Seat Leon review

A Volkswagen Golf in matador fancy dress. Otherwise known as the fourth generation Seat Leon. And, unsurprisingly, Spain’s family hatch is closer than it’s ever been to Golf-ishness thanks to shared engines, interiors and tech… just for less money and with arguably more style.

This latest generation has been with us since 2020 – with a mid-life facelift in 2024 – and it’ll be with us for a few more years yet, with a big update planned for 2029. So has the Golf’s little Spanish cousin overtaken its German relative? Well, depending on what you’re looking for when buying a car, quite possibly.

It certainly looks sharper.

It’s properly handsome now – more distinctive than the hyper-conservative Golf, with sharp swage lines, deep creases and pointy door mirrors. There’s still the love of tessellation and triangles, though. Just enhanced, especially up front with a grille pinched from the now demised Tarraco and a frown like you’ve told it that Bastian Schweinsteiger was a better midfielder than Andres Iniesta.

Round the back there’s 2025’s must-have design feature: a full-width lightbar complete with funky light dances when you lock and unlock it. Finally, there's a new more flowing, handwritten script font on the rump. Not sure if that works, as it looks a bit like someone has been using Mum's car to practice their new joined-up writing with a fountain pen. Each to their own, we guess.

Can I have it as a three-door?

Nope. For cost reasons, the more resolved three-door option has been dropped. So the five-door hatch and estate are your only options. The hatch is 86mm longer than the previous generation, 50mm of which have been implanted between the front and rear wheels to improve interior cabin space and enhance rear legroom. Boot space remains the same at 380 litres. 

The cabin itself is all very Golf-y, too, with a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and, post facelift, either 10.4in or 12.9in infotainment display. As is the way these days you’ll have to make do with minimal buttons, with irritating swipe, slide and touch surfaces and displays for even the simplest tasks, such as increasing the cabin temperature or turning up the radio. More on that on the Interior tab.

Does it go as well as it looks?

You’ve the full gamut of powertrains to choose from, including petrol, diesel, and mild- or plug-in hybrid flavours (the latter now with up to 83 miles of electric range, making it one of the longest range hybrids available, note). A full hybrid powertrain is planned for launch in 2028.

We’ve tried the petrol and mild hybrids so far, and found it nippy around town, comfortable at a cruise, and above all – and perhaps most importantly in the current climate – impressively efficient. It won’t break any speed records, but if you want to go fast, there’s the Cupra hot hatch for that. Full details on the Driving tab.

Prices start from £25,345 for the entry level petrol, rising to £28,380 for the mild hybrid and £36,705 for the plug-in, with five individual trims to choose from. Head over to the Buying tab for the full breakdown.

The Leon is Spain’s strongest attempt to out-Golf the Golf yet. And it’s really not far off, largely because it’s based on the same spangly MQB platform as the MkVIII Golf and Audi A3. It’s an appealing option to any budget conscious hatch buyers from the German end of the new car market looking to jump into something a bit sharper, smarter looking and with keener handling.

Long story short, if you want a Golf that’s not a Golf, for a bit less money, this is the car to have. But if you can make do with what you’re currently in, you might be best off waiting for the full hybrid that’s arriving in 2028 – or the “updated Leon range” that we’re told is arriving a year later…