CUPRA Born: meet Autocar’s Best Electric Car for 2024

“Just like the Volkswagen Golf GTI did for the petrol-powered hot-hatch, the CUPRA Born arguably sets the template from which to take the electric hot-hatch forward,” Autocar said. “There is, in short, a deeply impressive ‘just rightness’ about this car, which only becomes clearer when you surround it with its many rivals, and then drive it back-to-back with them on an interesting road.

“All of our testers agreed that the CUPRA Born takes the promising characteristics of an EV – the ones that most EVs squander – and puts them to best use. The low centre of gravity, the rear-wheel drive, the lightly loaded front-end and the long wheelbase combine to create something that feels agile yet friendly and has responsive and precise steering that remains free of cloying weight.

“The CUPRA Born is powerful enough in its own right to feel urgent and athletic when you want it to, and it deploys and carries speed in a way that doesn’t have you looking down at your remaining range and questioning whether it’s sensible to be ‘enjoying’ driving your EV quite as much as you may be.

“Being rear-motored and rear-wheel drive, there’s a sense of natural poise about the way the CUPRA Born gets down a road and around a corner. It feels lighter on its feet and more sweetly balanced. The slightly more permissive Sport setting for the stability control also allows a hint of throttle adjustability – gently rotating on the throttle out of corners and tucking its nose in following a life in a fast corner.

“The standard [passive suspension] set-up is on the firm side, but not excessively so – soaking up bumps without disturbing the balance. It’s never uncomfortable or ragged, which lets the CUPRA Born calmly take apart a bumpy road.”

And don’t think that the CUPRA Born’s impressive performance compromises its range and practicality. The CUPRA Born comes with a 59kWh battery as standard, which offers an official range of up to 265 miles (official WLTP test figures)***. The CUPRA Born V3 also offers the option of a 77kWh battery with an official range of up to 348 miles (official WLTP test figures)***.

Impressive comfort and practicality

The CUPRA Born has also been designed to stand out, with head-turning exterior style, cossetting interior comfort, and a wealth of advanced in-car technology. “The CUPRA Born is the best of the pack in the compact electric class,” Autocar said. “It brings greater desirability and driver appeal to the affordable EV scene than many rivals, but has practical qualities and a competitive price, too.

“The CUPRA Born is a cut above the Volkswagen ID. 3 in terms of material quality. There are more soft-touch materials dotted around the cabin, and the textured silver trim pieces lend some interest. In line with CUPRA’s sportier positioning, all CUPRA Born models get sports seats. The top-trim CUPRA Born V3 gets Dinamica microfibre, which is made from recycled plastics, but feels very plush.

“Putting our sensible hat on, the CUPRA Born makes the most of its EV-ness on the day-to-day as well. It capitalises on the lack of an engine by packaging executive saloon levels of interior space into a Volkswagen Golf-sized footprint. Indeed, the rear leg room in the CUPRA Born equals that of a BMW 5 Series. The bench isn’t set too low either, benefitting the seating position and preserving a decent amount of head room. And, at 385 litres, the boot space is on par with a Volkswagen Golf.”

Any good drivers’ car also needs to be comfortable over long distances, making it user-friendly for epic road trips. And that’s an area in which the CUPRA Born excels.

“The CUPRA Born is beautifully judged in respect of comfort,” Autocar said. “The [passive] suspension is relatively firm, but very well controlled and feels expensively damped. You would never guess that our test car – like all top-spec CUPRA Born V3s – rode on 20in wheels. It won’t appeal to those seeking a floaty ride, but CUPRA has struck a very good compromise.

“Just as important as the ride are the seats and in our CUPRA Born V3, they didn’t disappoint. The sports seats are luxuriously padded but supportive and offer a decent amount of lateral support, without being hard to get in and out of.”

CUPRA Born VZ: a taste of what’s to come

As Autocar has pointed out, the CUPRA Born was just the first taste of the potential that performance electric hatchbacks have for the future. And that’s why the arrival of the even-more potent CUPRA Born VZ has caused even bigger shockwaves.

VZ stands for ‘veloz’ meaning ‘fast’ in Spanish, and the CUPRA Born VZ boosts the CUPRA Born’s performance significantly – delivering 326PS** of power (40% more than any other CUPRA Born) and up to 545Nm of torque (a staggering 75% over its sister models). That means 0-62mph in as little as 5.6 seconds.

Under its skin, the CUPRA Born VZ’s handling has been sharpened even further with upgraded DCC Sport suspension, more responsive steering and an improved brake pedal feel, while the 20in alloy wheels use wider performance tyres. You also get a 79kWh battery that offers up to 372 miles of range and can be topped up from 10% to 80% in as little as 26 minutes on a compatible 185kW DC charger****.

“The dynamic changes to the CUPRA Born VZ are extensive,” Autocar said. “There are new springs and dampers for the rear suspension and tuning changes at the front. Adaptive DCC dampers are standard and tuned to transmit more from the road to the car’. The steering has been given a new map to translate faster to the driver what the front wheels are doing.

“The CUPRA Born VZ can take its power hike well, and the extra acceleration is useful and usable when attacking a series of corners. There’s a lot of grip at the front, and the car’s front-end inspires a lot of confidence to really attack corners, while the rear remains stable. The CUPRA Born VZ reminded me of a Volkswagen Golf GTI: rewarding and composed without being razor-sharp. That comparison extends to the steering, too, which is communicative enough while remaining light. Very little unsettles the car and the tuning is commendable.”

Inside the CUPRA Born VZ, you can appreciate all of that – and the vastly upgraded tech – from the enhanced cup bucket seats, which offer a more sport driving position and are trimmed in a rich-feeling Dinamica trim. “There’s huge visual appeal to the CUPRA Born VZ, inside and out,” Autocar said. “It certainly looks the part as a serious hot-hatch: powerful and purposeful. There’s also a special paint called ‘Dark Forest’, offered alongside Midnight Black. All very dark and moody, yet set off nicely with CUPRA’s now familiar copper trim.”

“The CUPRA Born VZ’s interior blends sportiness and technology well. The steering wheel and column have been tweaked – gaining paddle shifts to adjust regenerative braking levels, and also a new position for the drive selector. An enhanced 12.9in touchscreen is another addition.

“The key addition is the new bucket seats – or Cup Bucket seats to give them their official name – which are fabulously supportive. They’re designed to make you feel lower to the ground, even if they are not mounted lower than the standard CUPRA Born’s seats. They’re also trimmed in natural fibres – the back trim using natural flax fibre that feels fantastic. Materials like this make leather feel increasingly old hat.”

So, whether you’re picking the CUPRA Born for its scintillating acceleration, its compelling driving character, its standout style, or the feel-good high-tech factor in the cabin and its everyday practicality, maybe it’s time to put it on 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.

** Maximum power determined according to UN GTR.21, available for max. 30 seconds. The power output available in individual driving situation depends on variable factors such as ambient temperature, temperature / charging / conditioning status or physical ageing of the high-voltage battery. Availability of maximum power requires a specific high voltage battery temperature of between 23-50ºC and a battery charge level greater than 55% to deliver around 170kW for 58kWh (62kWh Gross) battery, and temperature of between 23-50ºC and a battery charge level greater than 85% to deliver around 170kW for 77kWh (82kWh Gross) Battery. Any deviations from the aforementioned parameters can lead to reduced power output and even to the overboost not being available at all.

*** 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.