In-depth reviews

Cupra Born running costs & insurance

Running costs for Cupra’s electric family hatchback are likely to be much lower than for petrol-powered rivals, especially if you’re planning to run one as a company car

Overall rating

4.0 out of 5

Running costs & insurance rating

4.0 out of 5

Insurance group

Warranty

Service interval

Annual company-car tax (20%/40%)

25-28

3yrs/60,000 miles

2yrs/20,000 miles

From £146/£291

Like all electric cars, the Cupra Born attracts a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company-car tax rate of just 2% right now. Compare that to 33% for a petrol-powered version of the brand’s Formentor SUV, or even 12% for the plug-in hybrid Leon hatchback, and you can see where big savings can be made.

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 Born’s sister car the Volkswagen ID.3, it does fall behind those of its rivals. 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.

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