Is an EV really something for you? Now you have time to decide! Cupra is launching a three-month return offer on its £35,000 Born electric hatchback – what’s the catch?

Switching from a conventional petrol or diesel car to an electric vehicle is an important life decision for many motorists.

Deciding whether you can really adapt to life with a car that is almost completely silent, packed with torque and needs to be charged rather than refueled can be a tough choice for some, especially those without a home charger or drivers who cover a lot of miles on a car. regular basis.

However, Cupra – Seat’s sporty spin-off brand – now claims to offer some sort of solution; you can return the Born hatchback after three months of purchase if you just don’t like it or if you don’t live with an electric car in general.

But there’s a catch…

The carmaker says the return option scheme – the first of its kind for an electric car – has been launched ‘for drivers who are not yet fully convinced that an EV is for them’.

The offer, called ‘Love Me or Leave Me’, is only available on the Born hatchback – the sister model to the VW ID.3, which costs £35,495 and 422 kilometers in its cheapest form, but can go up to 373 kilometers for more expensive options .

If the owner decides after three months that the EV is not for him, he can return it and Cupra will refund the deposit, regardless of whether the car was purchased outright or financed.

The terms and conditions of the offer require customers to notify the manufacturer by email within 80 to 100 days of receipt that they no longer want the EV – that’s less than three weeks to make a decision

What’s the catch?

As with most deals, there are some catches that drivers should be aware of.

Firstly, only Borns ordered from Cupra’s current stock are eligible for the three-month returns offer.

And – most importantly – if the driver chooses to discard the car, he must notify the manufacturer by email between 80 and 100 days after receipt.

This means they have less than three weeks (20 days) to inform the brand that owning an electric car is simply not for them at the moment.

Cupra also makes a note that the deposit amount will be refunded minus any damage to the vehicle during the period the customer has owned it.

Marcus Gossen, director of Cupra UK, said: ‘It’s safe to say that the new plan is ground-breaking and will encourage many drivers who have been considering an electric car to take the plunge.

‘Cupra Born is already a compelling proposition, bringing together performance, great range, sporty styling and an excellent interior in one package that owners say they love.

‘But if the experience doesn’t suit their lifestyle and a driver doesn’t agree with owning an electric car, they can give the keys back after three months.’

Cupra has also partnered with OVO and Ohme for home charging offers for customers, including up to 10,000 free charging kilometers using one of OVO’s tariffs and a free Ohme device.

Automakers are slashing prices and introducing strange promotions to boost electric vehicle sales

Curpa’s isn’t the only brand-inspired deal designed to encourage motorists to switch to electric vehicles, amid reports of dwindling demand among private buyers.

Fiat has expanded its ‘e-Grant’ offer, bringing £3,000 off the list price of its 500e and 600e models.

In recent weeks, Lexus has also cut the price of its electric cars by up to £7,000 and Vauxhall has also made its battery cars cheaper in the hope this will increase uptake.

Electric car sales: Lexus has slashed the price of its UX300e EV by up to £7,100 in a bid to boost demand

Vauxhall has also cut the price of its Astra Electric (left) and Corsa Electric (right) range by as much as 11% in recent weeks as part of efforts to ‘democratise access to electric cars’ by making them ‘more accessible’ for car buyers.

But perhaps the most unique – and strangest – of all the recent offerings is Renault’s ‘Relationship Breakdown Cover’ for its electric Scenic SUV.

This guarantees a refund to couples who purchase the electric family car, but divorce or dissolve a registered partnership after receiving it.

Recent surveys have shown that high prices remain the biggest barrier to electric car ownership, with the majority of drivers saying they simply cannot afford to switch to an electric car.

Two-thirds of car buyers told Auto Trader last month that they plan to spend no more than £20,000 on their next car – a budget that puts most new battery models well out of reach.

According to the latest report, the average selling price of a new all-electric car is £51,000, which is 31 percent higher than a new petrol or diesel model.

However, there are more affordable electric vehicles in the pipeline, starting this year with the launch of the sub-£15,000 Dacia Spring this year and the new £23,495 Hyundai Inster arriving in 2025.

Renault’s quirky plan – launched in July – is also littered with caveats, including the fact that it’s only open to those who bought the car outright between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 (which applies to very few EV buyers, of which most use leasing options) and entered ‘either a Divorce or the dissolution of a Civil Partnership’.

Cupra’s announced deal comes just days after the UK’s automotive trade body – the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders – and 13 major carmakers wrote to Chancellor Rachel Reeves calling for the introduction of new incentives to make battery-powered cars cheaper for motorists. to breathe life into the EV market.