It mightn’t be an all-out hot hatch like its makers claim, but the 2023 Cupra Born is a fine electric vehicle.
2023 Cupra Born
Sporty Spanish brand Cupra – a subsidiary of parent company Seat and part of the Volkswagen Group – has an eye trained on performance for its range of hatchbacks and small SUVs.
It’s committed to an all-electric line-up by 2030, and while the brand previously dabbled in plug-in hybrids since its mid-2022 launch in Australia, the Cupra Born hatchback is the marque’s first fully-electric vehicle and kickstarts the journey to a sustainably powered future.
The Cupra Born touts a driving range of more than 500km, is priced below the $60,000 barrier, and has hot hatch credentials, says the brand. We’ve picked up a 2023 Cupra Born with the optional Interior Package add-on to see how it fares in the metal.
How much does the Cupra Born cost in Australia?
Since the Cupra Born’s launch, the brand has been quick to note it’s the only electric vehicle in the country that can boast both a price and driving range beginning with a ‘5’. As of August 2023 that’s still the case as the car remains at its introductory $59,990 price point (before on-road costs) and claims a 511km range.
It’s available in a single, high-spec 77kWh variant in Australia, though buyers overseas get the choice of more affordable – but worse equipped – versions. Outputs of 170kW and 310Nm have the brand suggesting the Cupra Born is a hot hatch, and with power sent to the rear wheels it’s a sporty start.
There are alternatives to the Cupra Born, but most on-par competitors are more expensive. The new Polestar 2 starts at $67,400, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 Dynamiq sedan costs $74,000; only the most affordable Tesla Model 3 undercuts the Cupra on price at $57,400. All prices expressed before on-road costs.
Size-wise, it’s comparable to a Volkswagen Golf hatchback and seats five people through five doors. However, select either the $2900 Interior Package (which our tester specifies) or the $2600 Performance Package and the seating capacity oddly reduces to four.
As it stands, our car costs $68,365 in its shade of Aurora Blue ($475) and with the Interior Package added. The later adds a Beats sound system with subwoofer and a 395-watt amplifier, as well as Dinamica blue bucket seats.
Cupra planned to bring in 400 Borns to Australia in the first year, though demand has forced the brand to allocate an extra 200 cars Down Under in the first year.
| Key details | 2023 Cupra Born |
| Price | $59,990 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Aurora Blue |
| Options | Interior Package – $2900 – Beats sound system – Dinamica blue bucket seats – Heated window washer jets – Heated, powered seats Premium paint – $475 |
| Price as tested | $63,365 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $68,365 (Vic) |
| Rivals | Tesla Model 3 | Polestar 2 | Nissan Leaf |
How much space does the Cupra Born have inside?
Inside the cabin is where the Cupra Born arguably shines the brightest. Materials use on the whole is impressive and there are thought-out provisions for storage, visibility, and comfort.
The blue Dinamica seats included with the $2900 Interior Package look and feel fantastic, with unique perforated inserts and grippy suede-like seat bases. They also offer electric adjustment, a massage function, and heating.
There’s a good amount of space for drivers to get comfortable in side-to-side, and in terms of leg room, while there’s also ample adjustability of the seat to get a nice, low driving position. Though the steering wheel is tilt and reach adjustable, it doesn’t quite go high enough for my 194cm height.
Annoyingly, the Cupra relies heavily on touch-based controls for all kinds of functions. The steering wheel buttons are difficult to change incrementally and often don’t register a touch, while the same can be said for adjusting the volume slider found underneath the infotainment screen.
Air-conditioning controls are found within the infotainment system, which doesn’t make for the simplest adjusting on the move, though they are at least permanently shown in a banner at the top of the infotainment screen.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the Born’s interior is the lack of simple rear power window switches for the driver. Instead of having four separate buttons on the door card like other conventional cars, the Born has two. These two buttons can be converted into rear window-adjusters using a touch-capacitive button, but the REAR switch is very hit-and-miss.
Rant out of the way, the Born has a sizeable centre console arrangement (with a lid) that houses cupholders, a wireless charge slot, and a traditional centre console bin. There’s good thought for loose items that can be stowed easily and picked up again in a hurry.
In the second row there’s a huge amount of space, even for tall occupants. I’m 194cm tall and my legs fully clear the seat backs in front, while there’s also good head room and space for your feet. Amenities-wise, there are just two USB-C ports, no air vents, and two map pockets. There’s also a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders inside.
Note the Interior Package option deletes the fifth seat, which is a shame given how much space there is back there. However, it does mean there’s plenty of room side-to-side with the other passenger.
Even in the boot, the Cupra stocks a sizeable amount of storage capacity. There’s 385L despite a large 77kWh battery underneath. There’s also a flat loading floor for easy loading of bigger items but no space-saver spare wheel.
| 2023 Cupra Born | |
| Seats | Four |
| Boot volume | 385L seats up |
| Length | 4324mm |
| Width | 1809mm |
| Height | 1540mm |
| Wheelbase | 2766mm |
Does the Cupra Born have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Screen-wise, all Cupra Borns come with a 12.0-inch main display and a smaller 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
There’s the ability to run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a wired connection and one of the two USB-C ports. The native system has provisions for digital radio, satellite navigation, and there’s even a 360-degree camera system (with a high-quality picture).
It’s not the easiest infotainment system to come to terms with initially, and there’s a fair amount of guessing as to what each icon will pave way to. But after a week or so with the car, it’s much easier to get your head around the system.
There is minimal functionality to the digital instrument cluster apart from displaying a speedometer, an adaptive cruise-control graphic and either trip data information or navigational info.
Is the Cupra Born a safe car?
The 2023 Cupra Born has achieved a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) based on testing conducted to 2022 protocols.
The Cupra Born recorded results of 93 per cent in adult occupant protection, 89 per cent in child occupant protection, 73 per cent in vulnerable road user protection, and 80 per cent in safety assist technology.
| 2023 Cupra Born | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2022) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Cupra Born have?
This score is ensured through an array of active safety equipment including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assist, park assist, driver fatigue monitor, side assist (blind-spot monitoring) with rear cross-traffic alert and exit warning, pre-crash assist, and a 360-degree camera.
The only notable omission is lane-centring for the adaptive cruise-control system. Otherwise, the adaptive cruise-control system keeps a long distance to the car ahead and functions without fault.
How much does the Cupra Born cost to maintain?
The electric Cupra Born is covered off by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty like all other petrol-powered or hybrid Cupra products. However, Cupra goes above and beyond for warranting the battery, which is covered for an eight-year/160,000km period.
Services should be completed every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever is first). A three-year service pack costs $990, while a five-year plan costs $1590.
A comparative insurance premium quote came in at $2180 based on pricing for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 Cupra Born |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km Eight years, 160,000km (high-voltage battery) |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $990 (3 years) $1590 (5 years) |
Is the Cupra Born energy-efficient?
The Cupra Born can charge on AC power at up to 11kW, or you can DC fast-charge the car at up to 170kW. A Mode 3 cable is supplied with the car and you can buy a Mode 2 cable as an accessory. You can also purchase Jet Charge home charging solutions directly from a Cupra dealership.
In my time with the car I replenished its battery using a 170kW Ampol DC fast charger, but was only able to get up to 70kW from the system. This meant a zero-to-100 per cent charge time in a little over an hour.
Cupra claims a 17kWh/100km economy rating for the Born, and I managed to beat that claim recording a 16.6kWh/100km consumption. That’s pretty efficient for an electric vehicle, especially one that spends a majority of its time on freeways like I did.
Energy Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Energy Efficiency | Energy Stats |
| Energy cons. (claimed) | 17.0kWh/100km |
| Energy cons. (on test) | 16.6kWh/100km |
| Battery size | 77kWh useable (82kWh net) |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 511km |
| Estimated charge time (11kW) | 7h 46min |
| Estimated charge time (50kW) | 1h 45min |
| Estimated charge time (170kW max rate) | 26min (claimed 10–80%) |
What is the Cupra Born like to drive?
That Cupra claims a zero to 50km/h time of 2.8 seconds for its Born ‘hot hatch’ on the website, instead of the conventional 0–100km/h measurement, already raises questions with the Born’s performance credentials. It’s even weirder that it says down in the fine print that this acceleration time could vary due to multiple factors such as “fuel quality”… but I digress.
The 170kW/310Nm outputs from a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle are on the way there, but simply doesn’t do enough to excite the 1960kg (tare) body. Other VW Group hot hatches such as the Cupra Leon VZ and Volkswagen Golf GTI both stock 180kW/370Nm outputs and are far lighter.
That weight also makes itself known through corners, and despite a nice-feeling steering system that offers good feedback, the Born doesn’t relish a quick change of direction on back-to-back corners. Performance Pack-equipped cars fare better in the twisties thanks to a set of adaptive dampers and upsized wheels with grippier tyres.
From a standstill, the Born feels its punchiest. Instantaneous power ensures you shoot off from rest quickly, but it’s not long before the power fades away as you near speed limits.
Braking performance isn’t a Born highlight due to inconsistencies depending on whether the car’s doing friction braking or energy-recuperative braking. There’s a different brake pedal feel for each and it often switches between the two mid-press. There are disc brakes at the front, while the back wheels make do with drum brakes.
While the Born doesn’t quite nail its impression of a hot hatch, it’s actually lovely to drive everyday. The suspension is compliant over little potholes and road cracks, and it’ll even smooth over larger speed humps relatively well.
There’s minimal road or wind noise coming through to the cabin and visibility is easy. There’s an interesting rake to the windscreen that makes for a deep dashboard.
The only small annoyance is the placement of the gear selector up by the right side of the instrument cluster. However, owners will likely get used to the experience.
| Key details | 2023 Cupra Born |
| Engine | Single electric motor |
| Power | 170kW |
| Torque | 310Nm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single-speed automatic |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 86.7kW/t |
| Weight (tare) | 1960kg (four-seat) |
| Spare tyre type | Tyre repair kit |
| Turning circle | 10.15m |
Should I buy a Cupra Born?
Cupra’s first foot forward towards a fully-electric future is solid in most areas, though the jury’s still out on whether it qualifies as ‘hot hatch’ material. That’s no slight on the rest of the car, which acts as a comfortable daily driver.
But, looking at other areas, the Cupra Born is well priced, stocks a commendable amount of electric-car range, and feels well built to stand up to years of use. The level of equipment included with even the base model is impressive and doesn’t leave you wanting for extras.
There’s also a surprisingly spacious cabin in the instance you have friends and family along for the ride.
As long as you don’t tell them to expect a hot hatch experience, drivers and passengers alike will come away impressed with the Cupra Born as a comfortable and ‘normal’ electric car.
How do I buy a Cupra Born?
I’ve spent time in Cupra Borns equipped with the Performance Pack and the Interior Pack, and I reckon neither is strictly necessary in order to enjoy the Born experience.
However, there are plenty of Borns available with either add-on pack – according to the Cupra website there are 132 at the time of publishing – and brand representatives say you can be in one as soon as now to three weeks’ time.
The next steps on the purchase journey are to check the Cupra website for stock of your preferred Born variant. You can also find Cupra Borns available for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
If you want to stay updated with all things Cupra, you’ll find all the latest news here.
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