Say hello to…
…the Cupra Born, the sister car to the all-electric Volkswagen ID3 from Seat’s spin-off performance brand Cupra. At a basic level the Born is a five-door family hatchback. However, as Cupra brand has a sporty element, the Born is more aggressively styled than sister car the VW ID3 and the suspension is set up to offer a more engaging drive.
The Born is available in two power outputs, 204hp and 230hp and with a choice of two battery capacities, 58kW and 77kW.
There are three trim levels available:
- V1
- V2
- V3
In V1 form, the Cupra Born is equipped with 18-inch wheels, auto wipers, 12-inch touchscreen navigation and infotainment system, 5.3-inch digital dashboard, wireless phone connection, sports seats, rear view camera, sport suspension, adaptive cruise control, speed limiter, lane assist, road sign recognition, voice recognition, 4 USB sockets, 11kW AC charging, 120kW DC charging.
V2 trim adds 19-inch alloys, heated washer nozzles, head-up display, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, split-folding rear seats, heated front seats, 170kW DC charging.
V3 trim adds 20-inch alloys and powered front bucket seats with massage function.
V1 versions of the Cupra Born can only be ordered with the 58kW battery and the 77kW battery cars are only available with the higher power motor.
Is The Cupra Born Suitable For My Fleet
From a business perspective there is little to fault the Cupra Born. The 58kW battery version we tested recorded an efficiency figure of 4.1m/kWh in warm weather which would give a real-world range of 238 miles – a usefully long distance. The maximum charge speed of 120kW is also impressive, even if it is shy of the 170kW maximum of the larger battery version.
The boot feels larger than the 385 litres Cupra records. However, you will need to keep the cables in the boot as there’s no up-front space under the bonnet that some other EVs offer.
While generally the Born is very well equipped across all trim levels, the absence of keyless entry (even as an option) is notable.
Leasing A Cupra Born
Lease rates for the Cupra Born are very close to those of sister-car the VW ID3 at around £514 a month from Intelligent Car Leasing on a 3+36 basis with 10,000 miles a year. However, the Born is better equipped as standard than the Volkswagen on which it’s based. Cupra offers its own lease rates with maintenance included. Over the same contract, Cupra is offering the Born for £556 a month.
Driving A Cupra Born
Cupra has done an excellent job of separating the Born from the VW ID3. The looks alone are far more interesting and sporty than the Volkswagen electric car even if the Cupra brand is less well known.
The interior has also been given enough of a makeover to impart the feeling that you’re in a sporty car even if it doesn’t quite shout hot-hatch.
What is apparent is that performance levels are very nearly hot-hatch territory with a 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds.
The way the car drives overall is impressive. Not only is it quick, but it’s quiet, refined and comfortable too without having to resort to soft suspension. Cupra has judged the balance between comfort and fun just right for an all-round family hatchback.
The Born doesn’t come with one-pedal driving, but the ‘B’ brake energy regeneration mode does a good job of getting close. And the driving modes – eco, normal and sport – actually make a noticeable difference to the character to of the car.
The infotainment system and controls within the car will, however, split opinion. Almost everything is control through either the screen or touch-sensitive panels. This makes normally simple controls such as volume and climate control more difficult than they need to be. However you can’t deny the clean look of the interior. What’s a bigger frustration is the speed with which the controls react, or rather the lack of speed. The infotainment worked without issues, but in our test car was very slow to react to any input that you often press for a second time only to have it return to ‘home’.
These controls even extend the powered windows which have a touch panel to toggle between front and rear operation, making is extremely easy to accidentally open the rear window when you wanted the front and vice versa.
If you’re a technophile you’re in for a treat, but if you just want a few more buttons, you’ll be disappointed.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Cupra Born
A practical, fun and impressive all-electric family hatchback, only the slow infotainment controls let the car down.
Cupra Born
- Model: Born V3 58kWh
- Power: 204hp
- Torque: 310Nm
- Max speed: 99mph
- 0-62mph: 7.3s
- Official range: 262 miles
- Test range: 238 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 2%
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