Cupra Born review: Bringing hot hatch attitude to the electric family car segment

The Curpa Born is the first purely electric car from the Spanish performance brand and, like the Formentor, is unique to the marque rather than being a rebadged Seat.

Cupra says it is the perfect match between electrification and performance, using the proven VW Group MEB platform but with Cupra’s own sporty spin on it.

Recently the EV market has been dominated by large SUVs, so the Born is a breath of fresh air in offering an EV drivetrain in a regular family hatchback form. That puts it in competition with the related VW ID.3, the venerable Nissan Leaf, Citroen e-C4 and newcomer the MG4.

Design and interior

Despite sharing certain structural elements with the ID.3, Cupra has gone all-out to make the Born as individual and sporty looking as possible, and it’s paid off. Where other EVs have smooth, almost grille-less fronts, the Born has an aggressive black air intake that stands out thanks to the copper trim line that runs across it. Gloss black lower door trims and a chunky rear diffuser help make the Born look hunkered down over its 20-inch alloys and the side-to-side rear light bar emphasises the car’s width, adding up to one of the most stylish and sporty EVs out there.

The interior is a picture of simplicity - until you need to do anything. Cupra has gone for a buttonless interior which means surfaces are flat and uncluttered, with just a roller cover on the bare centre console and a massive 12-inch touchscreen and 5.3-inch instrument display breaking up the simple lines. Most materials are standard VW group greys and blacks but the Born is enhanced by the trim finished in Cupra’s trademark gleaming copper.

It all looks great but the Born, like the Formentor, is betrayed by the absolutely appalling user interface. With no physical controls, everything is buried in touchscreen menus or beneath touch sensitive sliders that offer no feedback and require you to look away from the road for even the simplest tasks. Like most modern VW group cars, it’s treading a fine line between the incredibly infuriating and the actually dangerous.

Away from the hateful HMI, the Born’s interior is spacious and well-appointed, with plenty of charging points and storage spaces, plus a 385-litre boot. The deep sports seats look great finished in Dinamica - a faux suede made from recycled materials - and are supportive without being too grippy, while rear leg and headroom is good for the class.

Motor and driving

The Born is offered with a choice of rear-drive powertrain setups, running from a 201bhp model with a 58kWh battery (tested here) up to a 210bhp version offering 343 miles from a 77kWh battery. There’s no confirmation yet if or when the UK will get the entry level 148bhp version with a 45kWh battery.