Cupra Born Review 2025

The Cupra Born was the second model from the standalone sporty Spanish brand not to have a cheaper SEAT-badged equivalent but there's a very good reason why this EV hatchback looks more than slightly familiar as our full Cupra Born review explains.

That’s because the Cupra Born is based on the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen ID.3. Not only that, the pair same much of the same bodywork and interior panels. That's hardly ideal for Cupra as it stakes its claim to be perceived as a brand that appeals to both heart and mind.

Inevitably, the Born and ID.3 share broadly similar dimensions, with a wheel-at-each-corner stance, short bonnet, similar glasshouse and bluff rear end. While VW has gone with a curvy, unthreatening styling approach, the Born — named after a neighbourhood in Barcelona — has been tweaked to look decidedly more aggressive and edgy. 

Cupra's also ensured that the Born also sits lower to the ground with a more handling-focused tune, complete with bigger wheels and wider tyres. 

Inside, you can again see a similar basic architecture to the ID.3, but with a slightly classier feel thanks to upmarket materials and copper-coloured detailing. In terms of the overall technology and practicality the Born is just as modern and spacious as its sibling. 

There’s familiarity with the electric motor and battery choices, too. The initial launch versions of the Born were available with either 204PS or 230PS, the latter badged e-Boost, with power from both going through the rear wheels only. Later, the 204PS option was dropped and a 326PS VZ model was added to the line-up.

Today the 230PS models come with a 58kWh battery pack, enough for a very competitive maximum claimed range of up to 265 miles. 

If that isn’t enough, though, the V3 version is also offered with a bigger 77kWh battery, which promises up to 343 miles. That’s sufficient to give the larger, pricier Tesla Model 3 saloon a run for its money. The VZ gets an even larger 79kWh unit offering up to 372 miles. 

Sticking with electrically powered hatchbacks, besides the ID.3 key rivals for the Cupra Born include the good value MG4 EV, the impressive Renault Megane E-Tech and the stylish Vauxhall Astra Electric among others.

Plus it's inevitable that many would-be buyers will also compare the Born with the more expensive and SUV-like Kia EV6 and award-winning Hyundai Ioniq 5.

We reckon the Cupra Born is an excellent affordable electric car and in some ways it’s better than the Volkswagen on which it’s based. Read on to find out why. 

Looking for a second opinion? Why not read heycar's Cupra Born review.

Cupra Born: Range

Cupra is a sporty brand, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Born gets a few key changes over the Volkswagen ID.3 on which it’s based to make it feel more aligned with those aspirations. For a start, it has a reduced ride height (10mm lower at the front, 15mm at the rear) with a specific tune for the optional adaptive dampers.

Wider tyres specifically developed for the Born also feature, while the wheels go up to a larger diameter than they do on the VW. There’s also a Sport mode for the stability control. None of these are huge changes, but they do make the Born feel a bit keener on turn-in and more able to control its fairly hefty kerbweight — the least-portly model is 1841kg.

Well-weighted and accurate steering combined with loads of grip also means you can get into an enjoyable rhythm on a twisty road. 

We’ll stop short of calling it a hot hatchback, though. For starters, despite it being rear-wheel drive, it doesn’t allow for any sort of playfulness in a bend, staying completely neutral. And there’s neither the feel nor the sharpness a good hot hatch, such as Cupra’s own Leon, can offer. 

Having said that, the Born is a lot less wallowy than most small EVs. Because it retains most of the ID.3’s excellent refinement and comfortable ride, it’s a great daily driver. It’s superb around town with a tight turning circle and short overhangs, while out on the motorway it’s nicely controlled and not too firm. 

The Born also has more natural-feeling brakes than a number of EVs, meaning it’s easier to stop with confidence. In default drive mode, there’s not a lot of regenerative effect, but select Sport and it ups it a bit to simulate engine braking. Select B mode and you get the full regen, which is strong without being neck-snapping. 

The Born VZ has upgraded suspension and tweaked steering, making it feel by far the sportiest one of the lot. There's barely any body roll but the flip-side of this is that the ride is quite firm. It's just about acceptable when the adaptive dampers are set to their softest mode but otherwise, the VZ ends up being too choppy on all but the smoothest bits of tarmac. 

Because it's so much more powerful than other versions of the Born, yet remains rear-wheel drive, the car can move around at the back under power, helping the VZ feel more exciting without being intimidatingly tail-happy. The traction control is ready and waiting to step in if things get too silly. 

It's by far the most exciting Cupra Born drive but it still can't quite compete for the thrill of a petrol-powered hot hatchback.

In pre-facelift form, we only drove the 204PS version of the Cupra Born. It puts out 310Nm of torque, and although neither of those figures is generous for a car of this weight, instant torque and response mean it feels pretty nippy most of the time. 

If you're buying a new Cupra Born, the lowest-powered version you can buy develops 230PS, although the torque output is unchanged. It'll sprint from 0-62mph in a very reasonable 6.7 seconds with the 59kWh battery, although the heavier 77kWh alternative dulls that to 7.1 seconds.

Should you want to go faster, your only option is the Born VZ, which was launched at the same time as the updated model. It's by far the most expensive version, but also the most powerful, with a 96PS advantage over its siblings at 326ps.

With and 545Nm of near-instantly delivered torque, the VZ feels potent off the line, even if it starts to feel a little less dramatic once you reach 40mph or so — 0-62mph arrives in 5.6 seconds and the electronic speed limiter comes in at 124mph compared with 99mph in other Borns.

Safety body Euro NCAP awarded the Cupra Born its maximum five stars for safety — not a huge surprise as the Volkswagen ID.3 was also handed five stars when it was tested back in 2020.

Every Cupra Born comes with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, a dynamic road sign display and drowsiness detection. What’s more, all-round parking sensors and a rear-view camera will help you avoid parking scrapes. 

If you need to go on the pull, look elsewhere. The Cupra Born is not rated for towing.

Just as the VW ID.3 is similar in size and positioning to a Golf, the Cupra Born occupies a similar footprint to a Cupra Leon. 

The Born is actually slightly smaller in terms of dimensions, at 4322mm long, 1908mm wide and 1537mm tall. But because there’s no engine up front, the wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear wheels — is over 130mm longer than the Leon's.

That results in plenty of space, particularly up front with no bulky transmission tunnel getting in the way of your knees. In some ways it almost feels like an MPV, with a really light and airy feel and room for even the tallest or broadest of drivers to get comfortable.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the seats and wheel, with a slightly raised driving position and a low dashboard giving a great view forwards. Just bear in mind that the VZ's sportier Cup bucket seats have some particularly chunky side bolsters, so broader framed folk might feel a bit squeezed. They're firmer than we'd like, too.

Six-footers will find plenty of room in the back for their heads and legs. The floor isn’t all that high compared with some EVs with the batteries mounted under the floor, meaning there is some space to slide your feet under the seat in front. 

The middle rear seat position is a bit narrow, but again, the lack of a transmission tunnel leaves room for your feet, while the doors open nice and wide to enable easy access for fitting child seats. 

The boot is the least impressive part of the Born in terms of space. At 385 litres it’s decent enough for a modestly sized hatchback and trumps the MG4 EV's 363-litre capacity and the Vauxhall Astra Electric's 352 litres, yet it lags behind the Renault Megane E-Tech's 440-litre volume. Plus the Cupra's lack of a front boot to boost practicality further is a pity.

Still, the opening is fine, and the boot is a nice square shape, but the seats only folds in a 60/40 split and there’s no ski hatch. 

Just like the VW ID.3, the Cupra Born’s interior quality is a bit of a mixed bag.

There are areas where it looks and feels a nicer than the Volkswagen — in particular we like the copper-coloured detailing, the stitching on the soft-touch upper dash panel and the fabric-covered door and centre armrests. 

That contrasts, though, with hard and scratchy plastics elsewhere on the doors, as well as on the lower parts of the dash and centre console. It’s certainly nicer overall than the MG4 inside but it isn’t on the same level for perceived quality as the Megane E-Tech.

Little cost-cutting touches such as the lack of dedicated rear window switches in the driver's door panel disappoint, too. Overall, though, gloss over the minor details and it feels solid and built to last. 

Every Cupra Born comes with the same suite of infotainment and display tech. This differs from the ID.3 where some versions come with a smaller screen.

In the Born, you get a 12.9-inch central touchscreen mounted within your line of sight and skewed towards the driver. That’s complemented by a smaller digital dial display mounted on the steering column meaning it moves when you adjust the wheel position.

The infotainment screen itself is decent enough, with a crisp, bright display, not too much in the way of lag and a fairly sensible menu layout.

Integral navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all standard. That’s welcome, but what takes some getting used to is that you rely on the screen so heavily, with no separate, phyiscal climate control adjusters. 

What’s more, Cupra copies VW by insisting on using touch-sensitive haptic pads for absolutely everything — from the light switches to the volume dials.

Most egregious of all is the process for lowering the electric windows. You only get one pair of switches to control all four on the driver's door. Switching between front and rear window control involves pressing one of those touch-sensitive buttons. You're never really sure if you've pressed it or not without looking down. We can guarantee you'll accidentally lower a rear window when you meant it to be a front, or vice versa. 

As in other Volkswagen Group products, the touch panel below the screen bafflingly wasn't backlit on pre-facelift models, so was tricky to use when driving at night. The newer system is definitely an improvement, not just because of this fact — plus it's also more responsive and a bit bigger — but it still frustrates. The volume switches, which you have to massage with your thumbs up and down are utterly infuriating.

On the plus side, the new 10-speaker Sennheiser audio system is excellent. It's a £600 option on all versions apart from the range-topping VZ, which gets the setup as standard.

The cheapest flavour of Cupra Born — the 230PS V1 model with the 59kWh batter — is £35,505. There was talk of a 150PS version coming with a smaller 45kWh battery but this never materialised. 

V1 trim is extremely well equipped, so really there’s no need to opt for the higher trim levels unless you simply must have bigger wheels and items such as heated electric seats and posher upholstery. Mid-level V2 trim starts at £37,275, while it's £39,025 for a V3 and £44,635 for the range-topping VZ.

If the 59kWh Born’s range isn’t enough for you, then the 77kWh battery version is only available in V3 form.

The 77kWh battery commands a price premium of around £2,800 over that 230PS model, which may well be worth it if you plan on using your Born for lots of longer journeys. The VZ isn't available with either battery capacity, and instead gets its own 79kWh unit.

With 3% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car taxation and what should be affordable servicing, it’s a very cheap way to do the miles for user choosers.

Private motorists need to remember that as of 01 April 2025 EVs are liable for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax), which means you'll pay the same £195 annual fee as petrol- and diesel-powered cars from the second year onwards.

Electric cars no longer get out of the government's premium car tax either, so be prepared to cough up an extra £425 annual charge from years two to six of ownership on any Born registered after April 2025 that cost over £40,000, including options, when new.

Cupra Born: Range and charging

The quickest-charging Cupra Born is the VZ, which can take a DC rate of up to 185kW, making a 10%-80% top-up possible in just 26 minutes. The 58kWh versions aren't exactly far behind at 165kW, which should allow for that same recharge to take about 20 minutes, while the 77kWh battery splits the difference at 175k for a 25-minute 10%-80% charge. 

Getting those speeds out of the car and the charger depends on a variety of factors, though, and ultra-rapid charging isn’t exactly cheap — in fact, it can be no cheaper than filling up a petrol or diesel car. To make the most of an EV’s super-low running cost potential, you’ll need to be able to charge it overnight at home. 

A domestic three-pin socket will take the best part of a day to charge your Born, so you’ll be much better off with a 7kW home wallbox — that’ll complete a charge of the 58kWh model in around nine hours. The 77kWh and 79kWh models will take a couple of hours longer. 

Happily, excellent efficiency combined with that big battery means a full charge brings plenty of range. WLTP  Combined cycle claims of 233-265 miles with the 58kWh model, rising to 308-343 miles for the 77kWh model. The 79kWh battery in the VZ is good for 315-372 miles.

Those figures blow most affordable EVs into next week, although, as is always the case, do lots of motorway driving and those figures will drop. During our motorway-heavy time with a VZ, we averaged 3.4mi/kWh, which would equate to more like 260 miles on a full charge. 

Today's Cupra Born line-up consists of four trim levels labelled V1, V2, V3 and VZ.

The entry-level Cupra Born V1 includes standard equipment such as:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic lights and wipers
• LED lights all-round
• Adaptive cruise control
• Remote control pre-heating and cooling
• Front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera
• Ambient interior lighting
• Keyless start
• Front sports seats
• Heated steering wheel
• 11kW AC charging capability

Upgrading to the Cupra Born V2 only gets you a few extra niceties including:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Dark-tinted rear windows
• Heated front seats
• Heated windscreen washer nozzles
• Augmented reality head-up display

The Cupra Born V3 upgrades include:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Dinamica faux suede upholstery
• 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with massage function

The Cupra Born VZ is the new flagship version which adds:

• Hip-hugging Cup bucket front seats
• 10-speaker Sennheiser sound system