CUPRA Raval (2026 - ) Electric review

Affordable EVs are a bit like waiting for a bus, in that we didn’t have any for a long time and now new models arrive en masse. The Cupra Raval’s starting price certainly looks appealing, particularly given it qualifies for the £1,500 Electric Car Grant which further sweetens the deal. However, beware the price jump if you fancy the sportiest version as the extra performance does not come cheap. Running costs should be minimal, though, if you can charge at home on a dedicated EV energy tariff and company drivers will gain the additional benefit in kind advantages for choosing an electric car. However, regular public charging will be considerably more expensive and it’s worth noting the Raval’s modest DC charging capabilities, so if you regularly go beyond the city limits, topping up on the go could take you around half an hour to charge from 10 to 80 per cent.

The Raval will be built in Barcelona using new underpinnings which will be shared across the wider Volkswagen Group by other compact models such as the Skoda Epiq and the VW ID. Cross. While it’s too early to judge long-term reliability, the new front-wheel drive system uses fewer components than previous VW-based EVs which helps to reduce costs and in theory there should be less to go wrong. For peace of mind Cupra offers a five-year warranty for up to 90,000 miles, and the battery gets its own eight-year/100,000-mile cover.

Unlike other affordable EVs like the Citroën ë-C3 or the Fiat Grande Panda, the Raval feels considerably more solid. Add to this the usual array of standard features like adaptive cruise control, emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance and you’ve got yourself a reassuring package. We didn’t find the driver aids to be particularly intrusive, although if you do find them annoying you can set a shortcut in the main screen to turn features off. However, this is where the Raval loses one safety star because so many of the car’s features require you to use the screen. Despite the set-up being an improvement on previous Cupras, we still found using the infotainment distracted our attention from the road. In better news, from V1 grade upwards you’ll get front and rear parking sensors plus a rear-view camera, and higher-grade models gain a bird’s-eye view camera, semi-autonomous driving and the ability for the car to park itself.

The Raval is surprisingly roomy for a compact car with more space in the boot than you’ll get find in the larger Cupra Born. Up front there’s plenty of storage space with large door bins, cubbies and cupholders. There’s an acceptable amount of space in the back for two adults and for short journeys adding a third shouldn’t create too many complaints. While this is an affordable car, the Raval’s interior feels by no means bargain-basement. Cupra has used a variety of high quality and partially recycled materials which make the Raval feel more grown-up than rivals like the Renault 4 or the Hyundai Inster. All versions get ambient lighting while higher-level trims gain snazzy multi-coloured light projections on the front doors and an increasing number of copper-coloured highlights. For the full sporty experience V2 trim adds electrically adjustable bucket seats with lumbar support and memory function. Meanwhile, VZ and RZ Extreme trims take this further with cosseting ‘Cup Bucket’ seats with larger bolsters to hug you in place. Out on the road our range-topping VZ test car provided a very comfortable place to be, and it felt smooth and composed throughout our drive. We do note, however, our car had enhancements to make it more performance focused including configurable Dynamic Chassis Control suspension (DCC), so we will have to wait to drive other models in the range and judge them accordingly.

While the sporty looks are a defining feature in themselves, the Raval offers plenty of standard kit to back up its style. All cars get the same digital driver display and large central touch-screen which runs Cupra’s latest Android operating system borrowed from the freshly updated Born. This, you’ll be pleased to know, is an improvement on previous VW-derived systems and the physical steering wheel buttons mitigate some of the frustration you may have with the slider-operated temperature and volume controls. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto also come as standard. We recommend upgrading from the entry-level Origin trim to at least V1 to gain a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and a generous array of other mod-cons, including keyless entry with the option to unlock your car with your phone. However, if music is your thing, you’ll want to move up to V2 grade to gain the 12-speaker Sennheiser sound system. Each grade gets its own unique wheel design and there’s a choice of seven paint colours in a range of matt and iridescent finishes making the car look like something out of a moody sci-fi movie.

The Raval will be available with a variety of power and battery options so there should be something for everyone. The range starts with the city-focused Origin model which has a modest battery and up to 200 miles of range. Upgrading to V1 or V2 models you’ll gain more power and the choice of a larger battery with a range of up to 275 miles. Meanwhile, the performance-focused VZ version gets 225 horsepower and has been specifically tuned to make it sportier to drive – this does reduce the official range to 239 miles, though. We tested the VZ model on the busy streets of Barcelona and the surrounding twisty mountain roads. The Raval is billed as an urban EV, and it was suitably nippy and nimble around the city, but we were also impressed by how capably it felt on the open road too. The dynamic sports suspension and other upgrades on our car resulted in an EV which was both fun, balanced and refined, so it is as at home running errands in Comfort mode as it is enjoying a country road to the full in Cupra mode. The steering was precise and the brakes, though a bit grabby, were predictable and confidence inspiring. For maximum efficiency you have a choice of various amounts of regenerative braking, and we like how easy it is to toggle between the options using the paddles behind the steering wheel. While we didn’t have enough time to fully test the car’s range, we drove the car on a variety of roads and the efficiency of just under 4 miles/kWh suggests in favourable conditions you’d manage closer to 200 miles in the real world.