New Cupra Raval is aiming to give MINI Cooper and Renault 5 a big problem

This is our best look yet at the new, highly anticipated Cupra Raval: a small, sporty electric supermini which will be arriving next year to try its luck against the MINI Cooper and Renault 5.

The Raval’s arrival has been a long time coming, as Cupra first hinted at the prospect of an entry-level electric car back in 2021 with the bonkers UrbanRebel concept. A more toned down concept was revealed a year later, but the car you see here is a camouflaged version of the roadgoing model.

It was shown for the first time at a preview event to the 2025 Munich Motor Show, where the radical Cupra Tindaya concept will also be unveiled. To keep us guessing until the full reveal next year, it’s sporting graphics that are actually a map of the El Raval district in Barcelona where the car takes its name from.

The Raval will be the first member of the Volkswagen Group’s new ‘Electric Urban Car’ family to arrive, followed shortly after by the Volkswagen ID. Polo and ID. Cross, and the Skoda Epiq. All four will be built in Spain and on the same MEB Entry platform. 

“The Cupra Raval is now shaping our future,” said the brand’s interim CEO Markus Haupt. “Because with it, we’ve brought together everything Cupra stands for: emotion, striking design, electrifying performance and as always, driver focused.”

We’re expecting prices for the Cupra Raval to start from around £22,000 to £25,000. That would put it within spitting distance of the Renault 5, which is now available through our Buy A Car service from £21,495, and undercut the MINI Cooper Electric, which currently starts from just under £27,000.

What will the new Cupra Raval look like?

It would appear that very few changes have been made to the pugnacious design of the Cupra Raval on its journey from concept to production. Distinctive features include a sharp nose and aggressive bumper, chiselled bonnet and large snowflake-like wheels that are finished in Cupra’s signature copper hue. There’s also a new take on the brand’s triangular headlight signature. 

We’ve seen prototypes of the Raval out and about testing over the past year, which showed us there will be a diffuser-style bumper and full-width light bar at the rear. The latter will possibly include an illuminated Cupra badge in the middle, just like we saw on the earlier concepts.  

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Cupra designer Rafael Gordo told Auto Express: “We’re really really happy with the Raval design; we were given lots of great elements to work with and think it’s a really pure distillation of Cupra’s design language.” 

We’ve not had a chance to look inside the production Raval yet, but Gordo told us: “Inside, we’ve stopped using elements like textured plastics and complicated layering of materials for a simpler look.” It’ll probably feature a more driver-focused cockpit layout, at least compared to the ID. Polo, and Cupra will maintain the use of copper-coloured trim elements, ambient lighting and sporty, dark-coloured upholstery and trim.

Designed for life in the city, the Raval measures four metres long – which is about the same as a Renault 5 – but the Spaniard should have a longer wheelbase compared with its rival. Combined with its EV-dedicated platform, and having the wheels pushed out to the corners, this should mean cabin space is decent. 

What power, performance and range will the new Cupra Raval offer?

The Cupra Raval will be based on the same MEB Entry platform as the Volkswagen ID. Polo, and will also be front-wheel drive. However, it’s set to receive a more sporting set-up compared with its German siblings.

In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Cupra’s head of research and development Werner Tietz said the Raval will be fitted with sports suspension across the range, as well as different steering, special software response settings and different tyres to give it the right Cupra character. “We will always offer the most sporty version on the platform,” he said.

Teitz also confirmed that the Raval will get a VZ performance range-topper, following on from the larger Born hatchback’s hot 321bhp VZ model launched last year. “We want to have a VZ in every model,” he said, without committing to timescales. The Cupra Born VZ followed a couple of years behind the regular car’s introduction, so we may have a little longer to wait for the Raval equivalent. 

We expect the Raval will be offered with the same 38kWh and 56kWh battery packs as the ID. Polo, with the larger unit likely providing more than 270 miles of range. 

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