Cupra Born the world's first electric Hot Hatch; New Cupra Born Review & Road Test

The new Cupra Born is Cupra's, which used to be Seat's sporting division, second standalone car, it’s also the first to be powered exclusively by electricity. If that’s not enough to grab your interest, it’s also the first rear-wheel drive model.
For the savvy amongst you, you will notice immediately the Cupra Born bears many a resemblance to a Volkswagen ID.3. So, given the base they were given, has Cupra been able to supply the right amount of excitement, and could this be the first all-electric hot hatch?
It’s fair to say the new Cupra Born is a proper looker. It might share a platform with the VW ID.3, but the Cuprification results are striking to say the least. The Born looks less-appliance-like than its more mundane sibling. Cupra’s bronze highlights and full LED lighting work well and unlike the ID.3, there’s no unsightly black band beneath the windscreen. So what else is different I hear you say? Well, asthetics aren't the be all and end all of the Born. Theres some changes under the surface too; the Born has a quicker ‘progressive’ steering rack than the ID.3 and lowered suspension as standard (15mm at front and 10mm at the rear). The way the Cupra applies its power to the road is different too. It’s has wider 235 section performance tyres, less restrictive stability control and a different tune for the optional adaptive dampers. The Born is available with just two battery sizes in the UK, 58kWh and 77kWh. You won’t find the ID.3’s smallest 45kWh battery nor its least powerful motor here, so range is at the very least 261 miles for the 58kWh eBoost model, rising to 340 miles for the 77kWh version.
Just like similar modes we’ve seen on VW Group cars, eBoost offers a small power increase but only does so if parameters such as temperature and available charge fall into perfect alignment.
On winding roads, Cupra’s engineering tweaks are very noticeable: The Born’s quicker rack means it feels much better through long bends and hairpins than the ID.3. As with many electric cars the brakes take some getting used to, depending on the amount of regen the car wants.
The Cupra Born is definitely an impressive bit of kit. Stylish, with more than enough power for suburban environments, it feels sporty when you get out onto the open roads and the interior is solid, plus it’s competitive on price. Our verdict is, give one a test drive straight after a test drive of the iD-3, you might be surprised!
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[@kimhansen2712]

i got one and it's amazing 👌👌👌👍👏👏👏👏👏

[@KurtzMista]

Interesting contrast to the VW ID3! Great stuff as ever but a bit of soft audio on some of the shots. Also that B-roll should have audible clips of your saying your friendly one-liners! Keep these going man, love this material.

[@4KUltrawideBenchmarks]

Get mine next Thursday, great review

[@taylorthrall7321]

How long did you have to wait for delivery

[@samlj7025]

Good vid 👍

[@nordmannordmann]

What a loooong intro dude, usally they are around 5 secs, this just lasts and lasts for ages!

[@SigmaJAD]

Hi. I have a Born. I had a hot hatch. The Born isn't one. Bloody good car though.

[@johnevans2562]

0-60 in sub 6 secs ?🤣🤣🤣🤣, its 6.6 with the 58kw e boost, not the 77kw e boost as thats a heavier car

[@richardhargrave6082]

It takes three or four clicks on the touch screen to change the mode, that's a long time to be looking away from the road. What's wrong with a toggle switch or knob to change the mode? The trend to just touch screens for everything that Volkswagen Group are using across the range really puts me off, certain things like air con and Drive Mode should be on switches that are easy to use without taking your eyes off the road. On the other hand, if this is the way that leccy cars are going, then I'm quite looking forward to it.

[@atki81]

If someone wants to use sports mode a lot they can buy the eboost version, which has a button on the steering wheel to quickly change mode.

[@kiwiramjet5625]

Copper, not bronze (or even gold, like some reviewers have said!) - “Cupra” is copper in Latin. So hence one meaning for the name (apart from being shortened version of Cup Racing).

[@tomojarvis]

Thanks for clearing that up Karen

[@chrisnewman7281]

How tall are you? I’m trying to work out how high the seat is to the ground

[@kiwiramjet5625]

I think in another video he said he’s 6 feet tall

[@chrisnewman7281]

@@kiwiramjet5625 thanks that’s from a long time ago over 12 months. In the meantime the car is been released in my country. I’ll take it for a test drive but the lack of connectivity means I’m going with an Mg4

[@NorthernMigrationTravel]

It’s identical to the id3 apart from the front design

[@4KUltrawideBenchmarks]

And the rear, the sides and inside

[@taylorthrall7321]

And the fact id3 peeps have to buy the heated steering wheel and reversing cam as an extra