CUPRA Born VZ 2026 Facelift Review

[Syphon]

What is it?



The refreshed, performance-focused flagship of CUPRA’s all-electric hatchback. The facelifted CUPRA Born VZ brings enhanced efficiency, revised interior ergonomics, bold exterior updates, and upgraded cabin tech now featuring a 79kWh battery producing 326 PS and 545 Nm of torque.



The big news for the VZ model is a 24-mile range bump, from 366 miles to nearly 390 miles (WLTP), plus a shift to a wider 8J 20-inch wheel setup wrapped in 235mm tyres for improved road-holding.



It’s a hoot to drive, but would I swap it for my 300HP CUPRA Leon? Read on to find out.




Verdict
The facelifted CUPRA Born VZ continues to be one of the most engaging and stylish electric hot hatches on the market. The extra range, wider track setup, restored mechanical steering wheel controls, and clever interior lighting upgrades make it an even stronger package for daily driving. However, a few lingering software gremlins and sound system quirks keep it just shy of perfection...

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[jezyg]

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Great review and agree with all points, whilst I have not done many miles today the indicator is louder than our Born and I had to play around with the equaliser to get more balanced sound. Tires are Hancock ION EV and the Abarth 600e comes with exactly the same make, model and size of 235 40 R20! The VZ certainly shifts from a standstill to 60 mph and feels planted at speed but a bit softer on the comfort setting than our Born V1 having adaptive dampers. It hides its weight well but feels less pointy than a lighter petrol or EV for that matter but at 2004 Kg is not exactly light.

Currently on charge as I too have some A1, M1 and A14 drives then over to Manchester via the M6 Thursday, so will see if I get similar range and miles per kWh. Door cards, clicky buttons and 10 inch driver screen are the highlights of the new interior with a soft touch on the top of the driver and passenger doors and on the VZ lashing of faux Alcantara, I notice no longer in the V1 and V2. I will see how many bugs I encounter. My first is that I cannot add the car to my Cupra app. VIN registers but won't connect to Cupra backend servers.

 

[madtatt]

A great review.
Thanks for that, Syphon.
It confirms that I made the right choice with my VZ order. I'm really looking forward to driving it, likely in October.

@jezyg
I'm really curious to hear what you have to say about the power consumption and charging times.

 

[jezyg]

A great review.
Thanks for that, Syphon.
It confirms that I made the right choice with my VZ order. I'm really looking forward to driving it, likely in October.

@jezyg
I'm really curious to hear what you have to say about the power consumption and charging times.

Will let you know, charged on home charger at 7.4 KwH on Octopus we now get 6 hours cheap rate whenever grid has spare capacity, so I do more regular top up charges, purposely charged to 100% last night. Say's 391 miles of range on the Ohme app. VZ is a top choice more so on the facelift car IMO you won't be disappointed.

 

[madtatt]

That's great; I'm looking forward to your report.