The Cupra Formentor was updated in 2025 & we finally got our hands on the plug-in e-Hybrid in July. Subtle tweaks both inside & have sharpened the looks, but for company car drives the big news is a larger battery & longer electric driving range.
What’s new ?
Outside the Formentor now features many design details lifted from the Born & Tavascan & these include a new shark-nose front that features a frameless grille, triangular LED Matrix headlights & an illuminated rear Cupra logo.
Inside, all models now come with a larger 12.9″ central infotainment screen, copper interior accents, revised trims & a higher quality finish.
More good news is that the previous model’s 12kWh battery replaced with larger 19.7kWh battery pack which almost double the old models 38 mile driving range to 73 miles. And the old 1.4 litre engine has been usurped by a cleaner 1.5 litre TSI unit.
Powertrains
There are two plug-in hybrid versions. Firstly our test car the 205PS version (150kW) with 350NM of torque, which comes with an electric ange of 77 miles or the VZ with 272PS (200kW) & 400Nm with a 73 mile electric driving range.
Performance
204Ps 0-62mph 7.9 seconds
272PS 0-62mph 7.1 seconds
Top speed is 130mph
Specs & pricesThe Cupra Formentor e-Hybrid is available with a choice of four specs. V1 & V2 come with the 204PS engine whilst the VZ2 & VZ3 feature the more powerful 272PS version.
Prices start from £41,510 for the entry level V12rising to £51,100 for the top of the range VZ3. Our test car was the V2 eHybrid 204PS costs £54,190
Exterior
The Formentor’s definitely a looker. Coupe meets SUV & it works. Narrow front LED headlights showcase the shark-nose front grille with the copper coloured Cupra logo front & centre. At the rear a narrow light bar runs right across the lid of the rear hatch with a red illuminated Cupra logo in the middle. And the bronze finished twin exhausts, really make a style statement.
Equipment
All versions come with LED headlights, a 12.9″ touchscreen infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, plus a 10.2″ digital drivers display. Safety is strong, with all models also getting Lane Assist, a seat belt reminder, forward collision warning with automatic braking, a driver alert system & a Safety & Driving Pack.
The V1 also has 18″ alloys, a leather multi-function steering wheel, rear parking sensors & an electronic parking brake. V2 adds 19″ alloys as standard, a rear-view camera, powered tailgate with virtual pedal & heated & electrically adjustable front seats
VZ2 & VZ3 are more powerful, so are also equipped with adaptive sport chassis control, sports front suspension, speed-sensitive power steering, a rear diffuser with single exhaust pipe on each side. The VZ2 also features an electrically-adjusted leather drivers seat with memory function & the Safety & Driving Pack as standard,
VZ3 adds CUP bucket seats, forged 19″ alloys, Brembo brakes & a Sennheiser premium audio system.
Interior
The interior of the Formentor really stands out, thanks to the attractive matte black, chrome dashboard, finished off with copper trimmed features, around the air vents & steering wheel controls. The 12″central infotainment screen leans toward the driver which is a good thing. However, as with many of the latest VW Group range products, there is a distinct lack of physical buttons, with most inputs undertaken via the touchscreen. Luckily you can turn off Lane Departure Warning & Speed Warning on the steering wheel, where a new button has been added to the 2025 model.
There are some physical buttons, such as the climate control, which are operated by touch-sensitive bars which are a touch frustrating to use. The Adaptive Cruse Control, heated steering wheel, driving data, voice control & the radio volume, can be controlled with steering-wheel buttons.
Build quality
Apart from some cheap plastic adorning the lower reaches of the centre binnacle & doors, it’s all pretty good. So you get soft touch plastic on the dashboard tops, decent leather seat finishes & a tasteful black interior which all add to the sporty feel.
Practicality
The door pockets are large & you get twin centre cup holders. There’s a phone charger in the centre of the lower dash & two slim spaces either side of the gear knob to fit your keys. There are twin ‘C’ USB’s up front & two more in the rear, which also features separate heating controls & an armrest equipped with two more cup holders.
Space inside is good, but seating wise, the rear will only comfortably fit 2 adults. Rear head & legroom is actually pretty good, with my six-foot tall son fitting in comfortably, when sat behind the driver.
The Formentor e-Hybrid comes with 345 litres of boot storage, 105 litres less than the petrol versions. The plug-in comes supplied with a two charging cables & a handy bag for each, but there’s no space under the boot floor to store these. Rear seats fold 60:40.
CO2 & BIK
With just 10g/km or 37g/km of CO2, the two plug-in models are extremely fleet friendly & offer BIK from just 5% for the 204PS version or 7% on larger 272PS versions.
Plug-In charging times, fuel economy & full electric range
The e-Hybrid 204, offers a combined range of 176-188 mpg & a 77 mile pure electric range. The more powerful e-Hybrid 272, fares slightly worse with an 166-177 mpg combined range & a pure electric range of 73 miles. More good news is that the updated e-Hybrid will now charge at speeds of up to 50kWh, so it’s faster. Plug-in at home & you’re looking at an easy 3 hours to fully charge the battery overnight.
Driving modes
You can select from one of three driving modes in the Formentor; Comfort, Sport or Individual. These can be chosen by pushing the Cupra logo button on the steering wheel. Each is pretty self explanatory.
So, for more frugal driving, we spent most of our week driving in Comfort mode, whilst utilising Adaptive Cruise Control on the motorway. Perfect for a softer ride & fuel economy. Sport up’s the ante, with better acceleration & tighter handling.
Driving & handling
When you start the engine, as long as you have some battery charge, the Formentor defaults to EV mode. The other option is Hybrid mode. In our experience, it’s best to save the battery range for slower driving, in town for example, where you’ll get more miles from the battery range. So, you’ll need to enter the touchscreen menu, select EV & choose Hybrid as the default mode, otherwise the car will set off in EV mode & the battery range will disappear quicker.
Driving in Comfort mode doesn’t mean a lack of fun, far from it. Despite the battery weight, the Formentor handles the road very well, especially in Comfort mode. If you move into Sport mode the chassis stiffens up & the bumps are a little more noticeable, but neither setting is hard compared to the bone shattering ride that accompanied Leon Cupra’s of old.
We took a trip to Liverpool for the weekend, four adults, a dog & our luggage & it was extremely comfortable. There was plenty of room on board & in the boot, where we comfortably fitted four holdalls & a bag for the dog. Thanks to the four USB connections, everyone could do their own thing. Connecting wirelessly to Apple CarPlay was seamless & in cab hands-free telephone calls were easy to make.
As far as real world economy goes, we drove almost 300 miles in our week in the Cupra, averaging just over 52 mpg. We would suggest that the battery range was closer to 65 miles than the claimed 77 miles.
When charging at home, we took advantage of our suppliers discounted night time charging rate of 9p a kWh between 00.01 & 05.00 am, meaning a full charge of the Formentor’s 19.7 kW battery, cost us just £1.75p.
Pros
Great looking car, with some nice internal & external touches that make it stand out from the crowd. Company car drivers will love the 5% BIK. Despite the heavyish battery, the Formentor actually handles very well. And IF you plug in regularly & stay local, you’ll not need to visit the petrol station often either.
Cons
The touchscreen interface still isn’t the best out there & it takes too many clicks to get where you want to go, which is distracting. Boot space is only average & there’s nowhere to store the charging cables. There’s some questionable plastic quality, around the doors & lower centre console. Not as rapid as one would expect from a Cupra.
Conclusion
The updated Cupra Formentor eHybrid now offers company car drivers lower BIK & a longer pure electric driving range than before, whilst the updates both inside & out have improved its looks. Importantly it’s still looks different, which has to be a good thing. Furthermore, we found that it work’s well as a family car, whilst offering the driver the chance to indulge in bit of Cupra fun. We like.
You better you better you bet. 4/5
