• Plenty of front and rear passenger space
• Respectable boot size
• Five-star safety rating in 2012

The SEAT Leon delivers a solid amount of outright practicality thanks to a spacious cabin and reasonable luggage capacity. Drivers of all sizes shouldn’t have any problems getting into the front seats (although some may find the higher Arona or Ateca easier to climb into), plus storage space is ample. Note that all models apart from the entry-level SE benefit from an electronic handbrake instead of the older lever design, one of the benefits being an extra storage space between the driver and passenger.

Meanwhile, those in the back are slightly shorter on storage, yet passenger room is excellent. A chunky central tunnel running through the middle of the car does however mean that foot space for those in the middle seat is restricted.

Will it fit in my garage?

Despite its spacious interior, the Leon isn’t much larger than its main rivals. In fact, it’s shorter than the Ford Focus and Hyundai i30 (and a little bit narrower than the latter), meaning garages designed for ‘average sized cars’ shouldn’t have any trouble accommodating the Leon. If things do get super-tight however, electrically folding mirrors are fitted as standard on FR models upwards.  The thick C-pillars (behind the rear doors) could hamper visibility when reversing, so we’d recommend speccing the SE Dynamic trim or upwards in order to get the standard-fit front and rear parking sensors.  

Will my luggage fit in the Leon?

The Leon offers a respectable amount of luggage space at 380 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,210 with them folded down. This compares well against rivals such as the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, although lags behind Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308. You’ll also want to keep the high loading lip in mind, too, as this could make trickier to lift heavy items in. Meanwhile, the rear seats fold in a basic 60:40 split, lying almost flat when pushed down.

How safe is the Leon?

• Five-star safety rating in 2012
• Range of optional safety kit added in 2017
• Cruise control standard across the range

SEAT Leon safety levels are good – Euro NCAP awarded it five stars in 2012, boosting its appeal to safety-conscious drivers and fleets. Be aware, however, that the crash safety body regularly tightens up its tests, so it’s likely that a five-star car in 2017 performs better than a five-star car from 2012 with the same overall score. In fact, the Leon’s safety has been reviewed every year since, and was still valid as of March 2018. In January 2019 the rating had expired, but that doesn’t mean the car is unsafe – far from it. 

Standard safety kit includes stability control with tyre pressure monitoring, driver and front passenger airbags as well as front, side and curtain airbags. There’s also a driver’s knee airbag, alarm and remote central locking. From 2017 you could also add Traffic Jam Assist, Pedestrian Protection System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Blind Spot Detection, and parking assist.

Euro NCAP crash test video