Cupra Tavascan Review 2025

SUV coupes appear to be something of an automotive cul-de-sac, being sleeker versions of generally unsleek cars that lose out in terms of practicality compared with their taller showroom siblings. So why do they exist? Superior efficiency and a sportier image, primarily, important factors for electric models in particular. Find out if they’re benefits worth having with our full Cupra Tavascan review.

With the Cupra brand now pushing electric over petrol power, the follow-up act to the impressive Cupra Born is the Tavascan. It’s a family-sized SUV, albeit with a tapered, coupe-like roofline, which shares the same basic underpinnings with many of its main rivals.

Going head-to-head within the Volkswagen Group, the Tavascan finds itself challenging the similar Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and Skoda Enyaq Coupe as well as the VW ID.5. Not only those, an evolution of the MEB platform also appears underneath the Ford Capri.

From the outside that shared heritage is not immediately obvious. The Cupra brand pushes its sporty credentials and the Tavascan follows this to the letter with an aggressively-sculpted bonnet and sharp curves down the flanks — it certainly has presence.

From some angles the VW connection is more noticeable, which is even less of a surprise when you learn that in China an almost identical model is sold as the Volkswagen ID.Unyx — the styling has to work for both brands.

Beyond those related models, the Cupra’s challengers also include the slinky Kia EV6, the chunkier Volvo EX40 and — as an intriguing alternative from a brand that’s rapidly growing in popularity — the BYD Sealion 7.

On the inside the Cupra Tavascan also shows some flair that sets it apart from its rivals. There’s a large spur that runs along the centre of the cabin, plus a mixture of curves and sculpted shapes that tie-in with the exterior. Less impressive is the quality of some of these elements that feel hard to the touch.

In terms of interior space the Cupra Tavascan is highly competitive. In the front even very tall adults will find plenty of head and legroom, while the rear is good too, with little compromise in headroom despite the angle of the roof. The boot offers an impressive 540 litres, although the lack of a frunk is a slight disappointment.

The Cupra Tavascan is available with two electric-only drive system options. The entry-level version is rear-wheel-drive with a single motor producing 286PS — its 77kWh usable battery capacity gives a maximum claimed driving range of 353 miles.

Above that sits a twin-motor alternative benefiting from four-wheel-drive and 340PS. The same 77kWh battery is used with the extra performance limiting the driving range to a best of 320 miles.

Performance is strong, even with the lower power output, while the twin-motor version is very rapid, capable of going from 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds. It’s definitely a car that’s designed with brisk driving in mind — the accelerator is particularly sensitive to the driver’s inputs, arguably too sensitive in the more aggressive driving modes.

The way the brakes operate is also less than ideal. There are limited settings for regenerative braking, none of which allow true one-pedal driving, while the brake pedal itself is also sensitive making smooth stops a little tricky.

There are two trim options for each drive system — V1 and V2 have the single-motor arrangement, while VZ1 and VZ2 are your choices for the twin-motor package.

The Cupra Tavascan has plenty of positive attributes, not least that it does a good job of standing out from the crowd of other electric SUVs of a similar size. However, it’s missing the final degree of polish in the way it drives, the way some of the controls operate and the quality of the interior. Combine that with pricing that is broadly higher than many rivals and it makes it something of a niche choice.

While the Cupra Tavascan might not be sold as a genuinely hot electric SUV, the Cupra brand is positioned as more sporty than its SEAT stablemates, so it makes sense that buyers will be looking for something a little extra.In some respects the Tavascan delivers on this promise. The steering manages a good balance between quick and responsive without being hypersensitive and hard work on the motorway, but it offers little for the driver in terms of feedback.

Similarly the suspension is notably stiffer than many of the Tavascan’s rivals, which helps it to remain stable and controlled through bends even when pressing-on, but does result in disturbance if the road gets particularly uneven. The rear-wheel drive versions provide scope for playing around a little more through the corners but the reality is that the stability control intervenes quite early, regardless of which driving mode setting has been selected.

All Cupra Tavascan models are fully electric and send their power to the driven wheels via a single-speed transmission that’s essentially used like an automatic gearbox.

The less powerful, single-motor Tavascan offers 286PS and 545Nm of torque. While it also weighs 2178kg — which isn’t untypical for an EV of this size — its performance should be more than sufficient for most buyers’ needs.

Top speed is electronically capped at 112mph while the 0-62mph dash takes 6.8 seconds, quicker than several key rivals. The rear-mounted, rear-wheel drive motor responds readily to the driver’s inputs with smooth and near-silent acceleration.

However, the throttle pedal itself is very sensitive — although this can be adjusted with different driving modes, only the Eco setting really provides what feels like a sensible level of responsiveness for normal driving.

Similarly, the way in which the brakes operate becomes irritating, with not enough adjustability for the strength of the regeneration. That witch between normal and regenerative braking is hard to detect so the driver can frequently find themselves have to add or reduce brake pedal pressure to get the desired level of speed reduction.

For those who want maximum performance from their Cupra Tavascan, then the twin-motor, all-wheel drive versions are the ones to go for. Power is increased to 340PS although torque levels remain unaltered. Similarly, the top speed remains pegged at 112mph but the squirt from rest to 62mph takes just 5.5 seconds. Disappointingly, the twin-motor models suffer from the same issues with the accelerator and brakes.

Euro NCAP safety-tested the Cupra Tavascan in 2024 and awarded it the full five-star rating. It achieved consistently high scores, with an 89% rating for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupant protection, 80% vulnerable road user mitigation and 79% for safety assist.

All versions have a broad range of safety systems as standard, the only demerit being that the priciest VZ2 version doesn’t have an Isofix child seat mounting point in the front passenger seat.

Whichever version of the Cupra Tavascan you choose they all offer the same towing performance — 750kg of unbraked trailer and 1400kg where brakes are fitted. Those numbers are competitive with key rivals.

The Cupra Tavascan is on par with rivals in terms of interior space, unsurprisingly offering similar amounts of room to those that it shares its fundamental underpinnings with. Space in the front is excellent, with generous head- and legroom. While the large central spur running between the front seats looks substantial, it sits low enough that it doesn’t intrude on elbow room.

In the back there is also enough room to comfortably accommodate taller adults. Although legroom is slightly behind its roomier rivals, there’s still sufficient space to make life comfortable for almost anyone. The flat floor also makes it easier for the middle passenger to stretch out.

Boot space is also competitive with 540 litres, putting it within a few litres of its main rivals and further ahead of cars like the Kia EV6. You’ll need to specify the V2 version upwards if you want to benefit from an adjustable-height boot floor or hatch in the rear armrest to accommodate longer loads, but all Tavascans have an electric tailgate which can be operated by wiggling your foot under the rear bumper.

Although the Cupra Tavascan’s rear seats split 60:40 and fold almost flat for increased practicality, no boot size is quoted for this configuration. Also disappointingly, there’s no storage space under the bonnet either.

At first glance the interior of the Cupra Tavascan looks impressively smart, with more design flair and personality than many of the alternatives.

The shape of the dashboard, the curves in the door panels and the central spur that flows into the centre console give the driver more of a racy cockpit feel. Interacting with these elements reveals that many of them are finished with hard plastics, which takes away from the visual impact and hurts the overall feeling of quality — that’s important considering only one Tavascan costs under £50,000.

Elsewhere the Cupra Tavascan feels generally well-constructed and suitably robust for family duties.

All versions of the Cupra Tavascan come with a 15.0-inch landscape-oriented multimedia touchscreen. There’s a generally high level of specification across the range that includes navigation, a digital instrument display, four USB sockets, wireless smartphone charging and smartphone mirroring, Bluetooth connectivity and DAB radio.

The cheapest V1 model makes do with a seven-speaker audio system, while the rest of the range benefits from a Sennheiser 12-speaker premium alternative.

The Tavascan shares its basic infotainment set-up with other Volkswagen Group EVs, but with a unique Cupra-influenced design to set it apart from its in-house rivals. The system works well and allows a degree of personalisation with the ability to create shortcuts for favoured functions.

While the controls for heating and ventilation aren’t relegated to the screen, they are instead controlled by touch-sensitive sliders which aren’t as easy to use as physical controls. Some physical controls are mounted on the steering wheel but they also proved over-fiddly to use.

Prices start at £47,350 for the Cupra Tavascan V1 with rear-wheel-drive, while the higher specification V2 RWD version costs £53,845. The more powerful four-wheel-drive versions start at £55,945 for the Tavascan VZ1 specification, rising to £60,845 for the top-of-the-range VZ2.

That makes the basic version more expensive than the Ford Capri at £41,485, the Kia EV6 at £45,585 and the Telsa Model Y at £44,990, while the top spec model is again more than the equivalent model of each of these alternatives.

As for used prices, we found a number of examples available for sale with under 5,000 miles priced between £40,000 and £42,000, so there are savings to be made over the new list prices.

Once the list price has been negotiated the Cupra Tavascan should be relatively inexpensive to run, although insurance may prove to be a significant cost, with groupings ranging from 34 for the basic model up to group 39 for the VZ2.

A further cost is now the VED rate applying to electric vehicles, and with the entire range costing over £40,000 all Tavascans are subjected to the Expensive Car Premium of £425 payable annually in years two to five.

Cupra Tavascan: Range and charging

Under the WLTP Combined cycle testing the longest range for the Cupra Tavascan is available on the cheapest V1 model, with a quoted figure of 353 miles. Upgrade the equipment to the Tavascan V2 and that drops to 339 miles.

Upgrade to four-wheel drive and the Tavascan VZ1’s range is 320 miles while the flagship VZ2 sees this drop to 299 miles.

All Cupra Tavascan models are fitted with a 77kWh high voltage battery that can be taken from 10%-80% charge in 28 minutes when connected to a DC rapid charger capable of delivering 135kW.

When hooked-up to an AC domestic wallbox charger, Cupra quotes eight hours for a flat to full battery replenishment, but note that’s with an 11kW connection that most UK homes don’t have. It doesn’t quote a duration for the more common 7.4kW supply, but it’s likely to be in the 11-hour ballpark.

Four trim levels are available in the Cupra Tavascan range, labelled V1, V2, VZ1 and VZ2.

Standard equipment for the Cupra Tavascan V1 includes 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, an electric tailgate, LED ambient interior lighting, climate control, a heated leather steering wheel, keyless entry and start, a 15.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with DAB radio, Bluetooth, navigation and wireless phone mirroring, sports seats, lane-keeping assist, intelligent park assist, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera.

Upgrading to the Cupra Tavascan V2 adds 21-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, Dynamic Chassis Control where the firmness of the suspension can be adjusted, extended ambient lighting, an adjustable-height boot floor, a head-up display, the Sennheiser premium audio system, electrically adjustable sports seats with microfibre faux suede upholstery, heated front seats, a rear armrest with a hatch to the boot and a 360-degree camera system.

Aside from the addition of a second electric motor and four-wheel drive that is part-and-parcel of that arrangement, the Cupra Tavascan VZ1 has the same specification as the V2.

Topping the range is the Cupra Tavascan VZ2 which adds a different design of 21-inch alloy wheels shod with performance tyres plus Cup bucket seats with lumbar adjustment, leather upholstery and ventilation.