Cupra Raval month 2: A baptism of fire

Long-Term Reviews

Our long-termer goes head to head with perhaps its fiercest rival - the Peugeot E-208 GTi

MA

Matt Allan

28 October 2026 · 3 min read

So, after a gentle first few weeks in the Allan household, my long-term Raval faced its first serious challenge this month.

And I mean serious.

Cupra has the Raval VZ Extreme positioned as a true modern hot hatch. A car for people who love to drive and who care about more than raw horsepower and straightline speed. It’s among a growing pool of electric hot hatches and, to my mind, instantly rocketed to the top of the list, ahead of the likes of the Alpine A290 and Mini JCW.

However, this last month saw the arrival of probably its greatest rival – the Peugeot E-208 GTi.

Peugeot has been a little later to the hot hatch party than some, but this is a brand that has serious credentials and is putting a lot of weight behind its first spicy EV. After all, you don’t invoke the legendary 205 GTi unless you really believe you’ve got something worthy to succeed it.

And Peugeot definitely does. Over several hours on some suitably demanding Scottish roads, the little French firecracker lived up to its billing. This is a fast, focused and ferocious option that showcases all that’s great about a hot hatch, electric or otherwise.

Obviously, with the Pug’s launch happening just a couple of hours from my house, I took the Raval, covering similarly hot hatch-friendly roads there and back, and allowing a clear back-to-back comparison.

On a tough road the Peugeot definitely feels the more raw, edgy option. Driven hard, it’s just a little sharper, a little more focused and a little more agile than the Raval. There’s more bite to the steering, a proper mechanical LSD and an extra 55bhp, which gives a distinctly nippier feel.

Countering that, the Raval is still brilliantly lively and nimble, and rides far better. Even in its stiffest mode, it’s more pliant and settled than the Pug, and this actually allows for better progress over Scotland’s shoddy B roads. That’s backed up by better brakes which inspire confidence in the Cupra. Peugeot made a big deal about the 208 GTi using all-friction braking in Sport mode for a more natural feel. But Cupra’s smart “one-box” configuration is exceptional, offering a more natural, powerful response. It’s not just better than its direct rivals, either, the Raval has some of the best feeling brakes in the EV sphere.

So each has its strengths but, in the final reckoning, I was glad to be leaving in the Raval rather than the 208.

While on-the-edge performance is a key part of a hot hatch, so is everyday usability and, in the end, the Raval strikes that balance far better. It’s almost as agile as the Pug, but rides far better and delivers plenty of punch for the average British back road. Beyond that, though, it’s more spacious, more comfortable and significantly more modern feeling than the Peugeot, delivering a more complete package with very little compromise.

Long-term log

Arrived: September 2026

Price as tested: £38,580 (excl. ECG)

Mileage since arrival: 1,351

Average consumption: 3.5m/kWh

Monthly charging costs: £39.48

Costs: None

Faults: None

Cupra Raval month 1

Fact file

Cupra Raval VZ Extreme

Price

£36,310 (£38,580 as tested without ECG)

Powertrain

Single-motor, front-wheel-drive

Battery

52kWh

Power

222bhp

Torque

214lb ft

Top speed

109mph

0-62mph

6.8 seconds

Range

238 miles

Consumption

3.8-4.5m/kWh

Real-world range

201 miles

Real-world consumption

3.8m/kWh

Charging

up to 135kW

Boot space

441 litres

Insurance group

22