SEAT Arona Review 2024

If you're in the market for a stylish small SUV that's both practical and good to drive, the SEAT Arona will be right at home on your driveway. It's more fashionable than a Skoda Kamiq and feels better screwed together than a Nissan Juke or Renault Captur. That said, the Ford Puma is a more modern alternative and has the attraction of efficient mild-hybrid engines. 

If the SEAT Arona's on your shortlist, you should also look at the Skoda Kamiq. It's got the same mechanical bits as the Arona but is more spacious and offers better value for money. The Volkswagen T-Cross is very similar to the both of them, too, but being a Volkswagen, it feels slightly more premium. 

We'd also recommend the Ford Puma (particularly if you're after a small SUV that's fun to drive), as well as the Peugeot 2008, Nissan Juke and Renault Captur. If you want something bigger for the same money, there's the MG HS.

While solidly put together and capable of standing up to family life, the interior of early SEAT Arona models could hardly be described as plush. You'd find more soft-touch finishes in the very similar Skoda Kamiq, while a MINI Countryman feels considerably more upmarket.

The interior took a significant jump in perceived quality with the 2021 facelift, with a classier design to the dashboard and more soft-touch materials. Even the entry-level SEAT Arona SE now comes with things like a leather steering wheel and gear knob, while SEAT Arona FR models and above feature desirable features like illuminated air vents and interior ambient lighting.

If you buy an entry-level SEAT Arona SE from the first three years of production, it'll come with a tiny 6.5-inch media system on the dashboard. While this looks a bit downmarket, it's actually fairly functional. DAB radio is standard, as well as Bluetooth and even smartphone integration (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto). That means you can use third-party apps like Google Maps for navigation and even access your music playlists easily. We've moved on a long way since the days of an optional CD player.

Still, we reckon it's worth looking for a SEAT Arona SE Technology or above for its connectivity pack plus. This comes with an eight-inch navigation system, which does a much better job of filling the dashboard (and can give you directions without relying on your smartphone).

The infotainment was upgraded with the 2021 facelift. Now, all SEAT Arona SE models come with an 8.2-inch touchscreen media system positioned helpfully high up on the dashboard (making it much easier to glance at while driving than before). Higher-spec trim levels feature a bigger 9.2-inch display, also bringing with it navigation and various connected services (such as online map updates). 

High-spec models from mid-2018 onwards come with SEAT's fancy Digital Cockpit setup. This replaces the old-fashioned analogue speedo and rev counter with a 10.25-inch digital display which can be tweaked to show a range of driving, navigation and infotainment features. It makes the SEAT Arona feel sufficiently modern alongside newer competition and, even though some would claim it's a bit distracting, there are pared-down modes that only provide essential information (such as how fast you're travelling).

The SEAT Arona's dimensions are barely any bigger than those of the Ibiza hatchback. It's 4138mm long, 1780mm wide (including door mirrors) and 1543mm tall – meaning it should fit in a tight parking space or even a garage (if you're one of those rare people who use a garage to store a car these days).

As we've mentioned, you don't sit quite as high in the SEAT Arona as you would in some alternatives. That's a good thing if you're particularly tall, however, as the low seats mean there's an enormous amount of headroom in the front.

There's plenty of shoulder room, too, while you won't run out of space to store your odds and ends. If that's a priority, look for an Xcellence model with its standard storage pack - highlights include a front centre armrest and a drawer fitted under the front passenger seat. Just think of the bits and pieces you could accumulate in there.

While the SEAT Arona is a small SUV (sitting below the Ateca in the SEAT SUV range), there's a surprising amount of space in the back. Teenagers will be perfectly happy back there, with a reasonable amount of head- and legroom. Don't expect to carry three adults in the rear seats without some complaints, however.

Capable of lugging 400 litres of luggage, the SEAT Arona may not have the biggest boot in its class but it's marginally bigger than you get with the Volkswagen Golf. Drop the rear seats and this increases to 823 litres – still a relatively modest amount compared to, say, the Skoda Kamiq. There's a height-adjustable boot floor as standard, meaning you don't have to lift heavy items over an annoying boot lip. Although the rear seats don't slide back and forth (like in a Renault Captur), they do drop easily should you need more space.    

The sweetest engine in the SEAT Arona's line-up is the little 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit. It might be diminutive in size but it packs a punch - especially in 110 or 115PS form (there's also a 95PS variant at the budget end of the SEAT Arona line-up). 

The standard manual gearbox is fine, if not as direct as the Puma's snickety gear change. It's worth noting, too, that the 95PS model only comes with a five-speed transmission, compared to the more powerful unit's six-speed gearbox. The 115PS 1.0-litre engine is also available with a DSG automatic transmission.

If you spend a lot of your time in the outside lane of the motorway, you might prefer the 1.5-litre petrol. This has traditionally sold in relatively small numbers as a new car, though, so you might struggle to find one on the used market, and most buyers will find the 1.0-litre more than adequate anyway.

The same could be said for the 1.6-litre diesel, which was actually dropped from the range in 2020. Like the 1.0-litre petrol, it's avalable in outputs of 95PS or 115PS, but the power delivery feels a lot flatter. Normally, we'd recommend a diesel for high-mileage drivers, but the 1.6 TDI's lack of grunt means it feels even less suited to motorway miles than the 1.0-litre petrol.

All SEAT Arona models are two-wheel-drive, so don't go expecting to venture far into the wilderness despite the SEAT Arona's raised ride height and rugged looks. We'd suggest that a set of winter tyres will help you through most conditions you're likely to encounter during day-to-day driving but, if you really need four-wheel-drive, look at the Suzuki Vitara instead. Peugeot's excellent 2008, with its nifty Grip Control system, is worth your consideration, too.

The SEAT Arona's SUV-like shape means it doesn't slide through the air as smoothly as the Ibiza hatchback, so you'll have to be prepared to accept a bit more wind noise at high speeds. It's generally very refined, though, and road noise isn't too noticeable, even with big alloy wheels fitted.

Like many similar three-cylinder petrol engines, the 1.0-litre engine is fairly vocal, especially if you work it hard. It's characterful, though, and not too annoying (well, maybe a little if you buy the 95PS model with the five-speed gearbox and regularly drive on the motorway).

The 1.6-litre TDI SEAT Arona is a little more grumbly and you'll notice a bit more vibration in the cabin, especially when the engine's cold.

Even the most basic SEAT Arona models come with some useful safety systems: namely a tiredness recognition system, hill-hold control and emergency brake assist with front assist. The latter, in particular, could save your bacon - it applies the brakes to prevent an awkward shunt if it detects the car in front coming to a stop.

One oddity of the line-up is only FR models and above get an alarm system. That seems an unusual omission elsewhere in the range but shouldn't be a deal breaker. When Euro NCAP crash-tested the SEAT Arona in 2017, the car was awarded a maximum five stars out of five for safety.

The SEAT Arona performed considerably below par in terms of reliability in the 2020 HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, scoring just 8.64 points out of 10. That's less than stablemates like the Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Cross.

The biggest issue was with the 1.5 TSI petrol engine, a problem that plagued many Volkswagen Group cars from early 2019. The problem particularly affects 1.5 TSI models paired with the manual gearbox and results in the car hesitating when cold, creating a 'kangarooing' effect. However, since a fix was introduced, we have had very few reports of any more problems. Indeed, the Arona's performance in the 2022 HonestJohn study was greatly improved.

The SEAT Arona's insurance groups range from 8 to 18. That means it's marginally more to insure than the equivalent Ibiza, but it's on a par with small SUV rivals like the Skoda Kamiq. Predictably, the cheapest Aronas to insure are those fitted with the 95PS 1.0-litre petrol engine. A 1.5-litre TSI with the DSG gearbox is the priciest.  

All SEAT Arona models have been registered since the latest VED car tax rules were introduced in 2017. That means the initial owner will pay the first year's fee based on CO2 emissions (this is lumped into the car's on-the-road price). After that, you'll pay a flat rate of £180 a year in tax. This applies to all SEAT Arona models and, indeed, most rivals - except hybrid or electric alternatives, which qualify for a discount.

The SEAT Arona SE kicks off the range with a fairly generous amount of kit. You get 17-inch alloy wheels, metallic paint, a small 6.5-inch media system with DAB radio and smartphone integration (upgraded to 8.2-inches from 2021), interior ambient lighting, a leather steering wheel, cruise control and air conditioning. Some of these features we'd only expect higher up in the range, but SEAT prides itself on its generous equipment levels and short options lists.

Tech fans should look for an SE Technology model, though. This takes all the equipment of the SEAT Arona SE and adds the Connectivity Pack Plus, with its eight-inch touchscreen sat-nav (later 9.2-inches), wireless phone charger and USB-C port. It also gets rear parking sensors as standard.

The SEAT Arona FR is a more stylish choice. Standard equipment includes tinted rear windows, colour-coded door mirrors, LED headlights and taillights, chrome window trim and chrome roof rails. Inside, you'll find a leatherette dashboard, front sport seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel finished in perforated leather with red stitching. Dual-zone climate control is standard, as well as automatic rain-sensing wipers, sports suspension and an alarm system.

The sporty SEAT Arona FR Sport starts to feel more special. On the outside it gets 18-inch alloy wheels, while the interior features a Digital Cockpit, microsuede upholstery and heated front seats.

If you're after a bit of luxury in your compact SUV, the SEAT Arona Xcellence (later renamed the Arona Xperience) comes with a fancy 17-inch alloy wheel design, a white dashboard, storage pockets on the back of the front seats, the Storage Pack (including a front centre armrest and a drawer under the front passenger seat), adaptive cruise control and keyless entry and go. 

Topping the SEAT Arona range is the Xcellence Lux (or Xperience Lux). Highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, Digital Cockpit, a leatherette dash and microsuede upholstery, park assist, front parking sensors, a rear-view camera and heated front seats.