New Cupra Born updated with range boost and fresh looks
Cupra’s Volkswagen ID 3 rival has undergone a facelift to keep it competitive...
On sale Summer 2026 Price from £36,000 (est)
In philosophy, rebirth is the concept of a person’s soul beginning a new life in a different physical body, and in some ways, that’s exactly what a mid-life facelift has brought to the all-electric Cupra Born – or should we say Cupra Reborn?
Indeed, the new Born has been treated to a number of updates to its looks, power and batteries to keep it fresh and competitive against electric car rivals.
Unlike the outgoing Born, there will be just three versions of the new model available to buy: the V1, V2 and VZ hot hatch, with the V3 being dropped from the range. Both the V1 and V2 can come with either a 58kWh (total capacity) battery or a 79kWh battery, while the VZ comes exclusively with the larger unit.
The entry-level 58kWh battery powers a 187bhp rear-mounted electric motor – a decrease of 41bhp on the outgoing model. That’s around the same amount of punch as an entry-level MG4 EV.
While power might be down on the previous Born, the new entry-level variant can officially travel further, with an official range of around 280 miles. That matches the equivalent MG4 and is almost on par with the 285 miles offered by the Renault Megane E-Tech.
If you regularly cover more miles or want a bit of extra oomph to go with the Born’s sporty looks, it might be worth opting for the larger battery option. It can officially cover around 373 miles on a single charge, beating the MG4 Extended Range – but it’s worth bearing in mind that the Cupra offering will be more expensive than that rival.
Matched to a 228bhp motor in V1 and V2 guise, the 79kWh battery also comes with a Launch Control feature that provides you with a boost of acceleration.
If that power still isn’t enough for you, then consider the hot VZ variant. With 322bhp packed in its electric motor, the Born VZ can officially sprint from 0-62mph in 5.6sec. These performance figures are no different from the outgoing model, but what has changed is the official range. Despite its additional power, the Born VZ is expected to match the range of the V1 and V2 variants, with a figure in excess of 370 miles – a slight increase on the 366 miles of its predecessor.
The MG4 XPower, on the other hand, offers ridiculous amounts of pace from a four-wheel-drive set-up, shaving almost two seconds off the 0-62mph time of the Born VZ. It’s worth nothing, though, that it offers around 25 miles less range.
Opting for the VZ promises a host of performance-focused goodies such as tuned suspension to make it feel sportier and sharper steering.
Also new on every Born is the potential for one-pedal driving. This is where the car can come to a standstill itself when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal using regenerative braking, meaning the need for the brake pedal is greatly reduced.
Charging speeds have also improved slightly for entry-level models. While the old 59kWh Born could only facilitate up to 120kW, the new version can accept up to 135kW from public chargers, allowing for a 10-80% charge in around 20-30 minutes. Larger battery models can still charge at faster speeds of up to 185kW, but since they’re bigger, they take around the same time to charge as the smaller batteries.
Vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality comes as standard, allowing you to charge up external devices like e-bikes or laptops with the car’s battery.
Outside, the Born has undergone some styling tweaks, bringing redesigned front and rear bumpers with a new ‘grille’, new triangular LED headlights, an illuminated badge at the rear and illuminated door handles. It also measures 12mm longer than the outgoing model.
Inside, the new Born keeps its old 12.9in infotainment touchscreen, but it’s now joined by a larger 10.25in digital driver’s display behind the wheel, which should be an improvement over the dinky 5.3in screen it replaces. The steering wheel forgoes its old touch-sensitive buttons in favour of new, physical ones.
Bucket seats come as standard, but you get sportier ‘Cup’ bucket seats in VZ variants. Rear air vents have also been added so that rear passengers can benefit more from the air-conditioning. What’s more, there are USB-C charging ports in both the front and back, as well as a wireless charging pad in between the front seats.
Boot space remains the same at 385 litres. We managed to squeeze six carry-on suitcases in the outgoing Born's boot, one fewer than in the Megane and one more than we squeezed into an MG4.
Full specifications have yet to be revealed, but the new Born will come with either 19in or 20in wheels (depending on trim), with higher trims introducing additional goodies like Matrix LED headlights, a top-view parking camera and a new Crossroad Assist safety system that detects collision risks at junctions.
The new Cupra Born will arrive this summer. Prices haven’t yet been revealed, but we’d expect them to start broadly in line with the current Born, which starts at £35,690 and tops out at just less than £45,000. Given its sportier brand positioning, it comes as no surprise that the Born will likely be more expensive to buy than the MG4 and Renault Megane E-Tech.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
