Used Seat Ateca 2016-present review

Standing out from today's sea of family SUVs, the Seat Ateca has proved itself many times to be one of the best since its launch in 2016.

It's been a huge hit and has helped to forge the firm’s path into this hotly contested market sector, followed neatly by the smaller Seat Arona and the larger seven-seat Seat Tarraco.

Engines: Engine-wise, you can choose from a 113bhp 1.0-litre petrol, a 148bhp 1.4-litre petrol – which was updated to a 1.5-litre in 2018 – a 187bhp 2.0-litre petrol, a 113bhp 1.6-litre diesel, a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel and a 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel unit.

Trims and equipment: Even entry-level S models get 16in alloy wheels, air conditioning and a multi-function steering wheel. Upgrade to SE trim, and this adds 17in wheels, cruise control, rear parking sensors, an 8.0in colour touchscreen, climate control and a rear armrest. SE Technology adds LED headlights and sat-nav to all the stuff you get with regular SE trim.

FR trim comes with 18in alloy wheels, a gloss-black grille, twin exhausts, body-coloured wheel arch surrounds and sports seats. You also get LED headlights and a rear-view camera. The more desirable styling means FR models should hold onto their value better than lesser versions. There's also an FR Black Edition version from 2020 with black and sporty detailing. Range-topping Xcellence trim gains heated seats, keyless entry and a wireless phone charger.

Interior and practicality: Thinking of it as a Leon-sized car on stilts is not a bad way of picturing the Ateca; it’s also cheaper than the Volkswagen Tiguan it’s related to.

Overall boot space is near best in class, but there are subtle differences in spec to make sure the Ateca is cheaper, such as the rear-seat flexibility. It still folds 60/40, but the Tiguan gets a more useful 40/20/40 split, which is great if you need to carry passengers and long items at the same time.

The rear seats in the Ateca don’t slide to liberate more boot space or recline for passenger comfort as they do in the Kia Sportage. The rear footwells are quite large, though, so stretching out won’t be a problem.

The front has lots of space and all sorts of pockets and cubbyholes to lose items in. The roof pillars aren’t too thick, which means visibility is good so you shouldn’t have much trouble pulling out of junctions. You get rear parking sensors from SE-spec Atecas and above, with front sensors, a rear back-up camera and bird's-eye parking aids available as options or as part of a technology package - so keep your eyes peeled when looking for a used Ateca.

Interior quality is good too, with plenty of soft-touch plastic on the top half of the dashboard, although there is some harder, scratchier stuff underneath. It isn’t as good as the interiors of the Tiguan or Audi Q2, but it's cheaper to buy in the first place. Despite this, and its rather sombre exterior design, it’s actually quite nice and doesn’t feel particularly cheap to look at.

Ride and handling: But it’s the way it drives which sets the Ateca apart from its rivals. It is surprisingly good fun: the steering is precise and offers good feedback, body lean is kept in check and grip levels are high. Even the ride strikes a fine compromise between sport and comfort. The suspension deals with larger disturbances well, even if it can be a little fidgety at lower speeds - blame the requirement to limit body roll for that. The low-speed ride is slightly better on cars with wheels of 18in or less.

Overall, the Ateca is an excellent small SUV. It has a range of efficient, refined engines, excellent road manners and offers plenty of practicality for a reasonable price. If you need to get into a car like this, the Ateca deserves to be at the top of your shopping list. If you need an SUV that’s enjoyable to drive, nothing in the class comes close to matching it.

If you're interested in buying a used Seat Ateca, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Prices for the earliest Seat Atecas start at around £10,000 for a late 2016 or 2017 model with a full history and an average mileage for the year. If you up the budget a bit more to between £11,000 and £14,000 you'll find a good selection of better equipped SE and SE Technology Atecas, mostly 2017 models, with some 2018s creeping in there too. Spend between £15,000 and £17,000 on a 2018 car, and around £18,000 on a 2020 and 2021 models and between £19,000 and £22,000 on 2021 and 2022 cars.

Newer 2023 models go for around £23,000 and upwards.

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MPG

On the petrol front, there's the 1.0 TSI that has an official combined figure of 54.3mpg under the older NEDC tests, and £30 road tax, if registered before the tax changes of April 2017 came into force. Under the later WLTP tests this car achieves a claimed official average of 41.5mpg. The larger and more powerful 1.4 TSI is almost as economical at 53.3mpg under the NEDC tests, and as the newer 1.5 version 42.8mpg under the latest WLTP tests, and costs a similar £115 per year in road tax.

Of the diesels, the 1.6 is the most frugal, with 62.8mpg under the NEDC tests, and 54.4mpg under the later WLTP tests, and £30 tax for early versions. The 148bhp 2.0 2WD isn’t much thirstier at 64.2mpg NEDC, 50.4mpg under the WLTP tests, and £30 road tax. Four-wheel drive is available as an option on this engine (knocking economy to 55.4mpg NEDC and raises tax to £135) and standard on the 187bhp version, which also gets the DSG automatic transmission. Specifying four-wheel drive means you have to pay a penalty for it terms of running costs, with the 187bhp model having the highest running costs at 51.4mpg NEDC and £150 per year in road tax.

Road tax

Any Ateca registered after 1st April 2017 will be charged under the flat rate of £190 per year due to the change in how vehicles are charged for annual road tax.

Servicing

Seat does offer fixed prices for servicing and certain maintenance procedures, which will help to save you money on maintenance if you wish to take your car to a franchised dealership. This applies to all Seat cars up to 15 years of age.

Engines

If you don’t do very many miles, the 1.0 or 1.4 TSI engines, or even more the later 1.5 TSI engine, are more than up to the job. They don’t manage to achieve the same fuel economy as the diesels, but they’re not a million miles away. They're wonderfully smooth, too, and punchy enough for all purposes.

The 148bhp 2.0 diesel is the one that offers the best blend of performance and economy, especially if you need a car to haul family and luggage on longer trips. You can have it in front-wheel-drive form, which makes it almost as economical as the smaller, less powerful 1.6 diesel. However, we prefer the petrol options for their added refinement.

Trim levels

S trim is a little on the basic side, and while it does get air conditioning, automatic emergency braking, 16in alloy wheels and a multifunction steering wheel, its 5.0in touchscreen infotainment system isn’t the easiest to operate on the move.

You are better off finding an SE model, which adds all you really need to the SUV: cruise control, rear parking sensors, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, Bluetooth, climate control and a rear centre armrest. SE Technology adds LED headlights and sat-nav. FR versions look sportier with body colour exterior trim, gloss-black grille and sports seats inside the car. Top-of-the-line Xcellence brings additional creature comforts such as heated leather seats, reversing camera and automatic lights and wipers.

As far as we’re concerned, SE offers great value for money on the used market, but if you were to find an SE Tech version for a reasonable price it'd be even better.

Our favourite Seat Ateca: 1.4 TSI 150 SE

As previously mentioned, the Volkswagen Tiguan has more flexible seating and a nicer interior, but then it is more money.

If you want value, the Kia Sportage is well equipped for the money. But it doesn’t drive as nicely and its 1.7-litre diesel engine is rather noisy.

If you want to blow the budget on something with a premium badge, the Audi Q2 has an excellent interior and it holds onto its value well, so it should be worth more when you come to sell it.

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If you're interested in buying a used Seat Ateca, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.