Cupra Born Review & Prices

The Cupra Born is an electric family hatchback that promises a bit of a sporting edge. With a maximum range of up to 366 miles it’ll give the likes of the Tesla Model 3 something to worry about, but in reality it’s an alternative to the Skoda Elroq, Renault Scenic and the Volkswagen ID3.

In fact, this Spanish EV is closely related to the Volkswagen. Not only are they all but identical under the skin, they look remarkably similar too.

In a way, you could think of the two cars as being siblings. The Volkswagen is the sensible, mature older brother, while the Cupra is the young upstart that’s a bit edgy and has a tendency to get up to some good-natured mischief.

Up front it has a much sharper face than the ID3, and there are some striking copper-coloured badges and trim inserts for a bit of extra wow factor. Wheel sizes range from 18 to 20 inches, and round the back there’s a sharp-looking LED light bar that stretches across its tailgate.

Cupra Born: Electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 259-366 miles
Efficiency: 3.9-4.1 miles per kWh
Battery size: 58kWh / 79kWh
Max charge speed: 165kW / 185kW
Charge time AC: 6hrs 30mins, 0-100% at 11kW / 8hrs 30mins, 0-100% at 11kW
Charge time DC: 24mins, 10-80% at 165kW / 26mins, 10-80% at 185kW
Charge port location: Right rear
Power outputs: 231hp / 326hp

The cabin is pretty athletic looking, too. In the place of leather you can get sporty synthetic suede upholstery that’s made from recycled ocean plastic, and the sports seats are comfy and hold you snugly in place (although it’d be nice if you could bring the steering wheel in a bit closer to your chest). You won’t have any trouble seeing out the front, but the rear window is a bit on the small side.

You get a 12.9-inch touchscreen on the dash, which packs sharp looking graphics and plenty of tech including satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The latest version is much better than earlier models, but still far from the best in the business.

Still, there’s a tonne of space in the rear for back seat passengers, and the spacious 385-litre boot is identical to that of its Volkswagen relation.

Regular versions of the Cupra Born come with 231hp and a choice of two battery sizes, offering a range of between 259 and 346 miles, depending on the combination you go for. There's also the Born VZ, which is an electric hot hatch, coming with 326hp and a bigger battery.

Plugged into a 7kW home wallbox charger, you’d be able to top this car’s battery up overnight easily enough. Whichever model you go for, a public charge will take less than half an hour to go from 10-80%.

The Cupra is easily quick enough for ducking and darting in and out of slow moving traffic, and for swift overtaking on faster roads. On its lowered sports suspension it handles pretty tidily too, with accurate steering and decent grip. The brakes are lifeless though, and despite its athletic looks it certainly doesn’t feel like a fun-loving electric hot hatchback.

It’s a bit too sensible for that, unless you go for the VZ, of course. That has more power and it's perfectly capable of putting a smile on your face on a twisty road, though it lacks the thrills of a petrol hot hatch (or a much more expensive EV in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N).

Whichever model you go for, the Born is more than comfy enough, and on the motorway it settles down nicely. There’s a bit of road and wind noise, but this is no dealbreaker.

So there’s plenty to like here. The Born is practical, spacious, easy to drive and has more than enough electric range. But given the fact it wears the Cupra badge (Cupra is the performance offshoot of SEAT) it’s just a pity it isn’t a bit more fun and engaging to drive.

If you like the sporty looks of this stylish electric car, check out the latest Cupra Born deals and Cupra Born lease deals available through Carwow. You can also check out used Borns, as well as other used Cupras, from our network of trusted dealers. Carwow can help you sell your car, too.

The Cupra Born looks good, but you have to pay a price for style. It's a bit more expensive than many of the similarly sized electric cars you might be considering, such as the Skoda Elroq, Hyundai Kona Electric, Mini Countryman Electric and Volkswagen ID3.

If you want the VZ hot hatch version, it's a whopping £10k more than the base model. Alternatives are difficult to find for comparison purposes, but that's a bit more than the smaller but more power Volvo EX30 Twin Motor, and a lot more than the Abarth 600e.

The Cupra Born is more fun to drive than the ID3, but it would benefit from one-pedal braking to conserve as much energy as possible

In town

While the Cupra Born shares the majority of its components with the Volkswagen ID3, it has a sportier setup, making it more fun to drive. As a consequence, the suspension has been stiffened up a little and feels a bit on the firm side, so bumps are more obvious.

It’s easy to increase the amount of regenerative braking; simply twist the high-mounted gear lever to the ‘B’ position and the car will come to an (almost) stop when you lift off the accelerator. It doesn’t quite bring the car to a standstill, which rules out pure one-pedal driving, but it comes pretty close.

Driving in town is helped by good forward visibility, including an extra piece of glass close to the front pillar, which is sometimes blanked off by trim in some models. The view out of the back is a bit compromised, though.

Other features that make the Born very urban-friendly are the steering, which is light – but with the right amount of feel – and a turning circle of 10.2 metres. The latter point means it is relatively easy to navigate tight spaces and negotiate mini roundabouts with ease.

On the motorway

The Born is equally at home on faster roads because the comfort actually increases the faster you go – things settle down a bit and the bumps are not as noticeable as at lower speeds. The seats are supportive and use high quality materials, adding to the sporty feel of the car.

There is a bit of wind noise around the pillars, but nothing too excessive, so you'll be able to do big miles comfortably. Acceleration is rapid when getting up to speed, particularly if you go for the VZ.

On a twisty road

Despite sharing the majority of the same components with the Volkswagen ID3, the Born is certainly sharper to drive and feels more stable than the VW. Nothing too excessive, just a bit more eager to enjoy a twisty road.

The steering is good and there is plenty of grip, but the brakes are the main letdown. They're very spongy so it's difficult to judge how much to push the pedal.

Fortunately the VZ steps things up a bit by offering more power, retuned suspension and more direct steering. It's not a wholesale reinvention, but it's enough to be a worthy upgrade for keen drivers.

The minimalist appearance in the Born will be welcomed by many, however the door-mounted controls for the windows and wing mirror aren't great

Cupra has gone for a fairly minimalistic approach to the interior of the Born, but that is not to the detriment of practicality.

There’s a large central storage unit between the two front seats and behind that an additional space that is covered by a padded armrest.

There is a handy space for a mobile phone in the front of that section, which can be neatly covered. That means there is no distraction to look at your device while on the move. Finally in that space there are two USB ports.

The main central area closer to the dash contains two cupholders, another storage area that could fit keys, a wallet or any other reasonably-sized item. The door bins are decent and will quite easily accommodate large bottles.

The sports seats are comfortable and provide plenty of support when going around corners, while the material used to cover them is good quality.

One frustrating feature of the Born is the window operation from the front seat. To operate the rear windows, you have to specifically press a toggle button for them – they don’t have an assigned button themselves. Meanwhile, don’t expect much from the glovebox – it’s tiny!

Space in the back seats

Move to the back of the Born and there is plenty of room, whether it is for your head or legs. The seats are comfortable and the floor is flat, which adds to the spacious feel of the car. Your feet can easily stretch out to fit under the front seats, meaning you won’t feel cramped during a long journey.

The Cupra can fit three people across the back relatively easily. The middle seat is comfortable, but if it’s three adults in the back, it could be a bit of a squeeze – especially for those on the outside.

There’s a large rear armrest with space for two cupholders, and through-loading is available by pulling down the panel behind the aforementioned armrest. There are ISOFIX child seat points on board and enough room for one of the more chunky baby seats that face rearwards.

Other plus points are large door bins, ample storage on the seat backs and two USB ports for charging mobile devices.

Boot space

The capacity of the boot is 385 litres, which is decent enough and it’s a nice space, making loading and unloading straightforward. If you're looking for more room, consider the Skoda Elroq, which offers 470 litres.

There is a big drop down into the boot, which could present a problem when loading or unloading large or heavy items. There’s another obstruction too, when the rear seats are folded, so there is no chance of creating a large fully flat space. However the boot has been designed with a lip integrated into it all the way around because it can accommodate an optional false floor that brings the height up to a more manageable or convenient level.

The head-up display is one of the best on the market, but the rest of the infotainment system is often frustrating to use

Step inside the Born and it might be familiar to anyone who has seen a Volkswagen ID3. There’s the same central touchscreen, which operates the vast majority of the car’s main functions.

Like the ID3, there are no physical buttons, which will be frustrating to some as things like changing the heating via the sliding switches is much more of a faff than a traditional button or dial would be. Those elements aren't backlit either, which makes using them at night a bit of a challenge.

The infotainment system itself is okay to use, if not ideal. An updated 12.9-inch system is now being used, which is much, much better than the old one – but still far from the best in the business as it's prone to glitches and crashes from time to time.

If you prefer to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both connect seamlessly and wirelessly to the Born’s system.

The digital driver’s display is small, which means the amount of information it displays is somewhat limited. There’s enough for the main bits of data that you'll want to see – speed, driving data, etc – and because it moves with the steering wheel, your view of it will never be blocked, a surprisingly common issue in modern cars.

The head-up display on V2 and V3 trim levels is superb and draws lines on the road to ensure you are going in the right direction and don’t miss a turning.

Overall, the design of the interior is preferable to that of the ID3, with high quality materials used throughout and also some nice touches on the surfaces of the dashboard on the passenger side.

The Born is rear-wheel-drive and comes with 231hp in V1, V2 and V3 guise, and you have two choices of battery. The first is a 58kWh unit that will provide up to 264 miles in official tests, while the larger 77kWh battery is good for up to 346 miles.

With the smaller battery, the 0-60mph time is 6.7 seconds, or 7.1 seconds with the extra weight of the larger battery slowing things down.

If you want more power, there's the VZ at the top of the range with 326hp. It also gets a new, slightly larger battery, so the official range is 366 miles – though you'll struggle to hit that if you enjoy the performance at all.

Charge times vary slightly depending on the model as each of the different battery sizes have different maximum charge rates. However, find a suitably rapid public charger and all are capable of going from 10-80% in under half an hour.

Where the Cupra Born is particularly impressive is its efficiency. Having lived with one, we've seen over 5 miles per kWh on a casual drive in optimal conditions, which is almost unheard of in electric cars. Even on a normal drive you can see more than 4mi/kWh, meaning you'll go further on a charge and running costs will be lower than most alternatives.

Being an electric car means that the Born is super-cheap to run as a company car, and faces the lowest first-year Vehicle Excise Duty rate, too.

The Cupra Born scored the full five-star rating from the safety experts at Euro NCAP. Adult protection was rated at an impressive 93%, while child occupant safety was just lower at 89%. Vulnerable road user protection has been rated at 73%, while safety assist is rated at 80%.

There’s autonomous emergency braking, but not the same technology for pedestrians and no active bonnet available. The car does, however, offer speed assistance and lane assist technology.

All Born models come with the brand’s Keyless Go system. There's also an alarm that includes interior monitoring in the cabin, a backup horn and towing protection. Anti-theft wheel bolts are also standard across the range.

All Cupras are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty and the Born is no exception. Meanwhile, this car’s battery warranty lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

It’s a bit early to talk about long-term reliability of the Born, and early issues with the glitchy infotainment system appear to be largely sorted. Cupra scored a mid-table finish in the Driver Power survey in 2024, so you shouldn't run into any major issues.