It’s the battle to be crowned king of the all electric hatchbacks.
But which one triumphs in a triple-header featuring the Renault Megane E-Tech, the Volkswagen ID.3, and the Cupra Born?
Make no mistake, all three are highly capable cars and each has a trophy cabinet that’s full of industry awards.
The VW ID.3 and the Cupra Born can be considered siblings. They both share the same electric platform and both roll off the same VW Group production line in Germany.
There are, however, subtle yet important differences between the two.
Meanwhile the Renault Megane E-Tech has muscled-in on the ID.3 and Born’s leasing territory by offering something equally unique.
We like all three - but which one really deserves a place on the driveway of leasing customers? There’s only one way to find out…
SIZE COMPARISON AND LOOKS
Looks can be deceptive. At first glance, the Renault Megane E-Tech appears chunkier and bigger-boned than the VW ID.3 or the Cupra Born.
With its high bonnet and imposing rear end, the E-Tech is (below) much more ‘SUV’ than either the ID.3 or the Born.
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But all three cars share a virtually identical footprint - with the ID.3 being ever-so-slightly taller, wider and longer than the Megane E-Tech. But it's only by a cm here and there.
And to put it into even sharper perspective, they’re all about the same size as a regular Volkswagen Golf while offering plenty of room in the rear for passengers.
In terms of style, the VW ID.3 (above) is definitely the sensible older sibling compared with the tearaway middle child that is the Born.
The Megane E-Tech somehow treads a line between being both a sporty yet sensible lease, which is no bad thing at all.
Which one has the biggest boot?
Well, the Renault wins hands down here. The Megane E-Tech’s boot measures 440 litres while the VW ID.3 and the Cupra Born (below) make do with 385 litres. The Born and the ID.3’s luggage capacity is still pretty generous, however, with the petrol-powered Golf having a smaller 380 litre trunk.
ELECTRIC RANGE
The range between charges is a key aspect when it comes to leasing an electric car.
And the distance between plug-ins is easy to explain with the Renault Megane E-Tech - because all models get a 60 kWh battery that results in a range of up to 280 miles.
With the VW ID.3, the cheapest ‘Pro’ models feature a 58kWh battery with a range of up to 266 miles, while you can also lease an ID.3 in more expensive ‘Pro S’ trim, which gives you a larger 77 kWh battery and a range of up to 347 miles.
The Cupra Born’s range is a slightly trickier to fathom.
The entry-level trim is ‘V1’, and it gets a 58 kWh battery and a range of up to 264 miles, which is pretty much the same as the entry level ID.3.
With the V2 and V3 trims, however, you also get the option of a larger 77 kWh with a range of up to 341 miles between charges. That’s down on the maximum range of the ID.3 Pro S, but the Cupra Born has more power, so you’d expect a slight compromise when it comes to distance capabilities.
Here’s a quick overview:
Renault Megane E-Tech:
Up to 280 miles - which is consistent on all trim levels.
VW ID.3:
Pro (58 kWh battery): max 266 miles
Pro S (77 kWh battery): max 347 miles
Cupra Born:
V1 (58 kWh battery): max 264 miles
V2/V3 (58 kWh battery): max 262 miles
V2/V3 (78 kWh battery) max 341 miles.
How do you make sense of all of that? Perhaps look at it from an affordability point of view. It’s easy to see here that the entry-level Megane E-Tech offers a better range than either the cheapest VW ID.3 or the bottom-rung Cupra Born.
CHARGING SPEEDS
Again, how quickly you can get energy back into your battery can be a game changer when it comes to leasing an electric car.
The Renault Megane E-Tech supports 130 kW DC rapid which means you’ll replenish the battery to 80% in around 30 minutes.
The ID.3 Pro supports 120 kW DC rapid charging, while the ID.3 Pro S trumps that with 170 kW DC public charging, which can take the battery from 10-80% in around 28 minutes.
The Cupra Born, meanwhile, charges at a slightly slower rate than the ID.3 but which is similar to the Renault Megane E-Tech. The 58 kWh models rapid charge at speeds of up to 120 kW DC while the 77 kWh variants are slightly quicker at 135 kW DC. Either way, you’re looking at replenishing the energy in the battery to 80% in around 35-36 minutes with the Cupra.
It’s obviously cheaper to charge at home than it is to use a rapid charger. And with the Renault Megane E-Tech, the VW ID.3 and the Cupra Born, you’re looking at a charge time of between 9-12 hours using a typical home wall box.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
As we’ve said before, affordability is the aim of the game here at Select, so let’s focus on what you get with the entry-level variant of each model.
Renault Megane E-Tech:
Base trim is called ‘Equilibre’. You get 18 inch alloys, a 9 inch infotainment touchscreen, rear view camera, heated seats and steering wheel, interior ambient lighting, and a full suite of driver assistance and safety tech, including driver drowsiness alert, emergency brake assist, emergency lane keeping assist.
It’s good to point out here that the mid-range Techno and range-topping Iconic trims both have full-on Google integration, which gives you access to all your favourite apps. The Iconic model also gets a heat pump, which helps to optimise the range between charges, even in cold weather.
VW ID.3
Entry-level trim on the ID.3 is Pro. Like the Megane E-Tech you get 18 inch alloys, heated steering wheel, heated seats, sat nav, ambient lighting, and VW’s danger detecting ‘Front Assist’ which includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring. A cool thing about the entry-level ID.3 is that you get adaptive cruise control - something you won’t see on the Megane E-Tech until you hit the mid-range ‘Techno’ trim.
Cupra Born:
Much like the ID.3, above, the Cupra Born also gets adaptive cruise control as standard, a larger 12 inch touchscreen (same as the ID.3), heated seats, heated steering wheel, a ‘forward collision warning’ system with automatic braking and lane assist. The most desirable V3 models, meanwhile, get goodies like a rear view camera and augmented reality head-up display.
PERFORMANCE
The VW ID.3 is definitely the most mild-mannered of our trio.
Both the Pro and the Pro S versions get power of 204 PS and a 0-62 mph time of up to 7.9 seconds. That’s not blistering for an electric vehicle but still decent enough.
The Renault Megane E-Tech improves on the ID.3 with power of 223 PS and a 0-62 mph sprint time of 7.5 seconds. When we recently reviewed the Megane E-Tech our test pilot was suitably impressed by the Renault’s handling, too.
The sportiest of the lot, however, is the Born - and it’s here where the Cupra shines over its VW stablemate. The regular 58 kWh battery has power of 204 PS (same as the ID.3) but there’s also an ‘e-Boost’ variant which ratchets-up the power to 230 PS. The larger 77 kWh battery automatically gets the ‘e-Boost’ tag and power of 230 PS.
The e-Boost Born with the 58 kWh unit is the fastest off the line, covering the first 62 mph in 6.6 seconds - which is hot-hatch territory. The Born also has a proper sports suspension set-up that’s built to bring out your inner hooligan.
LEASING PRICE
It’s here where things get interesting.
As it stands right now, the Renault Megane E-Tech is the cheapest vehicle of the trio to lease, despite our triad being very similar in price to buy outright.
You can lease the Megane E-Tech from around £346.79 per month*.
That deal is made even sweeter by the fact that Select has teamed-up with partners Rightcharge to offer a FREE home EV charger - including installation - to anyone who leases a a Renault Megane E-Tech in either Techno or Iconic trim.
Check out this landing page for full details of our exclusive offer.
Meanwhile the Cupra Born begins at £368.39 per month*.
And the VW ID.3 is significantly more expensive, with the most affordable rate at £457.97 per month*.
Those prices for the ID.3 and the Cupra Born are for the entry-level models - ie, the ‘Pro’ ID.3 and the ‘V1’ Born.
Yet the cheapest price we have on the Megane E-Tech is actually for a mid-range Techno model - with the Google integration and adaptive cruise control.
In our eyes, that makes it an even more tempting leasing proposition.
FINAL VERDICT
Which electric family hatchback you choose to lease will depend on what you want it for.
The Megane E-Tech is the Freddie Flintoff of the group - a brilliant all rounder. It’s also the most affordable to lease.
The ID.3 is a great car and enjoys the greatest range between charges of the cars tested here.
But the exterior styling screams ‘vanilla’ compared to the Born and the E-Tech, and the Renault out-guns both of its nearest rivals in a comparison of the interior finish.
The Cupra Born, meanwhile, has attitude by the bucket-load, has show-stopping good looks, and will also get down the road the quickest, too.
It is, though, twenty-odd more quid extra to lease per month than the Megane E-Tech.
For the very latest leasing prices on the Renault Megane E-Tech, Cupra Born, or Volkswagen ID.3, talk to one of our leasing consultants by clicking the 'Enquire' button on the Select Car Leasing website or call 0118 3048 688.
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*Prices stated are for a 48 month contract, 5,000 miles per year, with a 9 month initial payment. Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 07/06/23.
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