Overview

Where once you were rather limited when it came to electric cars, buyers are now inundated with options. These days, you can even buy an electric hot hatch, with Cupra spearheading what is rapidly becoming a deluge of new metal. How spicy is this one? Well, the quickest version manages 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds (excluding the range-topping VZ), a respectable if not scorching time.

Two battery sizes are available, with a choice of power outputs on the entry level 58kWh model and just one in the higher capacity 77kWh version. If this sounds and looks familiar, that’s because the Cupra Born is based on the Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback, albeit without the weediest motor.

Not that you’d mistake the Born for an ID.3 on the road. The silhouette might be similar, but there’s new racier bumpers front and rear, fancier alloy wheels, plenty of copper highlights and a plusher interior. That’s enough to make the Born a more desirable thing and less of an appliance.

To make sure it’s not all mouth and no trousers, Cupra has also gone to work on the chassis. The suspension is lower and stiffer, while the stability control system is less keen to step in when you’re driving enthusiastically. Like the ID.3, the Born is rear-wheel drive only, something that should also appeal to keen drivers.

However, the Born has plenty of competition to worry about. Not only is there the aforementioned ID.3, there’s also a slew of other models to consider, including the Kia Niro EV, Renault Megane E-Tech and the hot rod MG4 XPower. Top spec models are also closing in on the price of a Tesla Model 3, giving the Born plenty of rivals to worry about at increasingly keen prices.

To find out if the Born should be your next new car, have a look at our comprehensive review over the next few pages. We’ll tell you just how good it is to drive, how practical it is, what it’ll cost and how far it’ll go on a charge. You can also read about how we test cars at Parkers if you’re interested in seeing how we perform our assessments.