Cupra Born 2025 review – design

The Born’s Volkswagen DNA is very clear, and its proportions are tied closely to its ID.3 twin. That said, Cupra has applied its own outer skin to give the Born a unique design flavour, and it’s certainly one that attracts more attention than the rather plain ID.3. It’s still a tall, narrow and slightly awkward looking hatchback, but the styling is lifted dramatically by a raft of copper-coloured accents, which even extend to the alloy wheels if you’re feeling brave with the configurator. 

As with the ID.3, the Cupra makes no attempt to hide its EV underpinnings; the bonnet is short and the wheelbase is long relative to the car’s overall footprint. And there’s a reason for that steep, extended windscreen – by reducing the angle where the bonnet and windscreen meet, air pressure is minimised in this area to reduce drag and allow the Born to go that little bit further on a charge.

Cupra has forgone the trend for deployable flush fitting door handles, but there are other aero-driven touches throughout the design – namely the closed-off alloy wheels, sill extensions and roof spoiler moulded into the tailgate.

The Born VZ feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to add some aggression. For what is the flagship, more performant option, a bit of distinction wouldn’t have gone amiss. Option the ‘Tornado’ wheels, which should have been standard, to get some of the way there. They do look really good.