fbpx
Newspress Awards 2024 wide

Automotive Website of the Year

The best new cars of this year to be revealed…

We’ll be revealing the winners of The Car Expert Awards 2025, including our overall Car of the Year title, on Tuesday 3 December.
Find an Expert Rating: 
Expert Rating

SEAT Arona

(2017 - present)

Expert Rating

New car score:

73
%
A

Used car score:

75
%
A

Expert Rating report card

Media Rating:

70
%
B

Safety Rating:

73
%
B

Eco Rating:

67
%
A

Reliability Rating:

-

Running Costs:

75
%
A

How are our Expert Rating scores calculated?

Expert Rating

New car score:

73
%
A

Used car score:

75
%
A

Expert Rating report card

Media Rating:

70
%
B

Safety Rating:

73
%
B

Eco Rating:

67
%
A

Reliability Rating:

-

Running Costs:

75
%
A

Summary


The SEAT Arona is a small, supermini-based SUV/crossover that sits below the Ateca in the SEAT SUV family. It was launched in summer 2017 before arriving in the UK later that year.

The Arona is based on the SEAT Ibiza hatchback, and internally it looks and feels almost identical. It also shares a lot of its componentry with the related Volkswagen Polo, T-Cross and T-Roc models.

The Arona has been widely praised for its driving characteristics and decent standard equipment levels. However, the diesel engine has been criticised for being noisy and slow, while concerns have been raised about its behaviour during emergency brake and swerve manoeuvres.

The SEAT Arona currently has a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 73%. It gets top marks for its low running costs and CO2 emissions, while its safety rating is also good. The only caveat is that we don’t have reliability data as yet, so check back again soon.

Key specifications


Body style: Small SUV/crossover
Engines: petrol, diesel
Price: From £22,450 on-road

Launched: Autumn 2017
Last updated: Summer 2018
Replacement due: TBA


Media reviews


Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert

+

Auto Express

+

Autocar

+

Business Car

+

Car

+

Car Keys

+

Carbuyer

+

Carwow

+

Company Car Today

+

Daily Mail

+

Evo

+

Green Car Guide

+

Heycar

+

Honest John

+

Parkers

+

The Sun

+

The Telegraph

+

Top Gear

+

What Car?

+

Safety rating


Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: October 2022
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 83%
Child protection: 83%
Vulnerable road users: 65%
Safety assist: 70%

Eco rating


Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: October 2022
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 83%
Child protection: 83%
Vulnerable road users: 65%
Safety assist: 70%

The rating above only applies to the versions of the SEAT Arona powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine and manual gearbox. It does not apply to any other engine/gearbox combination.

Reliability rating

MotorEasy logo 600x167

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of January 2024, we don’t have enough reliability data on the SEAT Arona to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using workshop and extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy, sourced from both official dealerships and independent workshops. 

As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Arona, we’ll publish the results here.

Running cost rating

Clear Vehicle Data logo close crop

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumptionAverageScoreVariationScore
Petrol models49 mpgC45 – 53 mpgB – C
Diesel models57 mpgB53 – 59 mpgA – B
CO₂ outputAverageScoreVariationScore
Petrol models130 g/kmA120 – 143 g/kmA – B
Diesel models129 g/kmA125 – 138 g/kmA – B
Insurance groupAverageScoreVariationScore
All models12A9 – 19A – A
Service and maintenanceCostScore
Year 1£149A
Year 2£408A
Year 3£707A
Year 4£932A
Year 5£1,270A
Overall£3,466A

The SEAT Arona is a relatively affordable car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Fuel consumption isn’t as good as some other small SUVs, but servicing and insurance bills should be much better than most rivals.

Awards


Trophies, prizes and awards that the SEAT Arona has received

2019

  • What Car? Awards – Best Small SUV
  • Tow Car Awards – Best Tow Car, Ultralight category
  • DieselCar & EcoCar Top 50 – Best Compact SUV

2018

  • WhatCar? Awards – Best Small SUV
  • DieselCar & EcoCar Top 50 – Best Compact SUV
  • Red Dot Design Awards – Best Product Design

Similar cars


If you’re looking at the SEAT Arona, you might also be interested in these alternatives

Audi Q2 | Citroën C3 Aircross | Dacia Duster | Fiat 500X | Ford EcoSport | Ford Puma | Honda HR-V | Hyundai Bayon | Hyundai Kona | Jeep Renegade | Kia Stonic | Mazda CX-3 | MG ZS | Mitsubishi ASXNissan Juke | Peugeot 2008 | Renault Captur | Skoda Kamiq | SsangYong Tivoli | Suzuki Vitara | Toyota Yaris Cross | Vauxhall Crossland | Vauxhall Mokka | Volkswagen T-CrossVolkswagen T-Roc


More news, reviews and information about the SEAT Arona at The Car Expert

The cheapest new cars on sale in 2022

The cheapest new cars on sale in 2022

SEAT adds digital cockpit to Arona and Ibiza

SEAT adds digital cockpit to Arona and Ibiza

SEAT Arona review

SEAT Arona review

Outstanding results in latest safety tests

Outstanding results in latest safety tests

SEAT Arona crossover goes on sale at £16.5K

SEAT Arona crossover goes on sale at £16.5K

SEAT Arona SUV targets Nissan Juke

SEAT Arona SUV targets Nissan Juke

Buy a SEAT Arona


If you’re looking to buy a new or used SEAT Arona, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car.

Carwow logo 600x300

Discover great deals available on both new and used cars. Find out more

Auto Trader logo 600x300

Search for your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more

Cazoo 600x300

Buy a car online from your sofa. We’ll deliver it. Find out more

Motors 600x300

Search less, live more. We make finding the right car simple. Find out more

Lease a SEAT Arona


If you’re looking to lease a new SEAT Arona, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find a competitive deal.

Carparison 600x300

Personal contract hire deals from Carparison Leasing. Find out more

Rivervale Leasing logo 2022

Personal contract hire deals from Rivervale Leasing. Find out more

Ready2Lease logo

Personal contract hire deals from Ready2Lease. Find out more

LeaseLoco logo 600x300

Personal contract hire deals from LeaseLoco. Find out more

Subscribe to a SEAT Arona


If you’re interested in a car subscription, The Car Expert’s partners can help. (PS: What’s a car subscription?)

Mycardirect subscriptions – 600x300

Car subscriptions from Mycardirect.
Find out more

Wagonex logo 2023 600x300

Car subscriptions from Wagonex.
Find out more

Cocoon Vehicles logo 600x300

Car subscriptions from Cocoon.
Find out more

Drive Fuze logo 600x300

Car subscriptions from Drive Fuze.
Find out more

Used car finance

Looking for an alternative to dealer finance? The Car Expert's partners can help
We Finance Any Car 400x200

Used car finance from We Finance Any Car.
Find out more

Blue Motor Finance

Used car finance from Blue Motor Finance.
Find out more

Happy Motor Finance 600x300

Used car finance from Happy Motor Finance.
Find out more

Sell your car

Do you have a car to sell? The Car Expert's partners can offer you a great price
Motorway 600x300

Get a free valuation in seconds from Motorway.
Find out more

Auto Trader logo 600x300

Get a cash offer for your car in minutes from Auto Trader.
Find out more

Carwow logo 600x300

The free, easy way to get 3,000+ dealers all over the UK bidding on your car.
Find out more

Best car rankings

The top cars in every category

The Car Expert has the ultimate ranking of the best and worst new cars on sale, analysing scores from 35 of the top UK motoring websites to give you a definitive rating. We're adding more cars and more lists all the time, so keep checking back for the latest results.

This page last updated:

This page contains links to some of our commercial partners. If you click on any of those links, we may receive a commission.

The SEAT Arona currently has an Expert Rating of 70%, which puts it just behind its Volkswagen cousins but ahead of other class rivals we have analysed.SEAT Arona