Cupra Born vs Mazda 6e

The Mazda 6e costs £3,000 more than the Cupra Born. For that premium it adds 47 miles more WLTP range, 90 kW faster peak rapid charging and 50 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Born comes out ahead overall.

The Cupra Born is £3,000 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £128 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Cupra Born comes out roughly £3,120 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 250 miles for the Cupra Born and 290 miles for the Mazda 6e - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Mazda 6e goes roughly 40 miles further between charging stops.

The Cupra Born is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 81 mm narrower than the Mazda 6e. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 591 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Born and about 510 mm of total clearance for the Mazda 6e. The Cupra Born also turns in a 1.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Cupra Born and 90% for the Mazda 6e. That gives the Mazda 6e a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Mazda 6e's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Cupra Born's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.