Cupra Born

FIRST DRIVE Is entry-level V1 spec the sweet spot in electric family hatch range?

- Richard Ingram

SINCE the Cupra Born was launched in late 2021, it has been addressing many of the Volkswagen ID.3's failings. Despite being much the same car underneath, the VW has been criticised for its glitchy tech and low-rent interior, so much so that the German brand recently brought forward the car's mid-life facelift by almost 18 months.

But until now, we'd only tested higher-spec versions of the Cupra, so it was impossible to say with any confidence that all Borns benefitted from the same premium feel. We've currently got a bells-and-whistles 77kWh V3 model on the Auto Express long-term fleet, so it's only fair we run the rule over the opposite end of the Born spectrum: an entry-level V1 with the smaller 58kWh battery.

First impressions of the basic Born show that it's a car easily capable of negating the need for flashy extras, and the interior feels suitably plush, in fact, even without the V3's Dinamica suede upholstery. The dash is identical, with the same copper accents and stitched trim. The flat-bottomed steering wheel has matching perforated leather, too.

You'll save more than £3,500 (or roughly £70 per month on a three-year PCP deal) by going for this V1 compared with a like-for like V3, and yet from the driver's seat you'll barely tell the difference. Plus, by switching the top-spec car's 20-inch wheels for this version's smaller 18-inch rims with thicker profile tyres, you get a more comfortable ride without any discernible trade-off to the Born's pretty impressive handling for an EV.