Cupra Born review: running costs & insurance

It’s fair to say the Cupra Born isn’t exactly the cheapest family car out there; starting at around £36,500 (at the time of writing), that’s around £6,000 more than a petrol Vauxhall Astra and almost £10,000 more than a base level MG4. Thankfully, low running costs mean than Cupra’s first EV should actually be rather frugal to run.

Cupra Born insurance group

The Cupra Born sits in insurance groups 25 to 28 depending on the exact powertrain and specification chosen. That's slightly higher than the Born's VW sister car, but it's on par with the likes of the MG4 EV (27-29) and Renault Megane E-TECH Electric (26-27). If or when Cupra decides to introduce the cheaper 45kWh model in the UK, we can expect a slightly lower insurance grouping closer to the base ID.3's insurance group 18 rating.

Warranty

All new Cupra cars are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. While this is the same as you get with the Volkswagen ID.3, the Born does fall behind some of its rivals in this respect. The Hyundai Kona Electric, for example, has a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty, while the MG ZS EV and Kia Niro EV both get seven years of cover.

Servicing

The Cupra Born follows the same fixed service schedule as the ID.3, which involves a simple inspection service after two years. From then on, it’s every year or 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. Overall, the Born should be generally cheaper to maintain and service than any combustion-engined, hybrid or plug-in hybrid rival.

Road tax

As with all electric cars, you don’t have to pay vehicle excise duty (VED), otherwise known as road tax, on the Cupra Born until 2025. The pure-electric hatchback is also exempt from the London Congestion Charge – again until 2025 – and attracts a 2% Benefit-in-Kind company-car tax rate for the time being.

Depreciation

While not so much of a concern to company car drivers, private buyers will be interested to know how the Born’s value holds up over the course of ownership as strong residuals should, in theory, keep finance costs competitive. 

According to the latest industry figures, the Cupra Born is forecast to retain roughly 52-53% of its value over three years and 36,000 miles of ownership. In practice, this translates to a loss of roughly £17,500; in comparison, a Kia Niro Ev will hold onto 58% of its value, while the more expensive ID.3 will retain anything between 49 and 54% of its value, with lower-spec cars faring the best in this regard.