Abarth 500E vs Cupra Born

What's the difference?

It’s not perfect, but it’s everything a hot hatch should be in the electric era — engaging, exciting, and, above all, fun.

The Cupra Born has so much going for it. An appealing price, long range, and super cool design chief among them.

I think the main thing holding it back will be that it doesn’t quite have the same out-and-out performance people have come to expect from a ‘hot hatch’ in the era of cars like the VW Golf R.

Importantly though, it delivers huge dollops of fun and driver engagement, something that's quite rare in the electric era.

I’m just going to come right out and say it — I love the look of the Abarth 500e, even if the colour of our test car should be renamed Acid Trip, rather than Acid Green. 

I love its perfectly proportioned, hunkered-down hot-hatch styling, the new ABARTH lettering on the body, and the new scorpion logo pasted to the side.

Basically, if you can look at the Abarth and not smile, then you need to find more fun in your life.

Inside, it’s a predictably cramped-feeling space, but it’s all nicely laid out, and the more I use them, the more I like the horizontal drive controllers that don’t eat up the little space you have with a traditional shifter. The materials are a bit hit and miss, though.

To stand out, any new brand should make a statement when it comes to design, and Cupra goes above and beyond to grab people’s attention.

It needs to, because Cupra is faced with the task of standing apart from its Volkswagen Group stablemates, especially the likes of Audi and Skoda.

One look at the Born, and it’s clear the brand has done an admirable job of separating its aggro hatch from the more tame Volkswagen ID.3 with which it shares its underpinnings.

I love its pugnacious face, which is designed to pierce air resistance in a similar fashion to the face of the Kia EV6, complete with its frowny light profile, bronze Cupra typeface, and dimples on the bonnet.

At the side, there’s the choice of almost Tesla-like sweeping aero designs for the standard 19-inch wheel option, or complex 80s rally-inspired wheels for the 20-inch Performance Pack hoops. The square beltline is perhaps the only spot where you can clearly see the Born’s relation to its ID.3 cousin, but I think the contrast flourish on the C-Pillar, which interrupts the roofline and makes it look more coupe-like, is a masterful touch.

This piece also wears a fishscale-like pattern, which is a motif that works its way through the entire car. In fact, the pattern is more than just theme-work for the Born specifically, but a deliberate pattern to interrupt plain plastics, which goes a long way to making sure no matter where you look, there’s a visual appeal to every corner of this car.

The inside continues this thoughtful and genuine ethos. Any area where a normal car would use a fake leather, or even plastic textured to look like leather, has been presented in a completely different way. The driver-focused instrument console, for example, is clad in a padded neoprene material, which is not only honest, but gives the interior a very modern look and feel.

The recycled seat materials offer a similar touch, and are comfortable in their bucket arrangement, too, and the neoprene finish continues here as a contrasting trim.

The colour palette is rich, with vivid blues, deep reds, a light smattering of tame silver rather than chrome, while the Cupra Bronze permeates to the car’s badges and highlights touches throughout.

This tone won’t be for everyone, and if you don’t like it, or the colour schemes, or even the car itself, that’s fine by Cupra. It wants to be controversial, and for a niche set of buyers, and says this contrast is the point of its design choices. If the amount of Borns sold before the car even landed is anything to go by, they’re on to something.

While I like the addition of the central screen, it’s surprisingly annoying to use — I found myself jabbing at the buttons again and again before it reacts. You need a Stephen Hawking-level intellect to figure it all out.

I was trying to turn off the Abarth Sound Generator, which I'm reliably informed is possible, but after about five minutes digging through sub-menus, I abandoned all hope.

Normally I’d spend a bit of time exploring the back seat, but frankly, once in there I didn't really feel like spending excess time back there.

The Abarth 500e is only around 3.6m long, 1.7m wide and 1.5m tall, and suffice it to say, the space is tight, and you’ll only be using the two seats in the back in an emergency, or for the smallest of kids.

The boot is pretty tiny, too, starting at 185 litres (VDA) with the rear seats up, but growing to 550L (VDA) with the split-fold rear seat lowered. 

So, not much to write home about. But criticising the tiny Abarth for a lack of practicality is like criticising a horse because it can’t swim – it’s not really in its job description.

Thanks to the Born’s VW Group all-electric MEB underpinnings, which are designed to make the most of interior space, the Born is much bigger on the inside than you might assume.

Clever packaging means a tall roof, glasshouse window structure, and a significant amount of adjustability and comfort for the front seats, with the clever digital instrument panel which is distilled to a handful of elements, and rides atop the column itself, so it moves as the driver adjusts it to maintain visibility.

The large touchscreen is oriented toward the driver, and has nice clear easy to use elements, although it is unfortunate the volume, temperature, and fan speed controls are a touch-based panel, and not easy-to-operate dials.

The rear seat offers impressive room, even behind my own seating position, and there’s sufficient headroom for me also, at 182cm tall. The cool recycled trim and comfortable seats continue to the rear row, although this car’s main practicality downside also resides here.

Opting for either pack will remove the rear seat, instead providing you with an odd cutout between the rear seats, and a drop-down armrest with a ski-port behind. Very European.

The boot measures 385 litres (VDA) which is relatively large for a hatchback, and it offers a nice low floor, impressive considering the motor is mounted below on the rear axle, although there’s no additional frunk storage for the Born.

$59,990 is the headline-grabbing price tag worn by the Cupra Born, and if you’ve kept up to date with the latest developments in terms of government incentives across Australia, you might have figured out it works out even cheaper than the before-on-roads price tag in some jurisdictions like Queensland.

This price makes it more affordable than base versions of its most direct competitors, the Tesla Model 3 (rear-wheel drive - $61,300) and the Polestar 2 ($63,900) while at the same time offering more range, at 511 WLTP-certified kilometres.

In fact it's one of the longer-range EVs on offer in Australia right now, which is impressive for a car that, size-wise, is on a playing field with cars like the Nissan Leaf (from $50,990) and GWM Ora (from $43,990).

Oh and there is just one other electric hatch in this kind of ‘hot hatch’ territory, the charming Mini Cooper SE (from $63,250) although opting for the diminutive Mini will mean putting up with just 233km of range.

To keep things simple, there’s only one Cupra Born variant, at least for now. From there, you can opt for one of two packages.

Standard equipment is high, with 19-inch alloy wheels, bucket seats clad in a cool recycled cloth material, LED exterior lights, dual-zone climate, keyless entry with keyless start and exit, a massive 12-inch multimedia touchscreen, a 5.3-inch digital instrument panel, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a wireless phone charger, and a 360-degree parking camera.

It is odd the seats are manually adjustable and the phone mirroring is wired at this price, and some may be slightly dismayed at the multimedia system. While it uses slick modern software with a stylish Cupra theme, it’s missing the air of always-online functionality which makes the Model 3 feel so smart, and adds an element of depth to the Polestar 2’s minimalist setup.

One thing which is very deliberate, however, is the omission of fake leather, and next-to-no real leather in the Cupra Born’s interior, even if you choose one of the optional packs. This is because Cupra wants to be more authentic and sustainable with its interior material choices.

The two option packs keep things straightforward. You can choose either the interior package ($2900) which adds a blue theme for the interior, consisting of a partially recycled microsuede seat material with highlights in Cupra’s signature bronze hue, electric adjust, heating, and message functions for the driver and front passenger, as well as a higher-grade Beats audio system.

Meanwhile the performance package ($2600) adds dynamic chassis control with adjustable dampers, larger 20-inch alloy wheels, an ESC-off function for rear-drive antics, and more aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

Interestingly, these performance tyres reduce range to 475km for performance package-equipped cars, while both packages render the Born a four-seater due to alterations to the rear bench.

There’s a single front-mounted electric motor providing the go here, with a total 113.7kW and 235Nm on offer fed through the single-speed gearbox, which is enough to push the 500e from 0-100km/h in 7.0 seconds.

Happily, the way that power is delivered makes it feel faster, and that Sound Generator does a pretty good impersonation of a petrol-powered hot hatch, rising and falling with your inputs.

The Cupra Born is interesting, in that it’s a rear-wheel drive hatchback. This provides both fun driving dynamics as well as a hike in efficiency, and in Australia, we get only the most powerful motor setup available.

This is a unit that produces a peak of 170kW under boost mode, and 310Nm of torque. This is approaching Golf GTI levels of power output, to give you an idea, although the Born is also some 400kg heavier, blunting its hot hatch potential somewhat.

Right, there’s one obvious downside to the Abarth experience, and that is that it is fitted with a 42kWh battery that delivers a claimed 253km of driving range.

It’s worth noting that there are three Drive Modes — Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track — and that only the first one will deliver the maximum range, because it limits inputs to 100kW and 220Nm.

Engage the other two — I’ve had it locked in Scorpion Track, for example, which gives you all of the power and deactivates one-pedal driving — and you can expect those numbers to drop.

When it comes time to charge, the Abarth 500e is set up for 85kW DC fast charging, which should take you from flat to 80 percent charged in around 35 minutes, as well as a maximum 11kW AC charging, which takes just over four hours to get to fully charged. Or you can plug it into a regular socket, which means more like 15 hours to recharge.

One last caveat: I actually wasn't able to get it to charge, which curtailed my adventures a little bit. I tried three chargers, all of which conjured an error message on the screen, and after a quick call to the folks at Abarth it transpired that a quick software update is required.

The Born’s astounding 511km driving range is afforded by its enormous 82kWh battery, which is more like the size of battery you would see in a much larger vehicle such as a Kia EV6 for example.

Thankfully though it’s not all brute force via capacity, this car is also reasonably energy efficient, with an official rating of 17kWh/100km.

Not all EVs can hit the WLTP numbers due to many variables from wheel size, tyre composition, and even temperature management, but even enthusiastically driving the demo cars on our launch saw numbers between 17 - 23kWh/100km. Nothing outrageous by any means. 

Expect a more thorough evaluation of the Born’s range and efficiency when we’re able to test one for a longer period of time at a later date.

When it comes to charging, the Born’s DC charger maxes out at 170kW, allowing a 10-80 per cent top up time of roughly 30 minutes.

Meanwhile its AC inverter tops out at 11kW for a slow charging time of roughly six hours from 10 - 100 per cent.

The Born uses a Euro-standard Type 2 CCS charging connector. Unfortunately, there’s no V2L function this time around.

Remember what I said about how just looking at the Abarth should put a smile on your face? Well, driving it paints on an even bigger grin, and it starts as soon as you fire it up.

While most EVs start silently, leaving you wondering if they're on at all, the Abarth takes a different approach, instead leaning on its sound generator, modelled on the exhaust note of the 695, to give you a throaty rumble when you fire it up. It even revs! And yes, you can turn it off (apparently), but why would you?

On the road, electric drive has actually improved the Abarth experience, I reckon, because all the harshness of the drivetrain has been ironed out, instead just leaving this smooth, potent flow of power every time you plant your right foot, with no gear changes or harsh vibrations to get in the way.

The steering is predictably direct, too, and the whole vehicle feels nimble and quick to react to your inputs.

It’s honestly the kind of car that’s fun driving anywhere, be it suburban streets or twisty backroads, and despite having a couple of options parked at my house, I found myself pulled to the Abarth for all of my trips.

Downsides? The ride is firm but comfortable on most roads, but downright uncomfortable when you clang over bumps or road imperfections. You’ll have to decide if that’s a price to high to pay, but I can live with it for the trade off. And while the cabin tech looks nice, but is fiddly and annoying to use.

Finally, the range relegates the Abarth to a second car, or for those who rarely leave the city. Which is a big ask at the price point.

We’ve come to understand hot hatchbacks in certain terms, and these are defined by lightweight design, firm suspension, and over-sized engines in the front, usually driving the front wheels.

But the Born flips pretty much the whole formula upside down. It’s heavy, rear-wheel drive, not as powerful as perhaps it could be, and has comparatively forgiving suspension.

In fact, the Born has one of the most supple suspension tunes for an electric car in this price bracket, being much more comfortable and adept at absorbing rough conditions than a Model 3 or a Polestar 2 for example.

When it comes to power, it’s instantly responsive, as any EV should be, but in a straight line you won’t be outrunning even a base Model 3, or even a Golf GTI.

Whether it’s truly a hot hatch then will depend on how you define this concept, because so long as you don’t care about straight-line speed, the Cupra Born is an absolute blast.

Unexpectedly, this unusual formula works. The Born is a car with a completely different character to every other EV at this price. Rather than being tight and locked-down, the Born feels much more free and fun, with its ride and particularly its steering combining with the rear-drive push to make for a playful little car, with an organic feel to its feedback.

Again, unlike a lot of electric cars, the Born’s flexible approach to the road results in a car which demands much more from the driver. The traction control computer doesn’t conspire with the electric motors and brakes to sanitise the experience, this car will let you make mistakes within reason.

It’s possible to eke out a cheeky slide if you push it, for example, and the way the weight of the battery shifts the car around is more entertaining than unsettling, like it is in some small electric SUVs.

Even the regenerative braking is comparatively hands-off. It doesn’t have the single-pedal driving experience that some EV adopters are after, instead it will gradually taper speed off, relying on the driver to actually use the blended braking on the brake pedal itself, even when the car is set to the most aggressive ‘B’ mode. Again, this means the driver has to actually drive the car, jabbing the brakes in on sharp corners.

Thankfully, there’s no optional extra pricey safety pack in the Cupra Born range, with standard active equipment including adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, driver attention alert, and a 360-degree parking camera.

There are also front and rear parking sensors, exit warning systems (uses the blind spot system to alert someone not to open their door into traffic), and a suite of seven airbags, including a centre airbag.

The safety suite is capped off with ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the rear seats.

The Born already carries a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to a 2023 standard, scoring reasonably highly across all categories.

It’s an interesting ownership proposition, because the car is covered for three years or 150,000km, which is underwhelming and then some compared to the warranty offerings of its competition, but there is capped-price servicing, at $300 per visit, required every 12 months or 15,000km, which lasts 10 years.

The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

Cupra offers the Born with a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as the choice of either a three- or five-year service pack. Interestingly, the three year pack, at $999, is the same price as it is for combustion vehicles in Cupra’s range, while the five-year pack is some $400 cheaper at $1590. Either way, this pack pricing isn’t outrageous when you break it down by annual cost, but many rivals in the electric space are offering free or very cheap servicing over the same period.