Road Test: Cupra Born a smart and stylish electric car

By Jack McKeown

July 27 2022, 10:17am

The Cupra Born is a five-door fully electric hatchback with great looks and a decent range.

It takes its unusual name from the trendy El Borne neighbourhood of Barcelona. And indeed it’s aimed at the fashion conscious.

Underneath the skin it is essentially the same car as the Volkswagen ID.3. However, SEAT-spinoff company Cupra have given their take on the car a major style overhaul, as well as tweaking the electric engine to make the Born quicker than the ID.3.

At the front it has a much sharper face than its VW counterpart. Some striking copper coloured detailing makes it look even smarter.

Inside, the cabin is stylish, technological and environmental friendly. What look like suede seats are actually made from recycled ocean plastic. There’s a 12in touchscreen in the dash and another screen behind the steering wheel that displays speed, power, range and other driver information.

Prices and powertrains

Prices for the Cupra start at £34,715 (there’s no grant from the government anymore) and there are three powertrains available. Entry level cars have a 58kWh battery with 204hp; mid level cars have the same 58kWh battery but with power boosted to 230hp. Finally, there is a version with a bigger 77kWh battery that also produces 230hp.

The 58kWh versions have an official range of 259 miles, while the 77kWh model can cover up to 340 miles between charges.

I spent a week with the 204hp 58kWh version. Broadly speaking it met my expectations when it came to range. As with all electric cars how, where and when you drive are key. EVs are at their most efficient at low speeds, and range is also affected by temperature.

Tootling round Dundee for an hour on a sunny day barely touched the battery’s reserves.

On a trip to East Lothian for the Scottish Open the 95 mile journey drained the battery from 95% to 55%. Technically that meant I could have got there and back on one charge but I plugged it into a rapid charger for 20 minutes just to be on the safe side.

However, even doing motorway driving on the coldest, wettest, darkest day you should still be able to count on a 180 mile range. And that’s for the smallest battery. The big battery ought to be fine for 250 miles no matter the conditions.

Driving dynamics

The Cupra Born is fast. Not Tesla fast – don’t expect to do 0-62mph in 4 seconds. It will do that sprint in 7.3 seconds, though, putting it on a par with a lot of hot hatches. Go for the 230hp version and you can see that time reduced to 6.6 seconds.

Power delivery is instantaneous as well, making any version of the Cupra Born feel even quicker than its numbers suggest.

Ride height is slightly lower than the VW ID.3. That makes the suspension feel a little firmer but it still rides comfortably enough.

You’ll notice the lower ride height during cornering, where the Cupra Born offers sharp and precise handling. It’s a quiet cruiser too.

Cupra offers three trim levels – handily labelled V1, V2 and V3. All versions have a rear view camera, adaptive cruise control, heated steering wheel, keyless start-up and LED headlights. V2 versions add heated front seats, tinted windows and a head-up display. Top spec V3 models get electric seats, massage seats and some other goodies. There’s a jump of around £2,000 for each level.

Most of the controls work via haptic feedback – you slide your finger over what looks like a blank panel to adjust heating, fan, volume etc. It took me a bit of getting used to but I’m a 44-year old luddite. Younger buyers with the latest smartphones will no doubt take to it like ducks to water.

The Cupra Born is spacious considering its modest overall dimensions. There’s space for four adults and the boot is roughly the same size as a VW Golf’s. Unlike some electric cars there’s no front boot – or ‘froot’.

Overall the Cupra Born is an excellent addition to the ever-growing EV market. It’s reasonably priced, extremely stylish has decent range and drives well.