging, but on a range extender there is rarely much reason to use it. A long journey is exactly the situation the generator exists for, so most owners fill the tank and keep moving, then charge on AC at the other end.