Cupra Born Review

Published on 4 October, 2023

A sleek and powerful electric hatchback that merges style and performance

Highlights

Overview

It’s been five years since Cupra, previously known for producing speedy SEAT models, was spun off into its own brand by the Volkswagen Group. The Born has been one of their biggest success stories so far, offering a stylish and sporty alternative to the more conservative VW ID.3.

Interior Gallery

It's quite a substantial car in the metal. Boot space is about on par with what you’ll find in a Volkswagen Golf at 385 litres. It feels airy and spacious inside thanks to plenty of glass and a wonderfully clutter-free cabin. There's room for three in the back quite comfortably and leg and knee room is impressive. We managed to fit a rear-facing child seat behind the passenger seat without impeding too much on comfort in the front.

The Born is exceptionally well equipped from the ground up. Standard features are plentiful and include such luxuries as an electric massage seat for the driver, 19 inch alloy wheels, a 12 inch touch screen display with SatNav, wireless charging and heated seats and steering wheel. It also features one of the more impressive parking assist systems we have used, with a surround view birdseye camera and a generous level of safety features including rear traffic alert, exit warning and emergency assist.

It’s powered by a 58kWh battery with an official combined range of 424km. There is a longer range version available which extends that to 550km. The E-Boost variant elevates the power output from 204 to 231 horsepower, meeting the performance expectations associated with the Cupra badge. A full charge takes about 6 hours on AC or 35 minutes at a fast charger. The kilometres fall off the dashboard mainly in line with the distance travelled making the quoted range figures feel achievable in the right conditions.

Still under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, the Cupra brand carries with it a solid reputation for reliability. A two year warranty comes as standard with an option to extend that by one, two or three years. The impressive range should future proof it enough to ensure it retains decent residual value on the second hand market, or when it comes to trading in.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives