• Diesels are the cheapest to run
• 1.5-litre petrol comes a close second
• Four-wheel drive models thirstier

What are the running costs?

Predictably, diesel-powered Atecas offer the most appealing fuel economy figures (at least on paper). SEAT’s middling 150hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is the best performer, with claimed WLTP fuel economy figures of between 52.3 and 58.9mpg.

Even the flagship four-wheel drive model offers reasonable economy given its drivetrain. Officially, SEAT says it’ll return between 44.1 and 48.7mpg – and those claims seem fairly accurate to real-world conditions as, during our time with the car, we saw figures of between 40 and 48mpg on the trip computer.

However, the Ateca’s 150hp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit follows closely behind the diesels in terms of economy, with official figures ranging between 39.2 and 45.6mpg. If you’re light on the throttle, though, you should be able to achieve more than 40mpg.

The petrol engine is lifted from Volkswagen’s parts bin and features a cylinder deactivation system that shuts down two cylinders under light loads to save fuel. The four-wheel drive diesel engine also has a coasting function in Eco mode, which disconnects the engine from the wheels when you take your foot off the throttle to preserve a small amount of fuel.

• View detailed MPG and CO2 figures on the SEAT Ateca range here

Servicing and warranty

SEAT can’t match the likes of Kia and Hyundai for warranty. New Atecas come with a three-year or 60,000-mile manufacturer warranty as standard, although buyers can pay extra to have that extended to four years/75,000 miles or five years/90,000 miles. Currently, the former option costs an extra £290, while the latter is priced at £480.

Servicing intervals are once a year (or every 20,000 miles) – and you shouldn’t have many surprises when you take the Ateca to the garage, as it’s based on rock-solid Volkswagen mechanicals. SEAT also offers a servicing plan, which costs £462 up front (or 24 monthly payments of £19.25) to cover the cost of the car’s first and second services.

Reliability

• Little to be concerned about
• Leon has a strong reliability record…
• So the Ateca should, too

As we’ve already mentioned, the Ateca was pieced together from the Volkswagen Group parts bin, sharing its chassis and engines with cars such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Karoq and SEAT Leon, all of which have strong reliability records.

In short, we don’t think you’ll have many problems with your SEAT Ateca. There have been two recalls in 2019 relating to a cracked front seat frame and the engine producing too little torque. The former affected a small amount of vehicles – and you can easily check if your potential purchase has had these issues remedied if you plan to buy used.

Our observations on the Ateca’s reliability are backed up by real buyers from our owners reviews section. The results for the car are overwhelmingly positive, with just a handful of readers reporting some minor electrical gremlins.