Betrayed by the Leapmotor T03: “The battery…”

Betrayed by Leapmotor T03: A reader complains about the issues with the battery of Italy’s best-selling electric car in 2026, questioning the reliability of all battery-powered vehicles. Vaielettrico responds. To contact us: info@vaielettrico.it

First problem: cloned RFID card

After much hesitation, even encouraged by your enthusiasm, I said to myself, “Go for it!” So on April 11th I bought a Leapmotor T03 (without any incentives). It was love at first sight: charging at home using a wallbox (5 kW), a gentle start followed by smooth acceleration (it felt like being on a flying carpet) in complete silence inside the cabin, occasionally (often) interrupted by the cheerful chime of the ADAS, making me feel pampered and protected at the same time. It was an experience I had never had with the over two dozen gasoline cars I had driven before. But soon after, something began to undermine what was truly a honeymoon period. My RFID card (Waycard) was cloned, and between filing complaints with the credit card company and dealing with a poor customer service, I lost quite a bit of time.

Betrayed by Leapmotor T03: “It won’t charge anymore”

But love is love, and I forgave. Until August 30th, when I had to face the worst thing in a deep emotional relationship: betrayal! Suddenly, my beloved T03 refused to charge. Without any warning, it rejected my electrons. Despite my inexperienced attempts to change its mind by restarting the system, changing the charging cable, and switching from a wallbox to a Schuko plug. It was pulled out of that wonderful world I had begun to glimpse. I turned to customer service, only to encounter more bad surprises. The 24/7 roadside assistance guaranteed by Leapmotor (but shouldn’t Leapmotor’s support in Italy be provided by Stellantis?) merely sends a tow truck, which will take the car to the nearest repair shop or, if you wish, to the dealer’s workshop where you purchased it.

the car.

When the car is electric, support is lacking

Here, your car will need to go through regular maintenance. In my case, since the malfunction occurred at my home with the battery at 54% charge (159 km range), I will take it there myself. The appointment at the repair shop is set for September 10th. At best, I’ll be without a car for at least two weeks (optimistic estimate). There’s no talk of a replacement car! And this is supposed to be the support provided for a car that has developed a serious defect under warranty that renders it unusable? I’d like to add my own impression, which may seem biased, but it’s firm and clear in my mind. In 4 months, I’ve had to contact numerous repair shops by phone that offer service for Leapmotor electric cars. Invariably, the arrogant tone of the shop manager’s voice softened when I mentioned it was an electric car. And then their true attitude came through.

a whole range of difficulties (need for a specialized technician, extremely long waiting times, etc.).

"My son’s Model Y has the same problem; could it be...?"

In short, I got the impression that car dealers aren’t very fond of electric cars. When I get my once-loved T03 back, will I dare to stand in front of a charging station somewhere, biting my nails, waiting to see if my T03 has betrayed me again? My brief yet frustrating experiences shed light on some of the reasons behind what you call “the lack of success for electric cars in Italy.” Your website’s title should more realistically be “Is Electric Cars Going Well?” Is it possible that the charging issue only affected me with my Leapmotor T03 and my son with his Tesla Model Y? In various reports on electric car defects, the charging problem—effectively the most devastating for users—is never mentioned. My suspicion that this glitch is somehow hidden is plausible.

e? ” Ugo Ecari

Abandoned by the Leapmotor T03, but not… by Vaielettrico

Response. It’s certainly not us who will hide the flaws of electric cars. Especially not those of the highly popular T03 (22,545 units were registered in Italy within 8 months). When we responded to another reader asking about the advantages and disadvantages of this model, we were unaware of this defect. In fact, it had never been reported to us either. Now, after this article, we’ll see if this is an isolated case or if other people have encountered the same problem. Once again, we emphasize that the name of this site, Vaielettrico, should not give the impression of being a fan-based publication. We do discuss these issues thoroughly, urging manufacturers to take responsibility and resolve them.

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