The Cupra Raval Is Fun. The Motorway Range Is the Catch.

Cupra's smallest electric car is here, and mechanically it is also the new Volkswagen ID. Polo. Autogefühl drove the Raval in Germany and put it through the channel's usual steady speed efficiency runs, which is the part most launch coverage skips. The test car was the 211 horsepower Endurance version on 19 inch wheels with the larger 52 kWh NMC battery, quoted at 7.1 seconds for the acceleration figure. A 37 kWh LFP pack is the entry option. At a constant 100 km/h the video measured 14 kWh per 100 km, which works out to around 370 km of real world range. At 130 km/h that fell to 18.5 kWh per 100 km and roughly 280 km, or 175 miles. Prices start at 26,000 euros, per the video, with the tested spec at 43,000.

Range at speed is only half the motorway story. The other half is how long the stop takes, and that is where small batteries get exposed. The video quotes 105 kW peak DC charging and around 24 minutes for 10 to 80 percent. On a 52 kWh pack that window puts back roughly 36 kWh, which at the measured 130 km/h consumption buys a little under 200 km before you are looking for the next charger. So the honest long distance rhythm is closer to 200 km of motorway running per 24 minute break, not the 280 km headline figure. That is entirely reasonable for a car this size, and it is why the host is straightforward about the Raval being a second car rather than a holiday car. It is worth weighing against what the same money buys elsewhere. He notes that a recently launched Chinese rival offers a noticeably longer car with a bigger battery for around 35,000 euros.

The chassis is where the Cupra badge earns the difference over the Volkswagen. The video says the Raval sits 15 mm lower than the Polo with a 10 mm wider track, and the host describes the steering as crisp even in comfort mode and the car as genuinely quick through roundabouts and tight corners, front wheel drive and all. The cost is ride quality. With steel springs, a torsion beam rear axle and the largest 19 inch wheels, he calls the ride rough, reports booming noise from the rear over potholes, and recommends either smaller wheels or the VZ version, which is the only way to get the DCC adaptive dampers. The VZ is quoted at 6.8 seconds against 7.1, so the case for it is the suspension, not the stopwatch.

Elsewhere the video reports a 440 litre boot with a height adjustable floor that can sit low for tall items or high for a flat load bay, and no frunk at all, because the climate compressor occupies the space. The video says the related ID. Cross and Škoda Epiq, which share the platform, do get a small one. Inside, ambient light is projected onto the door cards rather than shone through perforations, which the host calls a cheaper solution that looks better than the expensive one. Rear legroom behind a tall driver is tight and the rear door cards are hard plastic. The host also points out that Cupra kept the touch sliders for climate control where the Volkswagen version gets physical controls. Travel Assist 3.0 adds traffic light and stop sign recognition, and B mode gives one pedal driving down to a complete stop.

Bottom line: buy the small wheels. On the evidence here the 19s cost ride comfort and a slice of efficiency in exchange for a look, and the chassis is good enough that it does not need the help. If you want the Raval to be the sporty one, the VZ is the version worth paying for, not for the 0.3 seconds but because it is the only route to adaptive dampers. And be honest about the use case before you sign. This is a very good city and back road car with a motorway range that will irritate you if you pretend it is something else.

Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.