Cupra Leon review

There are two petrols and a plug-in version of the Cupra Leon available. The range starts with the lower powered 242bhp petrol at £32,005 in VZ1 trim and wanders up to the more powerful 296bhp petrol in VZ3 trim at £37,235. The estate only comes in VZ2 and VZ3 specs, doesn’t get the weedier petrol and adds four-wheel drive and 10bhp to the other one. The 242bhp eHybrid option stays the same. Comparing hatch and estate in those trims shows a premium of around £1,100 for the extra bootspace. 

If you were looking to lease a Cupra Leon, the PHEV version in VZ2 trim works out the cheapest at around £410 per month, with the estate version in the same spec £20 more. The full fat petrol hatch in VZ3 trim would cost around £560. 

In the straight petrol Leons, official fuel consumption is between 35mpg and 39mpg, which you’ll likely only see if you’ve got helium in your shoes. The estate drops that further still to around 33mpg. The PHEV version is officially rated at 200mpg, though these are of course unicorn figures unless you happen to drive strictly within the car’s range and charge at home. 

Paint options on the Cupra Leon are very muted, it’s hardly worth spending lots of money on a slightly fancier metallic grey. There’s a Desire Red option, but it’s so darkened it looks like you’re seeing it through sunglasses. The specs are fairly well apportioned, so there isn’t much else to spend extra on save from a few safety packages or a panoramic sunroof. That said, heated seats are only standard on VZ3 cars, which seems a bit stingy.