u/domorodac

Hi all, I’m in Croatia and about to buy my first EV. I’ve narrowed it down to two cars:

• Kia Niro EV (64.8 kWh): €33,500
• Leapmotor B05 (67.1 kWh): €30,000

Both qualify for our government EV subsidy of €9,000, so the real prices are roughly €24.5k vs €21k.

How I’ll use it:

• About 50 km of city driving every weekday
• On weekends, about 300 km of motorway driving
• I can charge at home

What I see so far:

Niro EV

• Bigger battery, better real-world motorway range
• Heat pump
• 7-year Kia warranty, established dealer network
• Slow DC charging (~45 min 10–80 %)
• Outgoing model, older tech

Leapmotor B05

• €3.5k cheaper
• Newer platform, LFP battery (can charge to 100 % daily), faster charging
• Smaller battery, so less motorway range
• New brand in Europe, unknown resale value, unknown service and parts availability here

My questions:

1. Does anyone own a B05? How is the real motorway consumption at 110–130 km/h?
2. Niro owners: does the slow charging bother you on longer trips?
3. How worried should I be about resale value and service for Leapmotor in a smaller European market?
4. Is there any other EV up to €35,000 (the subsidy limit) that you’d recommend, with the same or better real-world motorway range than the Niro?

Thanks!