Budget Of $10,000 And Want A LiDAR? Here Are 10 Vehicles For You

If you search for LiDAR on a certain shopping platform, you will find many car roof LiDAR decorations for sale.

The sole purpose of these decorations is to inform others that the car owner has purchased a high-spec model, thereby appearing prestigious.

Looking back to 2021, five years ago, when the first-generation NIO ET7 debuted with its roof-mounted "periscope-style" LiDAR, it was widely criticized as ugly and having a "bump on its head."

Yet as time passed and LiDAR began to take center stage in advanced autonomous driving, its identity underwent a dramatic reversal.

From an unsightly roof bulge, it has transformed into a symbol of advanced intelligent driving and high-end models.

As soon as the roles are reversed, sales follow, and LiDAR quickly reduces its "status" through"scale-up""mass production""scale-up" As soon as the roles are reversed, sales follow, and LiDAR quickly reduces its "status" through scale-up.

Initially, only high-end cars like the ET7, which cost several hundred thousand, were equipped with LiDAR, but now it's not uncommon to see it in cars that cost just over a hundred thousand.

By 2026, LiDAR will become even more affordable, and it may become commonplace even for vehicles priced around $10,000 to be equipped with LiDAR.

If you have a budget of around 100,000 RMB to buy a compact car and have long been eager to get one equipped with LiDAR, then this year offers even more options to choose from.

At the same time, including the small car, we have also compiled a list of models priced around 100,000 and equipped with LiDAR, hoping to provide a reference for everyone when looking at and purchasing cars.

Laser Radar Car Battle

BYD is the most agile in action.

Just like its industry-leading push for nationwide intelligent driving at the start of 2025, according to information released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this year, the new Dolphin and Seagull models can both be optionally equipped with roof-mounted LiDAR.

Since the laser radar can be installed in the vehicle, it means that the new Seal/ Dolphin models support BYD's Tian Shen Zhi Yan B, enabling functions such as highway navigation and urban navigation.

As a dark horse and king of the 200,000 yuan market, Zeekr has never been hesitant to pile on hardware.

In 2025, it took the lead in the industry by launching LiDAR-equipped versions of the B10, B01, and Lafa5, priced at just around 110,000 to 120,000 RMB.

This year, Leapmotor remains unwavering and continues to advance aggressively; the upcoming Leapmotor A10—positioned lower and priced more affordably—will also be equipped with LiDAR.

Judging from Zeekr’s previous differentiation of styling across vehicle trims, the A10 is highly likely to launch a “LiDAR-equipped version” as its top-tier trim.

In terms of application scenarios, A10 is not only equipped with urban navigation, but will also support parking-to-parking level assisted driving, matching features found in vehicles priced above 200,000 yuan.

Notably, as early as 2025, there were already sub-100,000-yuan compact cars equipped with LiDAR, with the Changan Qiyuan Q05, launched in November last year, being a typical example.

It has two versions, 405 Laser Ultra and 506 Laser Ultra+, both equipped with a LiDAR.

Both versions are officially said to support city navigation, but they are currently still in a futures state, requiring patience for later OTA updates.

Although few sub-$15,000 cars currently come equipped with LiDAR, core players like BYD and Leapmotor have already made their move—how can other players not respond?

The BYD Seagull and Dolphin are both classic models in the 100,000 RMB segment. Although their sales champion halo temporarily faded after being challenged by Geely Starry Wish from both above and below, the Seagull and Dolphin, after all, are not weak in product strength. Moreover, BYD has a strong brand influence and sales channel capability across the country.

The battle against Geely Starry Wish temporarily brought BYD Seagull and Dolphin to a halt, but that does not mean they can never bounce back.

Through strategies such as smart incentives and price reductions, Seagull and Dolphin might yet stage a comeback against the strong momentum of the Geely Xingyuan.

Zeekr has entered a favorable period in the past year, almost every model it launched became a hit. Even the Lafa5, a hatchback that doesn't seem to meet popular demand, nearly sold ten thousand units during the sales surge in December last year.

As the starting point of the Leapmotor A series and the core weapon for Leapmotor to advance in the market under 100,000 RMB following the T03, the A10 naturally needs to make a big impact to take on more sales volume.

Therefore, it’s not hard to predict that with the launch of the new Dolphin, Seagull, and Leapmotor A10, the intensity of intelligent technology competition among vehicles priced around RMB 100,000 will undoubtedly reach a new level, potentially leading to more compact cars equipped with LiDAR becoming available for consumers to choose from.

In the short term, in the 100,000 yuan market, vehicles equipped with laser radars will continue to emerge, but they will basically be offered in optional or high-spec versions.

Meanwhile, these models are also very likely to suffer from a disconnect between hardware and user experience.

For example, the Zeekr B10 LiDAR version has a LiDAR, but currently it only supports highway navigation and commuting navigation functions. True urban navigation or parking-to-parking functions will require future OTA updates.

In fact, this is a common problem across all price segments of smart vehicles—hardware is deployed first, while user experience lags behind.

This year, if you plan to purchase a vehicle priced around 100,000 RMB equipped with a LiDAR, you will most likely need to patiently await subsequent OTA updates to achieve a better advanced driver-assistance experience.

Written at the end

By 2026, with a budget of around 100,000, buying a car equipped with LiDAR is no longer an issue.

Although it may cost a bit more to opt for additional features or a higher-end model, and functionalities more suited to daily scenarios, like urban navigation, might still be waiting for gradual OTA unlocks, the barrier to entry for LiDAR is indeed being broken down more and more.

If you plan to buy a compact car for daily commuting this year with a budget of around 100,000 RMB and also want a LiDAR, you might consider holding off and waiting for new models to launch.