Australia has something of an on-again, off-again relationship with the US Cupra was born.
Highlighting its Latin American design and passion (despite the fact that it is actually made in Germany and its batteries come from China…) and now no longer available in Australia, the Spanish brand’s all-electric hatchback has long been celebrated by many Car expertand a local customer – exactly the one thing –was keen to get hold of the high-performance VZ variant from a dealer outside of Sydney.
Now there is a newborn. Well, not entirely new, but definitely significantly modernized with new batteries, engines and technology as well as a revised exterior design and an improved cabin.
In theory, the Born will return to Australia soon, as this version has been launched in Europe for the 2027 model year and will potentially lead the way with the powerful VZ model, followed by the smaller 170kW and 140kW versions.
Impatient as we are, we headed to Madrid to check out the updated 240kW VZ and see if it’s worth waiting for.
How much does the Cupra Born cost?
The Born VZ was previously award-winning – if you could get one – at $59,990, which is quite expensive for a compact electric hatchback. However, the 140kW version should cost a whole lot less when it hits the market.
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
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What does the Cupra Born look like from the inside?
Not much has changed in the Born’s cabin architecture, but the quality has improved significantly.
Cupra promotes the use of recycled and recyclable materials, which is good, but more importantly, these materials look and feel high quality when converted into the Born’s cabin interior.
There is one obvious physical change and that is the new 10.25-inch driver instrument screen behind the steering wheel, replacing the old 5.3-inch display. It looks much more impressive and has some attractive graphics and switchable layouts. It’s definitely an improvement.
There’s a head-up display on the VZ model too, but if you’re wearing polarized sunglasses you probably won’t be able to see it, which is annoying.
The main infotainment screen in the center of the dashboard, measuring 12.9 inches wide, looks familiar but features all-new software based on Google’s Android technology. This makes it much slimmer and easier to use than before, and the screen feels much more responsive than before.
However, the touch-sensitive “sliders” for cabin temperature and stereo volume remain irritating.
Elsewhere, real buttons have returned to the Born’s cabin, with a new steering wheel that replaces the annoying haptic touchpads with physical pushbuttons and scrollers. That’s much better, as is the appearance of four individual buttons for the power windows instead of two buttons and a front/rear selector switch.
In keeping with its sporty image, the VZ version features a set of beautiful high-back bucket seats at the front – Cupra calls these “CupBuckets” – which are extremely comfortable and provide just the right amount of supportive pressure.
They are also made from many recycled materials, including “Seaqual” fabric made from recycled ocean plastic and flax fibers – not made of carbon fiber – for the hard-shell backrests.
There is plenty of storage space – and fast 90-watt USB-C sockets – in the center console and also practical door shelves.
Headroom and legroom in the rear are fine, if nothing to write home about, but taller passengers will have their knees in the air due to the high floor.
The middle rear seat has a seatbelt, but the seat itself is too narrow to be of much use, especially since the back seat for the two outer seats is shaped into half-bucket seats.
At least there are ISOFIX child seat anchors on the outer rear seats and another on the front passenger seat.
The Born’s boot is unchanged and at 385 liters it’s far from the largest in its class, and there’s no support from a ‘frunk’ storage area in the nose. At least there is an adjustable trunk floor, bag hooks and a 12-volt socket.
| Dimensions | Cupra Born VZ |
|---|---|
| length | 4336mm |
| Width | 1809mm |
| Height | 1543mm |
| wheelbase | 2766mm |
| Loading capacity | 385L |
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
What’s under the hood?
In fact, the Born’s engines are housed under the rear, as it is a rear-wheel drive vehicle with one electric motor for each version.
| Specifications | Cupra Born VZ |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single engine electric |
| battery | 79 kWh lithium-ion |
| Performance | 240kW |
| Torque | 545 Nm |
| Drive type | Rear wheel drive |
| 0-100 km/h (claimed) | 5.6 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 16 kWh/100 km |
| Claimed area– WLTP | 631km |
| Max. AC charging rate | 11kW |
| Max. DC charging rate | 183kW |
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
How does the Cupra Born drive?
If you’re expecting the thrill of a traditional GTI then I’m sorry, you’re not going to get that. However, the Born VZ also has its own charms.
At 240kW there’s no shortage of shutdown power even with a heavy curb weight of two tonnes, and when the Cupra driving mode is selected (the others are Range, Comfort and Performance). – all selectable via two buttons on the steering wheel), the initial increase in torque is sudden enough to be considered brutal.
The Born VZ handles the road if you ask it to, although acceleration drops off above 100 km/h, as is common with many electric vehicles. However, there is plenty of torque to give a boost when needed.
Cupra mode also includes some fake engine noises, which are almost convincing at first, but soon give way to too much Captain Kirk-style noise. You’d think the optional Sennheiser double bass stereo could produce a V8 rumble, but no…
More important than the noise, however, is the reaction of the Born VZ. The steering lacks a bit of real feedback, but it’s well balanced and quick, and the tires have been updated – now 235mm wide all around – find a lot of support.
True, the weight starts to pull you into understeer the longer a corner goes, but the torque means you can use the rear of the car to adjust your line a little, especially coming out of slow corners. It’s not entirely exciting, but the Born VZ has enough entertainment in it to be fun.
What’s more impressive is its all-round performance. With the adaptive dampers that come standard on the VZ, you can enjoy a spectacularly comfortable ride when you don’t feel like rushing around, then switch to Cupra mode to stiffen everything up when you can. This trick suspension gives the Born VZ an enticing dual personality.
The least impressive aspect is the brakes. For the first time in a Born there is a new one-pedal driving setup, activated via the paddles behind the steering wheel. However, you will soon disable it as it is just too aggressive and sudden.
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
What do you get?
Australian pricing and specs are yet to be finalized, but we expect the Born VZ to come with the following as standard.
Equipment highlights of the Cupra Born VZ 2026:
- Heated front seats
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Adaptive suspension
- 10.25-inch driver instrument screen
- 12.9 inch infotainment screen
- Forward collision warning and automatic braking
- Adaptive cruise control
- Selectable driving modes
- “CupBucket” seats
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
Is the Cupra Born safe?
The Cupra Born has received a full five-star rating from ANCAP, including 93 percent for protection of adult occupants, 89 percent for child occupants, 73 percent for vulnerable road users and 80 percent for its active safety systems.
| category | Cupra was born |
|---|---|
| Protection for adults | 93 percent |
| Passenger protection for children | 89 percent |
| Protection of vulnerable road users | 73 percent |
| Security assistant | 80 percent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking
- Lane keeping steering
- Adaptive cruise control with speed limiter
- Speed limit warning
- Blind spot detection
- Rear cross traffic warning
- Cross traffic warning at the intersection
- Intelligent high beam
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
How much does the Cupra Born cost to operate?
Despite its strong performance, the Born VZ should be spectacularly cheap to run, especially if you have a reasonable electricity tariff and charge at home at cheaper nighttime rates.
| Maintenance and warranty | Cupra was born |
|---|---|
| guarantee | 5 years, unlimited kilometers |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 24 months or 20,000 km (TBC) |
On our test drive, which included a lot of time in Cupra mode on winding mountain roads as well as some highway and city driving, we achieved an average consumption of 16.0 kWh/100 km, compared to the Cupra’s claimed energy efficiency of 14.1 kWh/100 km. This means you probably won’t reach the official range claim of 631km, but in real-world conditions you should be able to get close to 500km, which is a top figure.
The Born comes with the usual Cupra Australia five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
To see how the Cupra Born compares to its competitors, use our Comparison tool
CarExperts Take Cupra Born VZ
The latest version of the Born VZ deserves a place on the boat to Australia.
No, it’s not as exciting as Cupra would have you believe, but it offers an impressive combination of comfort, pace and poise. It also looks good inside and out.
Ultimately it will come down to the price Cupra Australia charges for the Born VZ. If you do this right, it could be a winner.
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MORE: Explore the Cupra Born showroom
