Cupra Born vs Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 costs £9,215 more than the Cupra Born. For that premium it adds 43 miles more WLTP range, 75 kW faster peak rapid charging and 60 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Born comes out ahead overall.

The Cupra Born is £9,215 cheaper to buy. The Cupra Born is cheaper to charge, roughly £128 a year versus £160 for the Polestar 2, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Cupra Born comes out roughly £9,375 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 231 miles for the Polestar 2 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Cupra Born goes roughly 19 miles further between charging stops.

The Cupra Born is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 50 mm narrower than the Polestar 2. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 591 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Born and about 541 mm of total clearance for the Polestar 2. The Cupra Born also turns in a 1.3 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 Polestar 2. That gives the Polestar 2 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Polestar 2'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. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.