SEAT Ateca Review 2025

The SEAT Ateca was the Spanish brand's first attempt at an SUV, and it was a very convincing one. Launched way back in 2016, it was very lightly updated in 2020, meaning it's one of the oldest models in the hotly competitive family SUV class. It shares much with the Skoda Karoq, which is fairly obvious to see if you park them side-by-side. Read our SEAT Ateca review to find out all you need to know.

The most important of the many rivals facing the SEAT Ateca are the Nissan Qashqai, the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson and the Ford Kuga, though there are many, many more offerings than that, some with premium badges. 

Key to the Ateca's enduring appeal in the face of newer rivals is its driving experience. Even years on from launch you'd be hard-pushed to find a better handling SUV of this size, because the Ateca feels keen and agile in the bends whichever model you go for. The trade off is a firm ride, but that does smooth out more at higher speed. 

Even when you're not driving like your hair's on fire, you'll find the SEAT Ateca easy to drive and refined on the move. Visibility is very good, while it feels very much like a taller Leon (which it basically is). 

There has also been a wide range of excellent engines over time, with many coming and going during the car's many years on sale. These range from a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol that punches above its weight, to a fire-breathing 300PS 2.0-litre petrol in the now-rebranded SEAT Leon Cupra (Cupra is now a brand in its own right), going through several punchy and economical petrol and diesel options along the way. These days, new car buyers choose between only a 115PS 1.0-litre petrol or a 150PS 1.5-litre petrol.

There's no real weak link in the engine lineup, although the higher powered petrols are fitted with a DSG transmission that is a bit dim-witted if you want to pull away quickly. The lack of a hybrid option also shows the Ateca up as an older model. 

The low-to-mid level SE Technology is the best choice if you want plenty of equipment without breaking the bank as it comes with dual-zone climate control, touchscreen sat-nav, 18-inch alloys and wireless phone charging.

But whichever version you go for, you get a spacious and practical interior that'll stand up well to the rigours of family life thanks to solid build quality. Yes, the design is showing its age, particularly compared with newer offerings such as the Tucson and Sportage, but the simple dashboard design means everything is easy to use. 

We lived with a SEAT Ateca for six months: find out how we got on with it in our SEAT Ateca long term test. Looking for a second opinion? Why not read heycar's SEAT Ateca review. 

This is where the SEAT Ateca really stands out, and still feels fresh in the face of newer competition. There really isn't a better choice if you're the sort of person who wants to drop the kids off at school and find a twisty route home. 

With sharp and precise steering, loads of grip even on front-wheel-drive models, very little body roll, and a real feeling of agility, you quite often find yourself forgetting you're in a tall, boxy SUV. 

The one trade-off for the sharp handling is the ride: it's not bouncy like some SUVs, and the firmer, more sporting setup means that potholes are felt quite a bit around town, particularly if you go for a high-spec trim level with big wheels. These can make things a bit crashy on bad roads. 

Keep the wheel size modest and the Ateca is firm but controlled, and it becomes more comfortable the faster you go. Nevertheless, if comfort is a priority, the more softly sprung Skoda Karoq is a better bet. 

The Ateca is pretty refined, too: wind- and road noise are kept at bay most of the time, and while it's not class-leading in this regard, it is still very good.

Another area where the Ateca shows its age a bit is the engine range, where you won't find a hybrid - even a mild one - in sight. That's a rarity in this class - or any class, for that matter - these days. SEAT has followed the crown by ditching diesel in the Ateca, however.

The Ateca has been offered with a vast array of different powertrains over the many years it's been on sale, but today, if you buy brand new, you choose from only two. 

The first is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol with 115PS. If most of your driving is around town, it does a very decent job of getting you about. It doesn't feel too out of its depth on faster roads, either, although if you start loading it up with passengers and luggage, you'll become very familiar with the end of the throttle pedal travel. 

That's where the smoother and more effortless 150PS four-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo petrol comes in. It's quiet, basically as efficient as the three-cylinder, and manages a decent turn of speed.  thanks to strong punch right throughout the rev range.

Buy yourself a used Ateca, and you have a much broader choice of engines, a tried-and-tested range of petrols and diesels.

The diesels - a mixture of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre units - are efficient and feel more muscular than the petrols thanks to plenty of low-down shove. The 115PS model is fine, but the 150PS version feels more effortless. Neither are particularly quiet (we're becoming less and less used to diesel grumbling in new cars) but they go about their business without annoying you. 

Sitting towards the top of the range is the 190PS 2.0-litre petrol model, which is DSG and four-wheel drive only, but when the 1.5 petrol we talked about earlier feels so punchy, this thirstier, more expensive option looks a bit pointless. 

The higher-end petrol is the only model that's auto-only, otherwise you get a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The manual has a slick and pleasant shift, but while the DSG is quick-shifting and smooth once up to speed, it can be a bit jerky and reluctant when getting off the line. 

The SEAT Ateca was awarded five stars for safety by Euro NCAP, but this was way back in 2016. Standards have shifted since then, and the tests have become way more difficult to do well in.

The car's occupant crash safety ratings are very good and would still hold up today, while all models get e-Call emergency response and automatic emergency braking as standard. However, on earlier Atecas, features like lane keep assist and traffic-sign recognition weren't even optional until you got to the higher trims: these days, the systems come as standard.

The SEAT Ateca's towing capacity ranges from 1500kg on the 1.0-litre engine to 2100kg on the four-wheel drive diesel. That's a decent figure, but no better than the class average really. 

The amount of space inside the Ateca is still very competitive several years on from its launch. It doesn't look that big a car from the outside, but there's lots of room inside, especially in the back. It means that if you have toddlers in car seats, you won't have to endure the back of your seat being kicked throughout a two-hour journey. The rear doors open nice and wide and there's lots of headroom, handy if you've got growing teenagers. 

There is a high central tunnel that impedes comfort in the middle seat, however, while it's a shame there's no seatback tables or the option of three individual rear seats like there is in the Karoq. Overall, the Karoq is no roomier, but has more practical touches. 

The Ateca's boot isn't the largest in its class, but it's competitive: you get 510 litres of outright capacity with the seats up, dropping to 485 litres when your car is fitted with four-wheel drive. It's also a usefully square shape, and has a wide tailgate opening. It's a pity there's no variable boot floor to reduce the load lip and allow underfloor storage, and the seats only split 60/40, which isn't as versatile as the 40/20/40 layout found in some rivals. But there are at least handy levers to fold the seats easily from the back of the car. 

The Ateca has a solidly built feel: there's a nice chunky thud when the doors close, and you hear very little noise on the move, either from the engine or the road. There's minimal wind noise, too - something that can often blight cars of this size and type - so SEAT has done a good job of shutting out the outside world.

However, there are some rather harder plastics to be found dotted around the interior to remind you that this is a cheaper model than a Volkswagen Tiguan. It's a bit dark and drab in there, too, something the facelift didn't do much to change. 

For the Ateca's 2022 facelift, the standard infotainment offerings were upgraded to the same systems found in the newer Leon. This means SE models get an 8.25-inch media touchscreen, with every other model getting a 9.2-inch system with sat-nav. These replaced the 6.5-inch screen previously found in the SE, and the 8.0-inch screen found in the others.

Because the Ateca's dashboard is an older design than the Leon's, the system is embedded in the centre console rather than being placed on top of the dashboard, which gives a neater appearance but does mean it's not quite in your line of sight while driving. Having said that, we do like that there are separate physical buttons and dials to operate the climate control: in the Leon, there's just a row of silly fiddly touch sliders that are a pain to use.

Although the touchscreen has smarter graphics and more features than the old system, its extra complexity means that it's not as easy to use on the move, which is a pity. Still, at least you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus wireless phone charging on all but the base trim, meaning you can just connect your phone up and largely bypass the internal system.

Starting at a touch over £29,000 when brand new, the Ateca sits at the cheaper end of the family SUV spectrum. Yes, the MG HS undercuts it as a budget offering, but if we're talking key rivals, then the SEAT is roughly similar in price to the Skoda Karoq, and a good bit cheaper than the Korean offerings. 

There are some higher-end trim levels that look a bit expensive, but in all honesty, the SE Technology trim (one rung up from the base model) offers all the necessary kit, so you don't need to go any further up the range than that.

While it's a pity there's no fuel-sipping hybrid model to really make the Ateca cheap to run, the VW Group engines that power it are notoriously good on fuel.

As we've mentioned several times in the SEAT Ateca review, there have been loads of different engine offerings over the years, but if you're buying brand new, you choose between just two: a 115PS 1.0-litre petrol and a 150PS 1.5-litre petrol, both of which have an official fuel figure of around the 45mpg mark, the latter a little less if you combine it with the DSG automatic gearbox.

If you're considering a used Ateca, however, you'll still have the choice of all of the engines.

The diesels are the economy champions, although weirdly, the 150PS version of the 2.0 TDI is officially more efficient than the 115PS version, managing 58.5mpg to the lesser one's 57.6mpg. Again, swap in the DSG transmission and there's a slight penalty, while if you also add four-wheel drive, the figure falls to 49mpg. 

Some higher-end variants can be had with a 190PS 2.0-litre petrol. Auto-only, it's also four-wheel drive only, which dents fuel economy down to a middling 35.2mpg on the WLTP combined cycle. 

Most variants are among the cheapest cars in their class when it comes to tax and insurance, if you allow for the lack of a hybrid with the former. 

Like with any car that's been on sale for such a long period of time, the Ateca's trim structure has changed several times over the years. Periodic updates have bought new trim names with ever-increasing levels of standard kit as SEAT tries to keep the Ateca appealing when faced with newer rivals. Over the years, there have been far too many different trim levels to talk about in detail here (15 at last count), but the general rule of thumb to follow is that the later the example you buy, the more standard kit it's likely to have, trim for trim.

In today's new-car market, the trim levels available are SE, SE Technology, FR Line and Black Edition.

Base-level SEAT Ateca SE trim comes with:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlamps, fog lamps and rear lamps
• Metallic paint
• Roof rails
• 8.25-inch touchscreen with smartphone connectivity
• Wireless phone charging
• Dual-zone climate control
• Cruise control
• Keyless entry and go
• Front Assist including automatic emergency braking
• Park Assist

To this, SEAT Ateca SE Technology adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 9.2-inch infotainment screen with built-in navigation
• Voice control
• Rear-view camera

The SEAT Ateca FR Line ups the sportiness factor with:

• Privacy glass
• Rear spoiler
• Body colour wheelarch surrounds
• Twin exhausts
• Aluminium pedals
• Multi-colour interior ambient lighting
• Synthetic leather upholstery
• Hands-free powered tailgate

At the top of the range, the SEAT Ateca Black Edition adds:

• Black exterior styling pack
• Top-view 360-degree camera
• Side Assist and Exit Assist
• High-beam control