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

Was it a mistake to include a Land Rover in a test amongst flagship supercars?
Octa
Opinion

Was it a mistake to include a Land Rover in a test amongst flagship supercars?

The lineup for this year's biggest performance car test was varied to say the least, and one contender stood out from the get-go
28 Dec 2025
Skoda Fabia 130 review – 175bhp hot hatch to battle the Mini Cooper S
Skoda Fabia 130 review
Reviews

Skoda Fabia 130 review – 175bhp hot hatch to battle the Mini Cooper S

Skoda’s back in the hot hatch game, albeit not with a full vRS-badged return. Does the new Fabia 130 cut it?
29 Dec 2025
The major modern flaws that even today's greatest V12 supercars suffer with
Vanquish and 12 Cilindri
Opinion

The major modern flaws that even today's greatest V12 supercars suffer with

Even one of the best eCoty lineups in years didn't escape the problems inherent in modern cars
30 Dec 2025