MODEL ON TEST: VZ2 1.5 e-HYBRID DSG AUTOMATIC – MILEAGE – 5,107

Unless you’ve only just learned to read, you’ve grown up in a culture where you’re told there’s nothing better than the smell of benzine in the morning. But I have to report, almost with a measure of guilt, that every driving day of the last month in this hybrid has been devoid of visits to my local Shell stop.

It’s not as though I’ve been on gardening leave: the Terramar hasn’t had a day off and has covered yet another chunk of activity which shunted my driving needs above the UK national average (most of
us tending, apparently, to eat 8,000 to 9,000 miles a year). Despite the football season being done, I still drove more than 1,000 miles this month.

The maths are interesting: the Terramar has drunk some of the full tank I furnished it with over a month ago, but only 40 miles. Prodded to life on a typical warm summer morning, the VZ2 tells me it’s good for 70 miles of electric range and – all going well – holds itself to this quite resolutely. At 8.1p per kWh on my overnight charge deal, that means the Terramar demands a budget of around £1.60 a day. Extrapolated from that, I’m running this sizeable SUV at this time of year (for an average daily use of just over 32 miles) at a total home charging cost that gives 40p cashback from a £50 note. In the real world, that means spending nothing on petrol in a month, the petrol reserve dropping modestly to 255 miles.

Statistics can prove anything though, as we all know, and the world of motoring is no precise art. As mentioned, the optimum mpg rating has sometimes halved to an appalling, urm, 150mpg, on the rare days that I’ve run out of zap and nibbled at the petrol reserve. But this car’s 70-or-so mile reach on silent exhaust mode is proving to be a strong argument for hybrid and that’s clearly not breaking news: you may have noticed Cupras popping up everywhere and, from spotting barely any Terramars early this year, the things are spawning apace. Globally, some 66,000 were apparently sold in the first full year.

This model, together with the lower-slung Formentor, leverages a consumer appeal that has been instrumental in ensuring the brand put Tesla in its rear-view mirror in Q1 of 2026, delivering a record market share. But beyond all the numbers, there’s the bigger question of whether you’re consuming automotive transport or actually enjoying life engaging with a characterful car. I remain slightly agnostic over whether the Terramar lands in Cupra’s heartland; for dynamism and heart-racing agility, there is a trade-off when you’re walking past the Formentor in the showroom and insisting on something that matches the VW Tiguan’s practicality. But for sharp-suited styling and robust quality, this handsome beast continues to win me over. Not to get too Hispanic, but you might say that while most SUVs in this tight- fought sector are strumming, this one’s giving it flamenco.

SIMON HACKER

WHAT’S HOT: Global closing on the key fob (and opening) is a nice touch on sweltering days when there is no shade in the car park.

WHAT’S NOT: The pre-tensioner calibration on the seat belts insists on gently but firmly tightening every time you set out. It feels a bit like a hangman weighing you up.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL OF OUR LONG-TERM REPORTS ON THE CUPRA TERRAMAR

FACTS & FIGURES

ARRIVED: 10th February 2026

PRICE WHEN NEW: £50,150

PRICE AS TESTED: £51,145

ECONOMY: 156.9mpg (official WLTP) 41.7mpg (on test)

COSTS: None

FAULTS: None