First Look
Baby Cupra finally arrives with bucket seats and a 223bhp range topper
Published: 09 Apr 2026
After what feels like a decade of development, teasers and concept cars, Cupra has finally pulled the covers off its production-spec Raval, and strangely the shark-nosed face is really reminding us of the Porsche Macan Electric.
Of course, at just 4m long the Raval is actually a teeny little EV supermini, and as much as Cupra claims that it “establishes a completely new category that combines urban dynamism with spacious practicality,” it’s quite clearly a rival for things like the retro Renault 5 and the Peugeot e-208. Does have a bigger boot than both of those, though. Bigger diffuser, too.
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The Raval – named after a “daring, creative and defiantly urban” district in Barcelona – is built on the VW Group’s new MEB+ platform, which will also underpin the upcoming ID. Polo. And much like the new-age Polo GTI, there’s also going to be a hot version of the Raval.
The VZ will be a range topper with 223bhp and 214lb ft of torque. Proper little Alpine A290 rival, then. It’ll also get an electronic limited slip diff to shuffle power between the front wheels (all Ravals are front-wheel drive), and there’s adaptive suspension with 15 different settings. Launch control too.
The VZ also gets wider tyres than the standard car, plus 19-inch wheels for a bit more visual drama. The 0-62mph sprint takes less than seven seconds, while the 52kWh NMC battery should provide just under 250 miles of range. We’ve actually already driven a prototype – click these words to find out what it’s like.
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Away from the sportiest setup, the lineup will kick off with a Raval Core that should start at around £23,000. That’ll deploy a 37kWh LFP battery and a little 114bhp motor. We’re promised around 186 miles of range and 90kW fast charging.
There will then be V1 and V2 versions, with a chance to choose between the smaller battery and 133bhp, or the larger battery and 208bhp. The latter will be the rangiest Raval, with around 280 miles on a single charge. That’ll also recharge at 130kW, meaning a 10 to 80 per cent top up should take 23 minutes.
On the inside we’re promised a soundtrack that’s inspired by Formula E, plus the option of a fancy 12-speaker Sennheiser sound system. There’s also plenty of ambient lighting, the option of vegan leather trim and some excellent bucket seats. Proper physical buttons are present and correct on the steering wheel (as are paddles to adjust the regen), but the climate control still works using touch sensitive sliders and the 12.9in infotainment screen. Doh! Apparently said screen now uses a new Android OS, though.
There’s a fair bit of tech that you might not expect in such a teeny VW Group product, with Travel Assist cruise control and auto-parking. You’ll also get V2L capability, illuminated logos and Matrix LED headlights. Very smart.
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Cupra says buyers will be able to choose from eight different alloy wheel designs, and there’s an ‘Iridescent Plasma’ paint colour that “shifts through Cyan, Blue and Indigo to Rose Red depending on the light.”
Speaking of light, reckon the Raval will be able to hold a candle to the current class leader, the Renault 5?
