Cupra Born Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

Electric cars are coming on in leaps and bounds, as the Cupra Born proves. It's focus is on driving enjoyment and performance, while also bringing a good slug of comfort to the mix as well. Based on the Volkswagen ID.3, we'll find out in this review just how good the Cupra Born.

Arguably the world's first electric hot hatch, the Cupra Born is a Volkswagen ID.3 with a scowling front-end slapped on it as well as an edgier-looking backside. It might be more appealing than its German cousin but, first, it's worth reminding ourselves what exactly Cupra is.

A relatively new brand in its own right, Cupra was formerly a long-standing sporty sub-brand of SEAT. It began its journey alone with the lightly rebadged hot Cupra Ateca and Leon but has since branched out into its own bespoke models, such as the Formentor coupe-SUV. 

The Cupra Born was the second bespoke car from the brand – at least in terms of its design. While to some eyes it looks like an ID.3 that's been photoshopped to look really angry, the angular nose, sharp surfacing and full-width light bar over the tailgate works better in the metal. Think of it as the ID.3's evil twin, which will suit those who reckon VW's effort is too bland and gawky. 

Inside, too, the basic architecture of the ID.3 is largely familiar, with the same overall dashboard architecture. While the Cupra Born couldn't be described as posh, it does at least look and feel a bit more interesting than the VW.

That added spice doesn't come at the expense of practicality. Although this is a family hatchback and not a more fashionable SUV bodystyle, you get more space than inside a Cupra Leon. Four adults should be pretty comfortable inside the Born, while wide opening doors makes life easier, too.

Being based on the ID.3 means it gets very similar specs in terms of electric range and charging. There's rapid charging at up to 185kW in the range-topping VZ hot hatch, for a 10-80% top up in around 26 minutes. There are 59kWh, 77kWh and 79kWh battery options available, with the latter offering up to 372 miles on a charge. Cupra also claims the Born is delivered net carbon neutral, offsetting the production impact on the environment.

With the intention of the Born being a sportier model, Cupra's cheapest version offers more power than a base ID.3 (you can either have 230PS, or 326PS in the VZ, where the ID.3 range spans 170PS to the GTX’s 326PS). Both offer perky performance and are rear-wheel drive, which means the Born feels supremely agile both in and out of town.

The Cupra Born also sits lower to the ground than the ID.3 on which it's based, with a sportier suspension tune and optional Dynamic Chassis Control with five modes. The Born also gets specifically developed wider tyres and optimised brake feel, resulting in a sharper and more engaging overall feel than the VW on twisty roads. 

The trade-off is a ride that's a touch firmer than the ID.3, so if comfort is the priority the VW is the better bet. Thankfully, though, the Born is never harsh or uncomfortable, feeling well-controlled over even the worst surfaces. 

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You'll forgive us for mentioning the Volkswagen ID.3 so much in this review, but the similarities cannot be ignored. Strip away the badging, some details and the finishes and the basic cabin architecture is nearly identical.

That does mean, though, that you get great forward visibility thanks to a deep windscreen and slightly raised-up driving position. The steeply raked pillars obstruct your junction view a bit, but it's not bad. Rearward visibility is limited by a narrow rear window, but you get parking sensors and a camera as standard to help with that. 

The standard single-piece sports seats are comfortable yet supportive, and there's plenty of adjustment in the wheel. The VZ comes with 'Cup Bucket' seats, which go a bit too far, with chunky bolsters that will make the seats a tight fit for those who are broader in frame. They're firm, too.

Like the ID.3, the digital dial display pod is mounted to the steering column and moves with it, meaning you can't obscure it. 

Generally, it's a very light and airy cabin, helped by large glass areas and good headroom. Cupra prefers moodier, sportier trim colours to some of the light and bright options available on certain ID.3s, but we like the copper inserts dotted around the dash, as well as the fabric on the doors and central armrest. We also like that Cupra has decided to put a sliding cover over the central cupholders, differing from the VW.

Some areas of the cabin are a little disappointing, though. There's more hard plastic than you might expect in places such as the door cards, and although general build quality seems solid, there's more of a plush feel to Peugeot's smaller electric cars, for example. 

That's not our only complaint, either. While the physical toggle switch for the 'gears' is pleasant to use, the VW Group's obsession with minimalist controls and touch sensitive switchgear frustrates. 

The touch buttons for the lights are mildly irritating, as is the silly haptic 'slider' for the temperature and volume control below the touchscreen. But most annoying is the touch sensitive wheel controls with volume buttons that do nothing if you simply press them – you have to caress them in a certain way to get them to respond.

Other annoyances include the several jabs of the touchscreen display required simply to turn the heated seats on or off, while there are no physical rear window controls up front – you have to switch between controlling the front and rear windows with the same switches – which strikes us as a cynical piece of cost-cutting. 

We're less frustrated by the infotainment screen itself, which is slightly easier to use than VW's similar system. It's a shame you need to use it for the climate functions, and although some are displayed by default along the bottom, you'll need to go into the full climate menu to change the fan speed. At least the temperature shortcut keys on the screen bezel are now backlit. Before, they became pretty much invisible after dark.  

As you'd expect with Cupra being one of the VW Group stable's sporting brands, the Born has had a few changes made to it over the ID.3 to increase its appeal with keener drivers. 

For starters, it sits lower to the ground (10mm at the front, 15mm at the rear), has bigger wheels, and wider tyres specifically designed for the car. The optional adaptive dampers in the Dynamic Pack have a specific tune for the Born, too. It also has a more lenient mode to the stability control, although it doesn't let you turn it fully off. 

The latter point is a shame because, as the Cupra Born is rear-wheel drive, it could've been the first hot hatch capable of full-on oversteer since the last-generation BMW 1 Series. But that's hardly relevant to road driving, and we suspect given the Born weighs around 1750kg Cupra didn't want people pushing it beyond the limit. 

It's not so different to the ID.3 then, and sure enough it doesn't take long for you to realise this isn't a full-on hot hatchback like the Cupra Leon. For starters, the ride is still pretty comfortable, feeling a little tighter than the ID.3 but not letting big potholes thump into the cabin too much. 

Try to drive it like a lunatic and it won't thrill you like a hot hatch, either, refusing to engage in any playfulness and gripping relentlessly. However, accept that and wind the speed down a bit and there is fun to be had. Body control is very good for something so heavy, which combined with that instant power delivery, accurate and well-weighted steering, and a reluctance to understeer means you can enjoy threading it down a twisty B-road. 

It's certainly more fun than most small electric cars, which feel heavy and wallowy. But it's also great to drive around town thanks to the short overhangs, good visibility and a tight 10.2m turning circle. On the motorway, while it does fidget a bit more than softly sprung rivals, it cruises pretty nicely too. 

The brakes are strong and more natural feeling than in some EVs, where the pedal feel is artificial and it's difficult to come to a stop smoothly. Sport mode will increase the regenerative braking effect to simulate engine braking, as well as adding weight to the steering. But you can increase the regen braking by selecting 'B' mode on the drive rocker switch. 

That, combined with the lack of gearchanges and the need to even worry about turning it on when you step in makes it a doddle to drive. It's a pretty impressive all-rounder, then. 

The sporty VZ isn't just more powerful - it also gets improved suspension, better brakes and tweaked steering. It's by far the best-driving Born, thanks in large part to how much power the car sends to its rear wheels. Accelerate partway through the corner, and the back end of the car will step out slightly, making it feel pointy and lively. 

Traction is still very good, though, so it's not a massively tail-happy thing, and when the traction control is turned out, it'll curtail anything too wayward quite early on. The steering features both hardware and software changes, and it's definitely the best setup of any Born, with a nice feeling of directness, but the difference isn't night and day.

There's barely any body roll in the softer suspension mode, and that's generally how we preferred the car to be set. In the Cupra mode, which turns everything up to its angriest setting, the ride becomes much too choppy. 

To make the most of the potential for super low running costs with the Cupra Born you'll need to be able to charge at home. With energy costs rising it's not as cheap as it used to be to do so, but topping up your battery overnight is still vastly cheaper than filling up a petrol or diesel car with fuel. 

A domestic three-pin plug will take the best part of a full day to charge a 59kWh Born, but invest in Cupra’s recommended 11kW home charging apparatus and you’re looking at 6h30min for a full 0-100% charge. The larger 77kWh battery extends that to 8hrs, and the VZ’s 79kWh pack is 8h30min.

For faster charging, the 59kWh car’s maximum 165kW charging speed means a 10-80% top-up in 24 minutes, while the 77kWh model takes 28 minutes thanks to 175kW charging, and the VZ’s 185kW maximum rate means a 10-80% boost in 26 minutes. That does depend on finding a charger capable of delivering that consistently though, and remember that public fast charging can be very expensive.

The Cupra Born currently starts from £35,505 in V1 trim with the 59kWh battery pack and 230PS motor. Step up to V2 and pricing starts at £37,275, while the V3 is from £39,025, and the range-topping VZ at £44,635.

Seeking out a used Cupra Born and a two-year-old example with 10,000-20,000 miles on the clock now starts from under £20,000 in V1 trim (with the oldest Borns from 2022 bottoming out at around £17,000). V2 and V3 versions are a grand or two more depending on mileage, while VZs introduced in 2024 start at around £32,000, for a car with under 10,000 miles.