Cupra Born Review

Practicality and Boot space

The Cupra Born offers decent space up front and is on par with the MG4 in this respect, but is in fact down a little on the near identical Volkswagen ID.3. The centre console is much wider in the Cupra, which isn’t great news if you’re long of leg. It does, however, add extra storage and make it feel like a cabin designed to please the driver. The Cupra’s roofline is also 3cm lower than the ID.3’s meaning it’s slightly harder to get into the back seats and the roof can brush taller passengers’ heads. 

The boot measures 385 litres when the seats are up and 1,267 litres when they’re folded. Rivals such as the Renault Megane E-Tech and Kia Niro EV are larger at 440 and 475 litres, respectively. A double height boot floor is a £340 option.

Be aware, though, due to weight limits, the 77kWh versions only have four seats. This baffling quirk is likely to be addressed in 2024 as the updated Volkswagen ID.3 of 2023 finally offered five seats in the 77kWh models.

Interior and Design

The Cupra Born gets an aggressively sporty design for the exterior, and happily this is carried over to the interior which has a pseudo hot hatchback vibe. Cupra’s designers have done a decent job of reworking the ID.3’s somewhat austere cabin – the basic design is the same, but there’s plenty of copper trim and racing-car-esque fabrics and trims, including a pair of supportive sports seats. 

The quality of the plastics is now on par with the revised ID.3 (the original ID.3 felt very cheap and was embarrassed by the Born), with plenty of nice feeling materials used throughout. Compared to rivals such as the MG4 and ID.3, the Born’s interior does feel a more involving place to spend time.

Dashboard

Just like the Volkswagen ID.3, the interior is dominated by a large touchscreen. It’s a hub for most of the car’s functions – from heating to the radio. It gets Cupra-specific fonts and graphics, and in general it seems like a big improvement on early ID.3s. But it’s still not as slick or as quick-witted as it needs to be, with infuriating controls for commonly-used features such as the volume. The steering wheel controls in particular seem to be in need of some more work.

Technology and Equipment

Even the entry-level 'V1' Born gets a whole host of tech thrown in. These cars get the 12-inch touchscreen and 5.3-inch digital driver's display, rear view camera, sports suspension, sports seats (trimmed in a material that uses 100% recycled yarn containing marine plastic), a rear view camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a wide range of safety kit. V1s also get a three-year subscription to Cupra's Remote Access smartphone app that allows you to control a range of the car's features remotely. 

Higher level models get heated seats, 'augmented reality' head-up display, premium Beats audio system and Car 2 X – a system which sees the car transmitting information to other cars on the road for a safer driving experience. 

Safety

That standard safety kit comprises adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, forward collision warning with automatic braking, tiredness recognition, lane keep assist and traffic sign display. Meanwhile, independent crash testers Euro NCAP have given the Born a five-star safety rating. It received a 93% score for adult occupant protection and an 89% rating for child occupant protection.