Skip advert
Advertisement

SEAT Leon Cupra (2014-2021) review - MPG and running costs

30-plus mpg in the real world. Expect to chew through consumables if you're partial to trackdays

Evo rating
  • Underlying technical make-up impressive; excellent engine, brakes and chassis tune
  • Feeling its age inside; still not the most playful of hot hatchbacks

Gone are the days when running a car that sprints to 62mph in under six seconds meant MPG figures in the teens – officially, SEAT’s hottest hatchback will cover 38.7 miles for every gallon of unleaded. CO2 emissions are correspondingly low, at 156g/km. These figures alter slightly depending on the model, and bottom out at 33.7mpg for the Abt-tuned Cupra R Estate

Advertisement - Article continues below

Realistically our Leon Cupra R Abt evo long-termer didn’t prove much less efficient than the official numbers, being relatively easy to keep above 30mpg in mixed driving. Drive it with more aggression and those numbers will fall below the 30mpg mark though.

Other running costs are par for the course too; SEAT’s warranty covers three years or 60,000 miles (whichever comes first), and service intervals are every year or 10,000 miles, again whichever is first.

Depending on your propensity for trackdays and hard use, tyres and brakes will be the main consumables.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Looking for a used Mercedes-AMG V8 bargain? These are our picks
Mercedes-AMG V8s
Features

Looking for a used Mercedes-AMG V8 bargain? These are our picks

Mercedes-AMG is rectifying its down-sizing strategy and working on a V8, but while you wait here’s four used V8 AMG icons we’d take a punt on
29 Jan 2026
New Toyota GR Yaris Aero Performance review – more aero, still brilliant
Toyota GR Yaris Aero Performance
Reviews

New Toyota GR Yaris Aero Performance review – more aero, still brilliant

A wilder-looking winged variant of the GR Yaris joins Toyota’s GR range – and the best news is it’s coming to the UK
28 Jan 2026
Living with the Toyota GR Yaris, a homologation hot hatch for £20k
evo Fast Fleet Toyota GR Yaris
Long term tests

Living with the Toyota GR Yaris, a homologation hot hatch for £20k

As the mystery of the GR’s true fuel tank capacity is solved, a new enigma emerges
27 Jan 2026