Leapmotor - the newly arriving Chinese car brand that's part of the European Stellantis group - has announced a new six-year, unlimited mileage warranty for Irish buyers.
That's pretty generous...
It certainly is. That puts Leapmotor a year ahead of Hyundai's unlimited mileage warranty, and while it's a year less than you get from MG or Kia, both of those warranties are topped out at 150,000km.
According to Leapmotor's boss in Ireland, Stephen McGrath: “To mark this launch, Leapmotor Ireland is delighted to announce an unrivalled six-year, unlimited mileage warranty as standard for all Leapmotor models from day one, giving Irish EV buyers the industry's highest level of confidence and support. This substantial commitment further strengthens Leapmotor's 'value without compromise' position and guarantees complete peace of mind for Irish drivers.”
Which models does this cover?
The warranty will cover all Leapmotor's models, which so far in the Irish market consist of the C10 SUV - which is priced from €38,995 and comes in both battery-powered EV form with a 420km range, or an 'REEV' version which adds in a petrol engine to create a hybrid range-extender model that's powered by its electric motor - and the smaller T03, which is a small city car powered only by a battery, with a range of 265km and a price of €18,950. Both of those models, incidentally, will be available with 3.9 per cent interest finance for 2026 registrations.
Leapmotor isn't going to stop at just two models, though. It's already shown off the B10 electric SUV and the equally electric B05 hatchback (think of a Chinese VW Golf with batteries and you're there) and plans are afoot for smaller models too - both a small hatchback and a compact crossover.
Is Leapmotor now 'the biggest car maker you've not heard of?'
Pretty much, yes. In fact, Leapmotor claims to be only the second Chinese car maker to surpass the one-million-cars-made club.
At a recent milestone ceremony, Leapmotor founder, chairperson and CEO, Zhu Jiangming, said: “It took us five years to achieve the roll-out from the first Leapmotor S01 to the 500,000th Leapmotor vehicle. In less than a year, we completed the roll-out from 500,000 to one-million units, which shows that the acceleration of Leapmotor's development has become faster and faster. We hope that in the coming year, we can also witness the next one million Leapmotors rolling off the assembly line.
Where can I buy a Leapmotor?
Leapmotor currently has four dealerships in Ireland, and is expecting to expand to eight by the end of this year. The current four are Joe Norris Motors in Navan, Co. Meath; Dan Seaman Motors in Forge Hill, Co. Cork; Greenhall Motors in Buttevant, Co. Cork; and Kenny Galway on the Tuam Road.
Next year, Leapmotor says that it expects to sell 800 cars in Ireland, but that it may exceed that figure. By 2028, it wants to sell 3,000 cars, a figure that would put it only slightly outside the top 15 brands in the country.