Leapmotor Australia has added a new top-shelf Long Range (LR) variant of its C10 mid-size electric SUV, bringing a larger battery, extra range, and a more powerful motor for the same price as the previous C10 Design flagship ($49,888 before on-road costs).

Updates for the 2026 model-year (MY26) C10 Design LR BEV (battery-electric vehicle) – separate to the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions dubbed Hybrid EVs – include a move from a 400-volt electrical architecture to 800V, unlocking greater capability for Leapmotor’s answer to other Chinese mid-size electric SUVs like the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5, and Zeekr 7X.

This includes a more potent single-motor (rear-wheel drive) electric powertrain, which increases peak power from 160kW to 220kW. Maximum torque is unchanged at 320Nm, but Leapmotor claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds, an improvement of 1.3 seconds.

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There’s also an increase in battery size from a 69.9kWh lithium iron phosphate pack to an 81.9kWh unit, as previously offered in Australia in the limited-run, all-wheel drive C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition, extending the C10 Design LR’s range from 420km to 510km (WLTP).

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The 800V architecture also brings faster DC charging, now up to 180kW, enabling a 30-80 per cent recharge in around 22 minutes.

That compares to the 84kW charging capability of the previous C10 Design, the powertrain of which remains in the entry-level C10 Style. Its price remains unchanged $45,888 before on-roads.

The Design LR also now comes standard with two key cards for vehicle access instead of one, and receives Yokohama Advan Sport EV tyres instead of the Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres fitted to earlier versions.

Australia’s C10 EV lineup, introduced here in 2024, brings no other major changes for 2026. So it misses out on the recent updates to Chinese-market model, which gains minor exterior styling revisions to make it more closely resemble the newer B10 small SUV.

There have been no updates announced for the local C10 Hybrid EV lineup, which was launched here in 2025. It was recently updated in China, bringing an increase in electric-only range from 210km to 290km.

The new Design LR flagship should help stem the C10’s sales slide so far in 2026, when it posted a 2.0 per cent decline to May with 244 vehicles sold. The smaller B10 launched last November has become Leapmotor Australia’s most popular model with 285 sales year-to-date.

MORE: Explore the Leapmotor C10 showroom