Leapmotor B10 — Why We Purchased It

This one is a car story rather than a home upgrade story, but it touches on something homeowners weighing an EV often run into: charging access. An Australian couple in their 80s, longtime Subaru owners, recently bought a Leapmotor B10, a battery electric SUV from a Chinese brand backed by Stellantis. Their old car needed expensive repairs, so they set a budget of around AU$40,000 and looked for a small SUV with higher seating, good cargo space, and easy handling.

A key sticking point was charging. They didn't have a private power outlet in their garage, so they initially ruled out a fully electric car and leaned toward a hybrid, test-driving a Toyota Corolla Cross they liked. But their retirement community then changed its policy to allow EV charging at garage power points. That single change reopened the door to a full electric vehicle, and they switched to the Leapmotor B10 EV instead.

For anyone weighing an EV for their own home, their experience is a reminder that charging access, not just the car itself, can decide whether an electric vehicle is workable. Renters, condo owners, or people in shared communities may need to check building or association rules on installing or using a charger before ruling an EV in or out. The couple also noted some adjustment to touchscreen-based controls instead of physical buttons, but said it hasn't been a real problem after a short learning curve.