Cupra Formentor review

Introduction

The Cupra Formentor is aimed squarely – or, rather, not-so squarely – at buyers who want an SUV that doesn't look box-shaped and boring.

You see, Spanish brand Cupra has designed the Formentor to combine the family SUV practicality of the Cupra Ateca with a sleeker coupé look. You get metallic detailing to set it apart from other SUVs, and if you pick the right version, it's not necessarily as expensive as you might imagine.

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Available now from: £27,800

RRP from: £35,530

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What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)

1.5 eTSI V1 SUV 5dr Petrol Hybrid DSG Euro 6 (s/s) (150 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	24
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£236.88
Initial payment	£2,842.56

Step-by-step

Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.

• Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
• Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

What you get

When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:

• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Road tax and roadside assistance included
• No admin fees
• Free returns within 30 days*

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£2,843 initial payment, 24 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

• Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
• No balloon payments
• Road tax included

To go with the sporty design, the Formentor has a few performance-focused versions to choose from, chief of which is soon to be the 385bhp, five-cylinder VZ5. It’ll go on sale in June 2026 and around 250 examples will be brought to the UK.

For now, the flagship Formentor has 328bhp, meaning it’s still no slouch. It’s a proper sports SUV that goes toe to toe with the BMW X2 M35i and Volkswagen T-Roc R. More restrained versions are up against SUVs with slightly swoopy rooflines, ranging from the Audi Q3 Sportback and DS 4 to the Toyota C-HR.

So is the Cupra Formentor good enough to feature on your SUV shopping list and how do we rate it against the best family SUVs? Read on to find out...

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What’s new?

- June 2025: Formentor Black Edition revealed with a stealthy black paint finish, 19in matte black alloy wheels and Obsidian Black detailing

- July 2024: Facelifted Formentor on sale with refreshed design inside and out, higher-quality trim, bigger (12.9in) infotainment screen; 268bhp 2.0 TSI e-Hybrid plug-in hybrid also introduced

- April 2024: 5-year/90,000-mile warranty replaces previous 3-year/60,000-mile guarantee

- April 2021: 201bhp plug-in hybrid joins range

- January 2021: 148bhp 1.5 TSI petrol engine and 187bhp 2.0 TSI engines added to range, along with 242bhp e-Hybrid plug-in hybrid with 13kWh battery pack

- November 2020: Formentor arrives with 2.0 TSI 310 engine and 4Drive four-wheel drive. V1, V2, VZ1, VZ2, VZ3 and VZ Edition trims; just 100 of the latter available

Overview

The Cupra Formentor offers sharp coupé SUV looks, a smart interior and handles well. While it’s slightly less practical than the Seat Ateca, it can seat four tall adults and has a decent-sized boot. If you buy a Formentor, we recommend going for the well-priced and well-equipped 1.5 TSI V1.

Our pick

1.5 TSI V1 SUV 5dr Petrol Manual Euro 6 (s/s) (150 ps) review

RRP £35,530

Pros

• Very well equipped
• Surefooted and grippy handling
• Smart interior for the money

Cons

• Not as practical as some family SUVs
• Fiddly dashboard controls
• Not the quietest car at 70mph

Our pick

1.5 TSI V1 SUV 5dr Petrol Manual Euro 6 (s/s) (150 ps) review

RRP £35,530

Trims available

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V1

The well-equipped entry-level trim comes with 18in alloy wheels, full LED headlights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, privacy glass, power-folding door mirrors, three-zone climate control, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control and touchscreen infotainment. It's our pick of the trim range.

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

Engine, 0-60mph and gearbox

The Cupra Formentor engine range starts with the 148bhp 1.5 TSI 150 petrol, and it's our recommended choice. It's efficient enough and you don’t need to work it hard to make progress (it’ll beat an entry-level Toyota C-HR to 62mph, for example). You can have the same engine with mild-hybrid (MHEV) tech, which is badged as the eTSI.

For something quicker, the 261bhp TSI 265 will cover 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. Then there’s the 2.0 TSI 333 4Drive sports SUV. It introduces four-wheel drive, feels as quick as the BMW X2 M35i once the engine is on song and can officially accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.8secs.

Mind you, the upcoming Formentor VZ5 takes things a firm step further. With its 385bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine (that it gets from the Audi RS3), it rockets from 0-62mph in just 4.2sec. It feels every bit as quick as the figures suggest and there’s plenty of power all throughout the rev range. The noise is incredible, too.

There are also two Formentor plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – when charged up they can officially cover up to 78 miles on electric power alone. Of the two we prefer the e-Hybrid 204, because the quicker e-Hybrid 272 is pricey enough to compete with better PHEV SUVs.

Suspension and ride comfort

The standard suspension that comes with the Formentor's V1, V2 and V3 trims is firmer than less sports-focused rivals but manages to strike a good balance between comfort and body control.

If you opt for VZ1 trim or above, you get adaptive suspension with three modes you can select to tailor the ride quality. In Comfort mode, it's a bit firmer than the best-riding SUVs – such as the Skoda Karoq and Volvo XC40 – but less jittery than an Audi Q3 Sportback or BMW X2.

In the stiffest adaptive suspension mode (called Cupra), the Formentor gives you improved agility and handling without rattling you around.

Handling

The Formentor doesn’t feel lithe in corners like a hot hatch, but for an SUV it’s surprisingly agile. It steers more sweetly than the DS 4 and Toyota C-HR with better weighting and accuracy, giving you more feel from the road surface so you can sense the grip available.

Grip is something you’ll find no shortage of, even in the entry-level 1.5 TSI 150, with the raciest versions being astonishingly fast in the corners. The 2.0 TSI 333 and the VZ5 handle almost like (cliché incoming) they’re on rails, and confidence-inspiringly so. They have very capable four-wheel-drive systems, hefty brakes and tight body control.

In fact, most versions of the Formentor have excellent body control that lets you drive them hard with confidence, but the e-Hybrid PHEV versions are somewhat disappointing because the extra weight of their batteries upsets the handling balance.

Noise and vibration

All Formentor engines are smooth and relatively quiet, which is generally good news for those wanting a family SUV. Drivers of the sportiest version – the TSI 333 – might be disappointed that it doesn’t sound as throaty as a Ford Puma ST, but you can option an Akrapovic exhaust if you’re searching for that extra drama.

You won’t hear much from the Formentor's engine when driving normally, with just some road and wind noise as you get up to motorway speeds. The Volkswagen Tiguan is even quieter at 70mph.

The entry-level six-speed manual gearbox is slick enough and has quite a short throw. Meanwhile, the 1.5 TSI 150 eTSI’s seven-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox changes gears smoothly and quickly when you’re on the move, but can be a bit jerky when parking and as you pull away from junctions.

“The Formentor’s suspension can be softened up, and I found that it delivers a reasonably supple ride. Certainly more so than a BMW X1.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

Driving position and dashboard

If you like a sportier driving position, you'll enjoy sitting in the Cupra Formentor. It places you much lower down than most SUVs, including the Volvo XC40 and VW Tiguan.

The pedals line up neatly with the steering wheel. The driver’s seat is comfy on long journeys and supportive through corners, especially if you’ve got the electrically adjustable seats that are standard from V2 trim. All Formentors have seat-height and lumbar support adjustment.

The dashboard is well laid out but there are no proper buttons or switches. The air-conditioning controls have been replaced with touch-sensitive pads that are difficult to feel, meaning you have to look away from the road to find them. The physical controls in the Audi Q3 Sportback and Toyota C-HR are much more user-friendly.

Visibility, parking sensors and cameras

The Formentor's low driving position means you don’t have a commanding view out of the front as you do in some higher family SUVs. Even so, the windscreen pillars are reasonably slender so seeing out at junctions is no problem.

Rear visibility isn’t quite as good. The chunky rear pillars make reversing into a parking space trickier than it would be in, for example, a Tiguan. Luckily, front and rear parking sensors are standard on all Formentors, while a rear-view camera is added from V2 trim, helping to make parking easier.

Visibility at night is good thanks to powerful LED headlights. VZ2 and VZ3 trims add a high-beam assist function that switches them from dipped to full beam and back automatically.

Sat nav and infotainment

All Formentors come with built-in sat-nav, DAB radio, four USB-C ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, wireless phone-charging and, since the 2024 facelift, a larger 12.9in infotainment touchscreen.

The screen itself is bright and clear, and the new operating system is an improvement over the previous system, responding to your prods faster. Even so, you still operate it almost entirely through touch, making it more distracting to use while you're driving than if there were more physical controls.

To get around that, the Formentor comes with natural voice control. To wake it up, you shout “Hola! Hola!” followed by a command. If you say “I’m cold” it should turn up the heater – although it didn't always work for us.

Quality

The Formentor's interior has lots of visual appeal. It looks a little like the one in the vastly more expensive Lamborghini Urus and the perforated leather steering wheel and contrast stitching on the dashboard are suitably sporty.

It's not perfect though: further down in the interior you'll find some hard plastics, and the painted plastic heater vents look a bit cheap.

With V2 trim and above you get Napa leather seat upholstery and a leather-wrapped dashboard, which make the interior feel more upmarket. It trumps the Toyota C-HR interior but the BMW X2 and Volvo XC40 feel a cut above.

“The Formentor has a similar dashboard design to the Seat Leon but there are key differences. I like the Formentor's copper highlights, which are a Cupra signature.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

Front space

With its sporty shape, the Cupra Formentor doesn’t absorb people or their belongings as effortlessly as some family SUVs but it's roomier than a BMW X2 or Toyota C-HR. In fact, it offers almost as much practicality as the Cupra Ateca and Seat Ateca.

There’s plenty of head room in the front of the Formentor and the seats slide back a long way for maximum leg room. Unless you're incredibly tall you’ll fit in just fine.

Storage space up front is ample, with decent door bins, two cupholders that’ll easily take a cup of coffee, a small cubby to put your phone in and a space in the front armrest.

Rear space

If you’re thinking that the Formentor’s rakish coupé roofline is bound to make it less practical than rivals for rear-seat space, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Two tall adults will fit comfortably, with good head and leg room, and there’s a fair chunk more space than you’ll find in a DS 4 or Toyota C-HR.

Even so, there are plenty of boxier family SUVs that offer more space in the back, including the BMW X1, the VW Tiguan and the Volvo XC40. Rear-seat passengers in a Formentor will find shoulder room tight with three adults sitting side by side.

You don’t get as much storage space in the rear as the front: passengers have to make do with the small door cubbies. There's a rear armrest you can fold down from the middle seat.

Seat folding and flexibility

You get 60/40 split-folding rear seats as standard in the Formentor. They’re easy to fold down but not as versatile as the 40/20/40 split rear seats in the Audi Q3 Sportback, BMW X2 and VW Tiguan.

You can’t slide the rear seats forwards and backwards like you can in those rivals, but there is a ski hatch in the backrest of the middle rear seat, meaning you can slot longer items from the boot between two rear passengers.

Boot space

The Formentor's boot will easily deal with a buggy, a set of golf clubs or luggage for a weekend away. The front-wheel-drive models have a handy 450 litres of boot space below the parcel shelf, which is reduced to 420 litres in four-wheel-drive (4Drive) versions. Either way, that's more than you get in a Toyota C-HR but less than in a BMW X2.

The exceptions are the e-Hybrid PHEV Formentors, which make do with 345 litres of boot space (less than a VW Golf). We managed to fit five carry-on suitcases below an e-Hybrid's parcel shelf – the same as in a DS 4 E-Tense 225.

“Despite its coupé styling, the Formentor works well as a family SUV. It's just as roomy as a Cupra Ateca so it'll easily fit four tall adults, and while the boot isn't as big as the Ateca's, I found it big enough for most uses.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

Equipment, options and extras

There's really no need for anything beyond the Formentor's entry-level V1 trim because that comes with enough toys. As well as parking aids and touchscreen infotainment, you get 18in alloy wheels, full LED headlights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, privacy glass, power-folding door mirrors, three-zone climate control, keyless entry and adaptive cruise control.

VZ1 is the automatic upgrade if you go for one of the more powerful engines (242bhp or 306bhp) and adds 19in alloys, adaptive suspension and a powered tailgate with gesture control. V2 and VZ2 add heated bucket front seats and 19in alloy wheels.

Top-tier VZ3 trim gets you bigger, upgraded brakes by Akebono, bespoke 19in wheels and more sophisticated matrix LED headlights. It’s a fairly pricey trim, so unless those brakes are really important to you we’d stick to the cheaper trims.

Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2

If you're shopping around for a sports SUV, you'll find that the Cupra Formentor VZ1 2.0 TSI 4Drive 333 is cheaper than the BMW X2 M35i, but the price quickly increases as you go up the range, with the top VZ3 costing almost as much as a petrol Porsche Macan. UK pricing for the VZ5 is yet to be confirmed, but it should set you back around £60,000.

Other versions of the Formentor are cheaper, including our favourite V1 1.5 TSI 150, which costs less than the entry-level BMW X2 but slightly more than a Toyota C-HR. It has strong resale values resulting in competitive PCP costs.

Company car drivers will likely want to take a look at the Formentor e-Hybrid PHEVs because their lower CO2 emissions and electric-only ranges help to lower the BIK tax rate payable – although not by as much as running an electric car or electric SUV.

Reliability

Cupra as a brand finished in 13th place out of 30 car makers in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. That puts it above Volkswagen and Audi, but below BMW and Mini. The Formentor came towards the top of the family SUV class, with a confidence-inspiring 93.9% score.

All new Cupra models come with a five-year, 90,000-mile warranty. That’s better than you get with the BMW X2 and Volvo XC40.

Safety and security

The Formentor scored strongly when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, getting the full five stars back in 2021. It proved very good at protecting adult and child occupants in a crash.

Whichever trim level you go for, you’ll be getting a good amount of safety equipment, with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and traffic-sign recognition all coming as standard. Opting for V3 trim adds blind-spot monitoring and a safe exit assist function, while VZ2 and VZ3 models feature advanced lane-change assist.

“In my experience, a lot of coupé-style SUVs are expensive but the Formentor is well priced against most of its family SUV rivals. The 1.5-litre petrol engine is particularly good value and shouldn't cost the Earth to run.” – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

Buy it if...

- You like sporty handling

- You want a wide range of engine options

- You appreciate a generous amount of standard kit

Don’t buy it if…

- You want an EV (there are plug-in hybrid versions, but no fully electric option)

- You need a huge boot

- You’d like lots of rear-seat flexibility

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