Cupra Born 169kW e-Boost V3 77kWh 5dr Auto 5 Seat

  • Automatic
  • Electric
  • 5 door hatchback
  • 7 secs 0 to 62 mph
  • 230 bhp Engine power
  • 341 mi Combined range
  • 82 kWh Battery capacity
  • 8 yrs Battery warranty

Ten Second Review

The CUPRA Born was already our favourite small EV. In this VZ hot hatch form, it's even more rewarding. Pricey but desirable.

Background

If ever a compact electric hatch was right for shopping rocket treatment, it's the CUPRA Born. Generally recognised as the most driver-orientated family five-door EV out there, the Born has been a success story for its German-funded Spanish maker, with European sales up 44% in 2023. This VZ model is now the ultimate version you could choose, its name standing for the 'veloz' or 'speed' - and there's certainly plenty of that on offer here. The market for EV hot hatches is just starting to take shape, with the dinky Abarth 500e at one end and the Hyundai IONIQ 5N at the other. Think of the CUPRA Born VZ as being pitched somewhere in the middle of those two extremes in terms of price, power and presence and you won't be too far out. Mind you, virtually everything you get here you can also have in the almost identically-engineered Volkswagen ID.3 GTX. So why choose this top Born? Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

An awful lot's been done here to distance this Born from its urban runabout roots, courtesy of an engineering team led by ex-World Touring Car ace Jordi Gene. Power's up by 75% from 228PS to 326PS over the existing eBoost model, though surprisingly it's still only coming from a single rear-mounted motor. That's why the 5.6s 0-62mph time is way off the 3.8s figure of this car's most obvious rival, the much cheaper MG4 XPOWER (which uses a dual motor AWD set-up). But involving speed is about more than just sheer power and the Born VZ compensates in other ways. To cope with the impressive 545Nm torque figure, the steering and braking have both been substantially overhauled. Plus there are tuning changes at the front, new anti-roll bars, new springs for the rear suspension and standard adaptive DCC dampers. Top speed is up by 25mph to 124mph and the battery size has gone up 2kWh to 79kWh, which keeps range at a reasonable 372 miles. A figure you can preserve through judicious use of a new three-stage paddle shift brake regen system. Surprisingly, the one thing that's missing is something many hot hatch customers will be looking for; a performance style powertrain driving sound to replace the lack of this segment's usual combustion rev note. But there's the usual selection of drive modes, including a full fat 'CUPRA' setting on the steering wheel which dials everything into red mist mode.

Design and Build

The visual updates made to this top Born are uber-subtle but effective - and mainly down to the wheels, which are 20-inches in size and wider front and rear. You'll want the extra cost forged rim option. And maybe the special paint shade for the bodywork, 'Dark Forest', offered alongside 'Midnight Black'. As usual with a Born, there's plenty of CUPRA's usual trademark copper-coloured trim. More significant changes lie inside, where you're gripped by fabulously supportive Cup Bucket seats that feel lower-set (but aren't). The upholstery is in a lovely natural flax fibre. The VZ gains a larger 12.9-inch central touchscreen, sitting above heater controls that now have the night-time illumination that original Born's lacked. And paddleshifters for brake regeneration now sit behind the smarter steering wheel with its circular CUPRA drive mode button. As usual with a Born, the relatively long 2,767mm wheelbase benefits rear passenger legroom. And boot space, which at 385-litres is slightly more than you get in a conventional family hatch like, say, a Golf GTI or a CUPRA Leon.

Market and Model

Pricing here starts from around £45,000; that's about £10,000 more than you'd pay for any other Born. And about £7,000 more than you'd pay for arguably this car's most direct competitor, the more powerful MG4 XPOWER. As well as an uplift in power, the Born VZ also plays host to a sportier interior, with new Enceladus Grey CUP bucket seats as standard, and a Sennheiser Premium Audio sound system. On the exterior, this model flaunts 20-inch Thunderstorm alloy wheels as well as the option of the exclusive Dark Forest paint finish. Aa usual with a Born, lots of safety equipment comes standard, including predictive adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and high beam assist. Plus there's the Travel Assist system which can take over steering, throttle and braking on the highway. Options include a 360-degree parking camera, a 'Parking Assist' set-up that can steer you into spaces, 'Side Assist' to help with overtaking blind spots and 'Exit Assist' to warn passengers from getting out of the car into the face of oncoming traffic.

Cost of Ownership

First and foremost, you're going to want to know about driving range, rated at up to 372 miles. As for charging, well the larger 79kWh battery can be recharged at home using a 11kW AC system or at a DC 185kW fast-charging point, with a fast charge from 10% to 80% taking just 26 minutes. Customers will be offered a CUPRA-branded domestic wall box for home charging, which can be controlled using the company's 'Easy Charging' smart phone app. A full AC charge from a typical 7.4kWh garage wallbox will take 12 hours 15 minutes. CUPRA reckons that a typical Born user will save about £730 a year in operating expenses over what they'd pay to run a comparable combustion-engined model. It's not only that your energy costs will be lower: you should also make savings in insurance, road tax and the fact that no oil changes are required. The Spanish maker says that its aim is to make sure that the battery pack lasts as long as the car and, sure enough, that battery pack is warrantied to have at least 70% of its usable capacity after eight years or 100,000 miles.

Summary

On paper, you might wonder why you should pay the considerable amount that CUPRA wants for this ultimate Born. After all, you can get much the same thing in the form of the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX. And an MG4 XPOWER is faster and cheaper than both these VW Group models. But both these competitors are fast versions of cars that weren't really engineered for really involving driving enjoyment to start with. The Born was. That makes all the difference to the end result. We still wish this car wasn't quite so expensive. And we think that for this kind of money, it ought to have a dual motor AWD powertrain. But if you can live with those two caveats, it's the go-to EV hot hatch of its size if you like your driving. A small EV with real Spanish fizz.

  • Tailgate
  • 2x USB sockets in front
  • 2x USB sockets in rear, charge only
  • DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) and AM/FM radio
  • Rear side wing doors
  • Transport protection film
  • Aluminium pedals
  • CUPRA emblem on steering wheel
  • Heated leather wrapped multi function steering wheel with satellite buttons
  • Tool kit with tirefit
  • 3 point seatbelts on all rear seats
  • Attention and drowsiness assist
  • Driver and front passenger airbags with front passenger airbag deactivation, side airbag in front with curtain airbag and front interaction airbag
  • Extended safety system with proactive passenger protection system
  • Tyre pressure monitoring system
  • Visual and acoustic seat belt reminder
  • Anti theft alarm system with interior monitoring in cab, backup horn and towing protection
  • Anti theft wheel bolts
  • Keyless go central locking system
  • Manual child locks
  • Preparation for alcohol interlock
  • Battery Capacity % guaranteed under warranty: 70
  • Battery Capacity in kWh: 82
  • Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Charge Time (Mins): 2220
  • Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Percentage Change: 0-100
  • Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Power Supply - kW: 2.3
  • Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Charge Time (Mins): 450
  • Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Percentage Change: 0-100
  • Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Power Supply - kW: 11
  • Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Charge Time (Mins): 30
  • Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Percentage Change: 5-80
  • Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Power Supply - kW: 170
  • Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Charge Time (Mins): N
  • Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Percentage Change: N
  • Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Power Supply - kW: N
  • Battery Leased: False
  • Battery Type: Lithium-ion
  • Charging Port Location: Right Side Rear
  • Coupler/Connector Type: CCS Type 2
  • Maximum Charging Rate - kW: 170
  • Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Mileage: 100000
  • Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Years: 8
  • Usable Battery Capacity: 77
  • WLTP - EC (kWh/100km) - Comb: 15.9
  • WLTP - EC (kWh/100km) - Comb - TEH: 17.5
  • WLTP - EC (kWh/100km) - Comb - TEL: 15.7
  • WLTP - EC (miles/kWh) - Comb: 3.9
  • WLTP - EC (miles/kWh) - Comb - TEH: 3.6
  • WLTP - EC (miles/kWh) - Comb - TEL: 4
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (km) - Comb: 549
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (km) - Comb - TEH: 539
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (km) - Comb - TEL: 551
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (miles) - Comb: 341
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (miles) - Comb - TEH: 334.9
  • WLTP - Pure Electric Range (miles) - Comb - TEL: 342.4
  • CO: N
  • CO2 (g/km): 0
  • HC: N
  • HC+NOx: N
  • Noise Level dB(A): N
  • NOx: N
  • Particles: N
  • Standard Euro Emissions: N
  • Camshaft: N
  • Catalytic Convertor: N
  • CC: 1
  • Compression Ratio: N
  • Cylinder Layout: N
  • Cylinders: N
  • Cylinders - Bore (mm): N
  • Cylinders - Stroke (mm): N
  • Engine Code: N
  • Engine Layout: N
  • Fuel Delivery: N
  • Gears: 1 SPEED
  • Number of Valves: N
  • Transmission: AUTO
  • EC Combined (mpg): N
  • EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: N
  • EC Extra Urban (mpg): N
  • EC Urban (mpg): N
  • Alternative Fuel Qualifying: True
  • Badge Engine CC: 0.0
  • Badge Power: 230
  • Based On ID: N
  • Coin Description: e-Boost 230 77kWh
  • Coin Series: V3
  • Generation Mark: 1
  • Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 28E
  • Man Corrosion Perforation Guarantee - Years: 12
  • Manufacturers Paintwork Guarantee - Years: 3
  • NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: 93
  • NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: 89
  • NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: 5
  • NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: 73
  • NCAP Safety Assist %: 80
  • Safety Concerns: False
  • Service Interval Frequency - Months: 24
  • Service Interval Mileage: 18600
  • Special Edition: False
  • Special Order: False
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 90000
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 5
  • Timing Belt Interval Frequency - Months: N
  • Timing Belt Interval Mileage: N
  • Vehicle Homologation Class: M1
  • 0 to 62 mph (secs): 7
  • Engine Power - BHP: 230
  • Engine Power - KW: 169
  • Engine Power - PS: True
  • Engine Power - RPM: 5300
  • Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 229
  • Engine Torque - MKG: 31.6
  • Engine Torque - NM: 310
  • Engine Torque - RPM: N
  • Top Speed: 99
  • Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP
  • RDE Certification Level: N/A
  • Alloys: True
  • Space Saver: False
  • Tyre Size Front: 215/45 R20
  • Tyre Size Rear: 215/45 R20
  • Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT
  • Wheel Style: THUNDERSTORM
  • Wheel Type: 20" ALLOY
  • Height: 1540
  • Length: 4324
  • Wheelbase: 2766
  • Width: 1809
  • Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): N
  • Gross Vehicle Weight: 2320
  • Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 385
  • Max. Loading Weight: 440
  • Minimum Kerbweight: 1880
  • No. of Seats: 5