Alpine A290 vs Cupra Raval

The Alpine A290 costs £7,000 more than the Cupra Raval. For that premium it adds 30 miles more WLTP range, 31 kW more power and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. The Cupra Raval is not just cheaper - it also offers 115 litres more boot space and lower energy use, 138 versus 165 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Raval comes out ahead overall.

The Cupra Raval is £7,000 cheaper to buy. The Cupra Raval is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £184 for the Alpine A290, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Cupra Raval comes out roughly £7,160 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 155 miles for the Alpine A290 and 139 miles for the Cupra Raval - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Alpine A290 goes roughly 16 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 23-30 minutes.

The Cupra Raval is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 39 mm narrower than the Alpine A290. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 616 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Raval and about 577 mm of total clearance for the Alpine A290. The Alpine A290 also turns in a 0.7 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Alpine A290 and 90% for the Cupra Raval. That gives the Cupra Raval a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Cupra Raval's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Alpine A290's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.