Let’s be honest: most electric cars are about as thrilling as a wet Tuesday in November. Then Cupra rolls up with the Raval, a compact rebel that proves going zero-emission doesn’t mean surrendering every last drop of fun. This isn’t another soulless shopping trolley; it’s a Barcelona-bred street fighter built to devour corners and laugh at traffic jams. And yes, as someone who spends far too much time fantasising about silent, instant torque and never visiting a petrol station again, I’m properly excited about this one.
The Raval kicks off a whole new wave of small electric Volkswagens – think of it as the naughty Spanish cousin to the upcoming ID. Polo and Skoda Epiq. At just over four metres long it slips into parking spaces that would defeat a game of automotive Tetris, yet it looks like it’s been carved with a very angry knife. Triangular headlights, a full-width rear light bar, a cheeky little spoiler and those copper accents that scream Cupra. It’s the UrbanRebel concept grown up, toned down just enough to be legal, but still wearing the same smirk.
Underneath, Cupra has gone properly old-school hot-hatch on an electric budget. Every version sits 15 mm lower than its sensible siblings, gets progressive steering and proper discs all round – none of your cheap rear drums here, thank you. The standard Dynamic and Dynamic Plus models pump out 155 kW (211 hp), but the range-topping VZ Extreme serves up 166 kW (226 hp) and 290 Nm. That’s 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and an overwhelming urge to find roundabouts. Tick the box for adaptive dampers, an electronic limited-slip diff, fat tyres on 19-inch wheels and a sport mode that lets the traction control have a quick cigarette break, and you’ve got a front-wheel-drive EV that genuinely feels alive. One-pedal driving is tuned to perfection – strong enough to make you feel clever, precise enough to never annoy.
Battery choices are nicely judged: smaller packs for the truly tight-fisted giving around 300 km, and the sweet-spot 56 kWh version promising up to 450 km on the WLTP cycle – easily enough for a weekend dash to the coast. The VZ loses a few kilometres because it’s having too much fun, but nobody sensible is going to complain. Fast-charging is obviously on the menu, and the MEB+ platform means a flat floor, decent rear legroom (even in the middle) and a boot that swallows more than you’d expect. There are even clever cubbies for cables so you’re not wrestling with spaghetti every time you plug in.
Price-wise, the Raval is a proper bargain: from around €26,000 for the entry model. That undercuts a Peugeot e-208 while offering far more attitude, and only costs a little more than the inevitable vanilla Volkswagen version. You’re basically paying a small premium for Spanish fire. Production starts early 2026 in Martorell, and the Raval will be first out of the blocks.
In a world where too many EVs feel like a worthy chore, the Cupra Raval reminds us that electric can be fast, sharp, practical and genuinely desirable. Silent fury wrapped in a compact package – what’s not to love?
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