Review
The Seat Leon has now been on the brand's front line for 25 years in various forms, and the current fourth generation car is the most technologically advanced Leon yet.
Ever since the first Seat Leon arrived, the motoring media and enlightened motorists have agreed that this is a hatchback that offers superb value and is a credible alternative to the mainstream Golf, Astra etc.
In fact the fourth generation Seat Leon has won five awards in the UK, including 2024’s Best Family Car for Value from What Car? Magazine. It is a great proposition as the main car of a small family, or once in the used car market it's ideal as the second car of the household.
Now, until the end of September, Seat has a 4.9% APR personal contract plan offer on the Leon, with a £2,500 manufacturer deposit contribution. An extra enhancement is an offer of two services for £199.
Leon is available with petrol, diesel, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, and it is the latter – called e-Hybrid in Seat’s world – that AM recently spent a week with. Like all PHEVs, it gives buyers the satisfaction of being able to trek around town under zero-emissions electric power but the confidence of knowing the 1.4-litre petrol engine is there to avoid charging stops on longer trips.
With a real-world electric range of around 30 miles, the car managed plenty of school run trips with no tailpipe emissions. While the official WLTP fuel economy of 217-235mpg won’t be neared without plenty of those local journeys under battery power, a longer motorway drive still gave us mid-40s fuel economy.
The e-Hybrid is taxation-friendly too, which is a considerable draw for fleets and business owners who’ll incur benefit-in-kind. Its 26g/km CO2 emissions mean a first year VED rate of just £10, and it attracts currently just 2% BIK – contrast that with the non-hybrid Leons which have 30-31% BIK.
At £37,880 OTR the car we tested is certainly not the cheapest Leon – the range starts at just under £24,000 for the bog standard 1.0-litre petrol with a relatively frill-free SE trim. But there is much that appealed with our car, in FR Sport specification with its 10in multimedia screen, 18in alloys, leather steering wheel with paddles, LED headlamps, sports bumpers and ambient lighting.
- Seat Leon 1.4 e-Hybrid FR Sport
- Powertrain: 1.4-litre petrol electric hybrid, 6-speed DSG transmission
- Cost: £37,880
- Power: 204PS
- 0-62mph: 7.5secs
- CO2 emissions: 26g/km
- Fuel economy (WLTP): 217-235mpg
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
