Visit from the future

Target: EV hot hatch. By Curtis Moldrich

I got a new perspective on the Cupra when I joined the new Honda Civic Type R and friends for a CAR Giant Test on some Welsh hills. For a start, I stopped regarding the Born as being expensive; it’s cheaper than the Civic, the Audi RS3 and the VW Golf R, and undercut only by the Hyundai i30 N and the BMW M135i, .

You might not class the elecBorn as direct competition to any of these petrol cars – but that’s exactly what Cupra is going for. It’s a £42,460 hot hatch with an emphasis on dynamics. It’s rear-wheel drive, though 0-62mph takes a hardly spritely seven seconds.

So, how does it fare? Jump into any of the cars on this test and they feel pointier and lighter than the Born. No matter what Cupra engineers do with the chassis they can’t hide that extra battery weight, however close to the ground it is.

What is surprising, though, is how much I miss the Born’s linear power delivery when I’m in any of these internal-combustion cars. The Cupra’s just plain rapid to 30mph, and that initial acceleration has become addictive. What’s more, getting the RS3 to do corner-exit acrobatics feels more labour-intensive than in the Cupra – despite its weight. Perhaps it’s the innate grip of the Audi, or perhaps it’s the pleasant but loud raw of its forced-induction inline-five – but it feels harder.

Away from the mountains, some other pros and cons of the Cupra become more evident. Its ride is significantly smoother than the RS3’s – though not as good as the M135i – and the Born is significantly quieter on the motorway than either. My music volume is set lower, and it’s overall more chilled than any of the combustion cars.

One last thing, though; every petrol station I pass in the comtric bustion cars fills me with confidence, knowing I can pull in at any time. As I write this, the M135i outside has just 30 miles left in the tank – but it’s not the crisis it would be in the Born.

Cupra Born 77kWh 230PS V3 Month 6

The story so far

Cupra’s first pure EV, here in its most powerful form

★ Classy and roomy

- Handling can’t quite match a true hot hatch

Logbook

Price £41,975 (£42,460 as tested)

Performance 77kWh battery, e-motor, 228bhp, 7.0sec 0-62mph, 99mph E ciency

3.5-3.9 miles per kWh (ocial), 3.3 miles (tested), 0g/km CO2, range 306-340 miles (ocial), 232 miles (tested) Energy cost

7.7p per mile Miles this month

654 Total miles 5084

Pros and cons to both electric and combustion