Why the CUPRA Born is a great all-round EV

The CUPRA badge is renowned for style and performance. Which means that you can have pretty lofty expectations for expecting the fun factor when you put the CUPRA Born on your wish list for your next all-electric hatchback.

The fact that we've given the CUPRA Born a glowing five-star review and named it Best Small Electric Car To Drive in the 2024 What Car? Awards proves that appeal. It also topped two recent EV group tests run by our sister title Autocar – just part of the reason why they've named it Best Electric Car in their 2024 Autocar Awards.

We’ve broken down all of the reasons why the CUPRA Born is a great driver’s car here. But what is it like to actually own and drive every day? Is it practical enough, and can it bring a smile to your face even when you’re just making a quick dash to the local shops? Let’s take a look.

But just before we do… Are you considering switching to an electric car but still have some concerns about how well one would suit your lifestyle? Well, CUPRA’s new Love Me or Leave Me offer* could be your perfect introduction to the world of electric.

Love Me or Leave Me gives you 100 days to fall in love with the award-winning all-electric CUPRA Born and find out just how well it fits into your life. CUPRA are so sure you’ll fall head over heels for the Born that if you’re not totally smitten after 100 days, you can simply hand the car back. To learn more about Love Me or Leave Me, click the link below.

Learn more about CUPRA's 100-day Love Me or Leave Me offer

Stand out from the pack

The first thing you notice about the CUPRA Born is its looks. Even when its parked up and standing still, the CUPRA Born’s sharp design contradicts the myth of the boring EV and tells you right away that this is going to be a great car to drive.

The CUPRA Born’s full LED headlights beautifully frame the shark-like nose, while its sporty stance – with strong, sharp, aggressive lines – is highlighted by distinctively CUPRA design details that flow down the length of the exterior. 

As you glance down the side of the CUPRA Born, more features pop out to indicate its performance credentials: the eye-catching alloy wheels, the rake of the A-pillar, and the textured colour-contrasting mouldings on the C-pillar. 

Pop the door open, and you get a bold branded CUPRA puddle light to welcome you to the car. Round the back, the coast-to-coast LED light bar reaches right across the rear from left to right, giving the CUPRA Born a bold sophisticated look. The rear spoiler and diffuser hint further at the car’s underlying driving character.

Packed with plenty of tech

Inside the CUPRA Born there’s a wealth of copper detailing and six-colour ambient lighting to give you that exclusive feel, day or night. Equally, the cossetting bucket seats – trimmed in black upcycled Seaqual yarn on the CUPRA Born V1 and V2 and in luxurious-feeling Granite Grey Dinamica on the CUPRA Born V3 – deliver exceptional comfort and support.

They put you in prime position to enjoy the crisp 5.3-inch digital cockpit that positions key info right in your eyeline behind the leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel. The large 12.9-inch central touchscreen offers a wealth of CUPRA Connect Gen 4 features – including always-online 3D navigation with real-time traffic and Wireless Full Link Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration with your smartphone. And it can all be controlled with CUPRA’s intuitive voice control.

The CUPRA Born VZ adds the Tech (M) package as standard, featuring keyless entry, a wireless phone charger and CAR2X connectivity.

You can interact with your CUPRA Born remotely, using the MyCUPRA smartphone app, letting you check your car’s location, its current charge and its predicted range. It also lets you schedule or de-activate how your CUPRA Born is charging to better control your costs, as well as pre-warming or pre-cooling the car to ensure it’s at the perfect temperature while still plugged in and charging. 

Add in the CUPRA Charging service, and you get simple one-touch pay-as-you-go access to around 550,000 charging points across Europe, as well as two monthly membership tiers that help you cut your costs. 

The CUPRA Born also offers plenty of useful driving and safety aids, with the CUPRA Born V1 including rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, dynamic road-sign display, lane assist, forward collision warning with automatic braking, and a driver alert system that recognises when you might be tired as standard. Walk up the range or pick the optional Pilot parking and Tech packs, and you get even more.

The CUPRA Born VZ adds an enhanced suite of driving and safety aids, with the optional Travel Assist 2.6 (which comes as standard on the CUPRA Born VZ First Edition) combining the Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist to improve their performance, especially on poorly marked roads. Optional Side Assist keeps an eye on your blind spots when you’re on the move, while Exit Warning will alert you to obstacles when you’re pulling away from a parking spot.

Then, when you do reach your final destination for the day, the optional 360-degree Top View Camera and Remote Park Assist and Trained Park Assist make it even easier to find your CUPRA Born VZ’s fit for the evening. 

Perfectly practical in every way

We know that the CUPRA Born packs in plenty of hot-hatch-baiting all-electric performance and driving character. But what is it like to drive and use every day?

Well, the CUPRA Born V1, V2 and V3 models all come with a 59kWh battery which offers up to 265 miles (official WLTP test figures)** of all-electric range based on official figures, while the CUPRA Born V3 also offers the option of a larger 77kWh battery that delivers up to 348 miles (official WLTP test figures)** of range if you feel the need to go further. Then there’s the range-topping CUPRA Born VZ, which boasts an even-larger-capacity 79kWh battery alongside its enhanced performance that offers up to 372 miles (official WLTP test figures)** of electric range.

The CUPRA Born is also incredibly fast to charge, so you spend less time standing still and more time enjoying the drive. The CUPRA Born V1 offers 165kW charging speeds as standard, letting you charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 24 minutes on a compatible ultra-rapid DC public charger***. The CUPRA Born V3 and CUPRA Born VZ offer even faster charging speeds up to 175kW and 185kW respectively. On a compatible ultra-rapid DC charger that could top you up from 10% to 80% in as little as 16 minutes***. 

So, with the CUPRA Born’s great driving character, appealing long-range capability, and fast charging speeds that cut the time you spend topping up, you’ll certainly be planning some epic road trips. And that long-distance practicality is where the CUPRA Born shines compared to some of its key rivals.

As the What Car? road test team explained in its five-star review: “The CUPRA Born’s ride height has been lowered slightly, but it does a good job of absorbing lumps and bumps in the road. With precious little noise from its electric motor, it’s very quiet at town speeds. Pick up the pace, and it’s still impressively hushed. The high-performance CUPRA Born VZ gets adaptive suspension as standard, which means you can adjust the setup to better suit the road you’re on. As such, the CUPRA Born VZ is comfortable, even with its large 20in alloy wheels.”

Finally, there’s plenty of room to pack in friends and their luggage. “The CUPRA Born is roughly the same length as the Volkswagen Golf and is just as roomy in the rear,” What Car? said. “There’s space for at least a six-foot passenger to sit behind someone equally tall without feeling squished. At 385 litres, the CUPRA Born's boot is about the same size as a Volkswagen Golf’s and will be fine for such daily duties as carrying a small buggy, the weekly shop or a weekend away.”

So, those are all the reasons why the CUPRA Born is a standout all-electric car in its own right. Add in that must-drive performance, and maybe it’s time to put it at the top of your shortlist.

Learn more about CUPRA's 100-day Love Me or Leave Me offer

*Offer valid on Born stock orders placed after 17/10/24, not available on Retail Contract Hire purchases. Customer notification to CUPRA of intention to return vehicle under offer required 80 - 100 days from delivery. Available to selected retail customers, 18+ only. Offer subject to availability, usage, condition, mileage and other deductions. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply, visit cupra.co.uk.

**Official (WLTP) test data obtained under standardised conditions after the battery had been fully charged (to 100%). The accurate range for your vehicle will vary according to a number of different factors which include the route, weather conditions, vehicle load (occupants + luggage), battery age and condition, optional equipment (alloys, tyres, etc.), the use of peripheral energy consumption systems such as heating, air conditioning and heated seats, as well as your driving style. The indicated range has been calculated in compliance with the WLTP regulation which sets out standard test conditions applicable to all car manufacturers. This ensures that the values calculated in accordance with this regulation are comparable for all vehicles.

***150kWh+ rapid charger, limited in the UK, typically found on motorways/major arterial routes, limited in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and rural areas. Estimated charging times for the standard specification Born VZ 79kWh battery. Test data obtained under standardised conditions for comparison purposes. Actual charging times will vary depending on various factors, including the selected trimline (and battery option, if available),, the options you choose, the type of charger used, the level of charge in the battery, the age, type, condition and temperature of the charger and the battery, the power supply to and usage of the charger, ambient temperature at the point of use and other environmental factors. Charging time will be longer in cold weather. Charging times will also be affected by the charging curve (for example, once charging passes 80%, charging will slow to protect the battery's longevity) and will be longer if battery temperature activates safeguarding technology. Please consult your retailer for further information. Data correct as at November 2024.