When Euro NCAP assessed the Leon, it received four stars – but Ford’s Focus scores top marks with five stars in passenger safety. This is something that SEAT will be looking to improve on. However, the Leon did score four stars for child occupant safety. Safety kit includes six airbags, (two rear passenger side airbags are optional), a tyre pressure monitoring system, ESP traction control and uprated brakes.

With 341 litres of boot space the Leon is quite practical but if you compare it to two of its biggest rivals then it does not fare so well. The Golf R has 350 litres and the Ford Focus RS has 385 litres of load space. Need more space? The boot can be expanded by folding the rear seats – this boosts space to 1,305 litres while up front there are two central cupholders and good sized door pockets.