By Rob Hull
Updated: 02:37 AEDT, 18 October 2024
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Making the switch away from a conventional petrol or diesel car to owning an electric vehicle is a major life decision for many motorists.
Deciding if you can truly adjust to life with a car that's almost completely silent to drive, packed with torque and needs to be charged up rather than refuelled can be a tough choice for some, especially those without homechargers or drivers who cover big mileage on a regular basis.
However, Cupra - the sporty spin-off brand of Seat - now claims to offers a solution of sorts; you can return its Born hatchback after three months of buying it if you simply don't like it or living with an EV in general.
But there's a catch...
Cupra, the sporty spin-off of Seat, has just launched an innovative offer on its Born electric hatchback. If you don't like it after 80 days, you can return it and get your money back!
The car manufacturer says the return option scheme - the first of its kind for an electric car - has been launched 'for drivers who are yet to be fully convinced that an EV is for them'.
The offer, named 'Love Me or Leave Me', is available only on the Born hatchback - the sister model to the VW ID.3 which costs from £35,495 and 262 miles in its cheapest form, though rises to up to 373 miles for pricier options.
If after three months the owner decides the EV isn't for them, they can hand it back and Cupra will return the deposit whether the car was purchased outright or financed.
Terms and conditions of the offer dictates that customers need to inform the manufacturer they no longer want the EV by email between 80 and 100 days of taking delivery - that's less than a three-week window in which to make your mind up
Yet arguably the most unique - and oddest - of all the recent offers is Renault's 'Relationship Breakdown Cover' for its electric Scenic SUV.
This guarantees a refund to couples who buy the electric family car but then divorce or dissolve a civil partnership after taking delivery.
Recent studies have found that high prices remain the biggest hurdle for electric car ownership, with the majority of drivers saying they simply can't afford to switch to an EV.
Two thirds of car buyers told Auto Trader last month that they intend to spend no more than £20,000 on their next vehicle - a budget which puts most new battery models far out of reach.
According to its latest report, the median retail price of a new fully electric car is £51,000, some 31 per cent higher than a new petrol or diesel model.
However, more affordable EVs are 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 scheme - launched in July - is also littered with caveats, including only being open to those who purchased the car outright between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024 (which accounts for very few EV buyers, with most using lease options) and have 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 vehicle makers wrote to Chancellor Rachel Reeves pleading for the introduction of new incentives to make battery-powered cars less expensive for motorists to buy to inject life into the EV market.
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