Cupra Born 2023: servicing won’t be free but still “competitive” when EV arrives

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Cupra Australia has confirmed to Chasing Cars that servicing on its Born hot hatch will not be free but will still be “competitive” when the Born arrives between late March and early April.

The confirmation comes after several Australian buyers were left confused after a technical glitch on the company’s website temporarily showed that the Born would be sold with free servicing for a limited period.

Cupra Australia product and communications manager Daniel DeGasperi told Chasing Cars that the website had accidentally displayed the limited-time free servicing deal offered on the Leon hatch, Formentor wagon and Ateca small SUV.

“As per our press release, we stated servicing would be announced in due course. We have offered customers who ordered a Born, having seen this error on our website, the option of a full refund on their deposit,” he said. 

“The cost for Born servicing will be competitive and in keeping with Cupra’s transparent driveaway pricing.”

Free servicing and keen driveaway pricing have played a major role in Cupra’s attempts to capture the attention of local buyers since it launched its vehicle lineup in Australia in 2022 – the Spanish brand’s first new market outside of Europe.

At a time when electric vehicles still come at a significant additional upfront cost when compared to their combustion-powered counterparts, affordability is seen as a major drawcard of the Born and was a big win for Cupra’s local team. 

Speaking at the first drive of the Born in late last year, Cupra head of product Jeff Shafer told Chasing Cars that it worked closely with its headquarters to achieve the sub $60K list price. 

“We had to work very hard to achieve that price,” he said.

However, Shafter added that it “might not be the price of the car forever” due to inflationary pressures and commodity prices that played a huge role in the price of an EV.

Cupra is also looking to introduce a smaller 58kWh battery version of the Born that would be pitched as a more affordable alternative to the 78kWh currently offered, though given the aforementioned increases in costs it won’t necessarily be cheaper than the current price.

Cupra Born 2023: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Born: $59,990

Driveaway prices by state:

• ACT: $61,990 
• NSW: $62,490
• Queensland: $63,490 
• South Australia: $64,490
• Victoria: $64,990 
• Western Australia: $66,490