Used Seat Leon ST 2013-2020 reliability

You’d expect anybody who buys an estate car to make extensive use of the boot space. As a used car buyer it’s therefore important to check for dog hair or muddy carpets, as well as the general condition of the boot and rear bumper.

That aside the Leon ST is so far proving to be perfectly durable, and scores above average for wear rates on components such as brakes and wiper blades.

If you're looking at an FR or Cupra make sure you check the big alloy wheels carefully for damage, as well as looking out for signs the car has been driven hard. The suspension, for example, should feel taut and the steering track perfectly straight. If there's any sign of blue smoke coming from the exhaust walk away.

The only recall for the Leon ST concerns potentially fault child locks on cars built between November 2015 and April 2016.

The VW Group mechanicals are proving robust in the Leon ST, so as long as the car has been serviced to schedule you shouldn't have any problems with the engine, clutch or gearbox. If you're after an automatic it's worth bearing in mind that the VW Group did experience some issues with the seven-speed unit used on the smaller petrol engines at launch. While there aren't a significant number of reports of problems with Seat Leons, for peace of mind it might still be worth opting for the six-speed unit that featured on the larger engines instead (bear in mind this needs an oil change every three years).

There have also been some reports of trim rattling and minor electrical gremlins, so be sure to prod all the buttons to make sure everything works.

The Leon of this generation finished in a terrific seventh place out of 29 cars in our most recent 2023 reliability survey with an overall score of 95.9%.

Reliability rating 95.9%

The 2013-2020 Seat Leon is proving far less prone to faults than the latest Leon. A reasonable 15% of previous-generation model owners said their cars had gone wrong, compared with 49% of current versions. Air-con and sat-nav/infotainment system issues were the biggest headaches, followed by concerns about the bodywork, electrics and suspension. While 86% of cars were fixed for free, owners of the remaining vehicles had to find up to £750 to get their cars rectified. And, although most cars could still be driven, 28% were out of action for more than a week.

The current Leon finished in 25th place out of 29 cars in the family car class in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, with an overall score of 79.1%. That put it above the Audi A3, the Skoda Octavia and the Volkswagen Golf, but below nearly everything else in this class.

Seat as a brand performed rather averagely, finishing in 18th place out of 32 manufacturers albeit with an overall score of 90.9%. This result placed the brand above Audi, Mercedes, Renault and Volkswagen but below BMW, Ford, Kia, Skoda and Volvo.

Used Seat Leon reliability: the owners' view

As part of our 2023 Reliability Survey, What Car? readers provided insights into the reliability and dealer service of the 2013-2020 Seat Leon. Many owners reported a high level of satisfaction with the car's reliability, emphasizing its robustness with few significant mechanical failures. Common issues cited included minor electronic glitches and occasional problems with the air conditioning, which were usually quick fixes.

Regarding the dealer service, the responses were somewhat mixed. A majority of Leon owners praised their dealers for being efficient and transparent, particularly when handling routine maintenance and minor repairs. However, there were repeated mentions of dissatisfaction related to longer-than-expected wait times for more complex repairs and some inconsistency in customer service experiences across different dealerships.

Overall, while the Seat Leon stands out for its general reliability, the quality of dealer service appears to vary.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.