Cupra Born V3 58kWh e-Boost review

CUPRA Born

Cupra Born V3 58kWh e-Boost review

****
£42,490
For – Looks good, well-equipped, impressive regenerative braking*
Against – Pricey, inadequate long-range cruise, unknown brand
Competition – VW ID.3, Kia Niro, MG4, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Kona, Citroen e-C4, Peugeot e-2008, BYD ATTO 3, Renault Megane e-tech

“The Born is fantastic in local mode and hopeless on the highway”

The Cupra Born is a classic example of my contention that the auto industry is making the wrong kind of electric cars. The Born is fantastic in local mode and hopeless on the highway, but it’s priced as if it is an expensive all-round internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. 

This is an industry-wide problem. 

Electric power makes for terrific little local vehicles but can’t handle long-range high-speed motoring. If you look at my Electric Car tests database, you will see why this isn’t just a problem for VW-owned Cupra. 

It’s all of them.

VW’s SEAT brand is being replaced as a mainstream vehicle maker and Cupra is taking over. Current SEATs will be phased out through this decade and instead it will make small “mobility solutions” like e-scooters. Maybe it will provide the VW bridgehead to the EV mass market with vehicles to match little Chinese ones like the Wuling Bingo and BYD Seagull?

 My test of the Cupra Born over rolling Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire roads, showed that its regenerative braking technology was amazingly efficient. On a 73-mile drive from near Worthing to south of Basingstoke via close to Guildford on mainly rolling country roads at between 30 and 60 mph, the range available mode only fell by 53 miles. 

But taking the M3 and the M27 for the return journey accounted for 86 miles at an indicated 75 to 80 mph and removed 129 miles from availability. That’s a 50% high-but-legal speed hit rate.

I’d like to test the regenerative braking* more intensively to make sure this wasn’t some battery-monitoring problem because it does look as though it’s too good to be true. A second run over 37 miles only removed 23 miles, so the omens look good, to be fair. I’m reminded of driving one electric car (no names, no pack drill) which showed a fantastic ability to defeat my high-speed cruising criticism. Unfortunately, when the range available dial reached the second half, it plunged precipitously and the car joined the ranks of fast lane failures.   

This data, not surprisingly, is very close to my Volkswagen ID.3 test last month. Cupra is a VW subsidiary and its engineering is very similar. They both come down the same production line at the Zwickau, Germany plant.

Roomy and impressive
The Cupra is a gem to drive. It felt very safe and secure on the highway. The tight handling made it a joy on country roads. Performance from this 228 hp version was Tesla-like. Visibility was restricted by the design of the right A-pillar. As you approach roundabouts this restriction becomes a bit nerve-racking. The interior was roomy and impressive. 

The equipment level on my version was top notch, with electric seats for the driver and front passenger, and a head-up display which not only shows speed limits and speed, but coordinates with the satnav to incorporate route instructions too. The boot space is limited and neglects golfers. You’ll need to fold down at least one rear seat if you have a bag and trolley. 

One ”improvement” I could have done without: a rear window was inadvertently opened and over about 50 mph makes a really annoying noise. I couldn’t shut it while driving along. I found later that instead of the usual 4 buttons, one for each window, there were only two, and a special “rear window” selection. Who on earth thought that was a good idea?

This is Cupra’s first all-electric car. Priced from £34,715 after tax, there are 3 powertrain variants: 58kWh 202 hp, 58kWh 228 hp with e-Boost which I drove, and 77kWh 228 hp with e-Boost. Cupra claimed 226 miles of range for my version but I averaged only 207.5 miles per fill-up. Cupra claims up to 340 miles of range (WLTP*) for the bigger battery version. There are V1, V2 and V3 trim levels.

Cupra said it is “an unconventional challenger brand that brings together emotion, electrification, and performance to inspire the world from Barcelona”. 

The Born is the first new model on the brand’s electric journey. In 2024, it will be joined by the electric SUV, the Tavascan, followed by the brand’s first urban electric car, inspired by the Cupra Urban Rebel concept, in 2025.

What to buy?
There is so much choice at this end of the market it’s hard to pick a best buy. Maybe the best advice is to wait a bit and see if the promised Chinese vehicles are indeed £10,000 cheaper, or if the technology can solve the high-speed cruise problem. Cupra must still be as weak a brand as SEAT in terms of depreciation, so unknown Chinese brands are unlikely to shed value any faster.   

CUPRA Born

CUPRA Born