Where to start when first looking at an electric vehicle (EV)
Most likely yes. The main factors to consider are where you can charge and the nature of your journeys. For many, making the transition to an EV is completely achievable.
In fact 94% of CUPRA EV owners are happy that they switched to an EV - and zero said that they would go back to a petrol or diesel car. Read our EV Perceptions Whitepaper for more interesting facts.
Selecting an electric vehicle is fundamentally similar to choosing any other car. Consider practicality, reliability, budget, and running costs, as well as specifics like features, colour, and power. Charging is the one major difference, more below on what to look for.
Over time, like most lithium-ion batteries used in everyday items such as smartphones, the capacity of EV batteries will reduce with usage and charging.
All new CUPRA electric vehicles come with our standard 5 year/90,000 mile warranty as well as an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty for the high voltage battery (degradation), whichever comes first.
Range is the term given to the number of miles an EV can complete
Depending on the battery size and trim chosen, with the CUPRA Born the maximum range is up to 231 miles with the 55kWh battery and up to 307 miles with the 77kWh battery (official test WLTP figures) on a full charge^. For most drivers this is more than sufficient for daily use and therefore charge mainly at home or place of work. For longer journeys a charge at a public charger will be required.
There are many factors that can affect range including the temperature, driving style, road layout and in car technology used. For day-to-day use it is also recommended to charge to 80% to prolong battery life.
Think about how far you typically travel in a day, week, or month, and whether you can charge at home or at work.
Compare this with the range of the EV you're interested in and you can work out how often you'll need to charge and where you can charge.
Can I save money by going electric?
It’s a common myth that electric vehicles are more expensive to purchase and more expensive to maintain. We’ve compared a 3-year running cost of a CUPRA Leon to a CUPRA Born with similar specification, with surprising results.
Based on our estimates it could be over £280 cheaper per month. This is based on 10,000 miles per year with 10% of the miles using public charging, and the rest at home using a special EV tariff.
Using an EV tariff at home is the cheapest option and costs just 7.5p/kw⁵. If a battery's capacity was 50kWh the cost to charge would theoretcally be £3.75 (7.5p multiplied by 50kWh).
The CUPRA Born comes in two battery sizes, 55kWh and 77kWh.
Below is a comparison of estimated costs¹ on 3-years ownership and an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. 10% of EV charging has been assumed to be public.
|
Leon V1 Design Edition 2.0 TSI DSG-auto 190PS |
Born V1 58 kWh 204PS |
|
|---|---|---|
|
OTR/MDP² |
£37,500 |
£34,715 |
|
Monthly price³ |
£431.62 |
£273.39 |
|
Customer deposit³ |
£7,500.00 |
£7,500.25 |
|
Length of PCP³ |
36 months |
36 months |
|
Service plan cost⁴ |
£99.99 |
£49.99 |
|
Petrol/electricity cost⁵ |
£5,143.14 |
£757.35 |
|
Overall monthly cost⁶ |
£806.71 |
£524.16 |
³ CUPRA Leon Solutions Personal Contract Plan representative example:
Contract Duration 36 Months, 35 Monthly Payments of £431.62, CUPRA Contribution £1,500.00, Customer Deposit £7,500, Total Deposit £9,000.00, Retail Cash Price £37,500.00, Optional Final Payment £16,626.60, Option to Purchase Fee (payable at the end of the agreement) £10.00, Total Amount Payable £37,500.00, Total Amount of Credit £28,500.00, Rate of Interest 4.86% Fixed, Representative APR 4.9% APR, Annual Mileage 10,000, Excess Mileage 8.38p per mile.
CUPRA Born Solutions Personal Contract Plan representative example:
Contract Duration 36 Months, 35 Monthly Payments of £273.39, CUPRA Contribution £2,500.00, Customer Deposit £7,500.25, Total Deposit £10,000.25, Retail Cash Price £34,715.00, Optional Final Payment £15,146.10, Option to Purchase Fee (payable at the end of the agreement) £0.00, Total Amount Payable £34,715.00, Total Amount of Credit £24,715.00, Rate of Interest 0.00% Fixed, Representative APR 0% APR, Annual Mileage 10,000, Excess Mileage 9.89p per mile.
Monthly price and customer deposit correct as of 18 June 2024 based on a 36 month contract length.
With a Solutions Personal Contract Plan (PCP) you simply select your model, mileage and deposit. Monthly payments can then be spread across 18 to 49 months. At the end of your agreement, you can choose to exchange it for a brand new model, pay the optional final payment and own the car, or hand it back (subject to terms and conditions). Other finance products are available. Provided by SEAT Financial Services.
