Lepas L8 review: A luxury-packed family SUV with a tempting price

There are so many new car brands arriving in Britain that keeping up with them is starting to become a challenge, even for motoring writers.

Lepas is another name to learn now, because it's arrived here with its first offering for the UK market, the L8.

It has generic looks, and it follows a generic format we're seeing from pretty much all the Chinese brands now, piling standard equipment high, loading in the luxury, and pricing keenly enough to upset the established automotive landscape.

The L8 makes a fairly straightforward introduction. It’s a big plug-in hybrid SUV a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and an 18.4kWh battery, giving a claimed electric range of up to 56 miles.

Like the styling, there's nothing startling about the numbers, then, but the more interesting stuff is inside, where the L8 makes its strongest pitch for your attention. There’s a large, portrait-format touchscreen, a separate driver’s display, and a centre console with storage underneath. It's a calm and comfortable place, with a big panoramic roof lifting the gloom, and acres of space in the back for passengers.

Unlike some plug-in hybrids there's also a large fuel tank, and this means the effective range can top 600 miles, which is as impressive as the fuel economy. Clever computers balance the EV use with the petrol use, and it can add up to huge numbers. This is one of those cars that might make you forget which side the fuel filler is on, because you'll rarely need to access it.

It can also take a rapid charge, of around 20 minutes to go from 30 to 80%, although most people will doubtless charge it at home, and the claimed 56 miles on the battery isn't exactly achievable in normal use, but it's still plenty for a few weeks of local runs.

On-road polish is fairly good, or at least as good as it needs to be in this segment. The L8 has light steering, and competent body control, but it is a heavy thing and you'll notice that in the bends. It makes for a very nice long-distance cruiser, though and it loves a motorway jaunt.

There are some classic annoyances, not helped by the fact there just aren't enough physical buttons. There are shortcuts, but you'll need to go into that lovely big display for certain functions, including turning off the borderline dysfunctional speed alert system.

Prices start at £34,900 for the Essence, which includes a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging and a 13.2-inch touchscreen. Spend £37,900 on the Elevate and you get heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, a Sony sound system, extra parking assistance and a powered tailgate. There’s even an in-car fragrance system, but it triggered my wife's asthma and insisted on turning itself back on every half an hour, so we pulled the cartridges out.

As ever, the ownership prospect looks inviting. Both versions come with a seven-year, 100,000-mile vehicle warranty, and the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Of course, I’m not going to pretend £35,000 is pocket money, but put the L8 alongside similarly equipped plug-in hybrid SUVs from more familiar brands and the appeal becomes obvious.

The unfamiliar badge and a few electronic annoyances deserve consideration, but so do the space, spec and useful electric range.

If those are your priorities, this is a car I’d put on the shortlist before deciding how much extra a more familiar name is worth.