Should you buy one?

That depends on what model you’re considering. We don’t think the Cupra Leon makes very much sense unless you’re opting for the range-topping 300hp model. The 1.5-litre engine doesn’t really suit the Cupra Leon’s aggressive nature – and we stepped out of it feeling rather short changed.

If all you need is a practical and efficient family hatchback, you’d be daft to choose to the Cupra Leon over the mechanically similar (and much larger) Skoda Octavia. The Octavia is cheaper, it has a far more comfortable suspension setup and much more boot space.

The Leon also has some exceptional rivals – chief of which is the Honda Civic Type R. That’s easiest the best hot hatchback in this class, and it’s only slightly more expensive than the Leon at around £50,000. Plus, by the time you’ve spread the cost of the car out over a finance agreement, the difference between the two cars is negligible.

The Leon is unquestionably a good hot hatchback, but it doesn’t quite stack up against the best in the class. And when the best is very nearly the same price, why would you opt for it?

What we like

The 300hp model is riotously fast, the adaptive dampers do a great job of controlling the Leon’s body and Cupra’s clever differential is always entertaining when you’re driving quickly. We also like the new touchscreen, although we’re disappointed Cupra didn’t adopt Volkswagen’s excellent menu design.

What we don’t like

It’s not as good to drive as the Honda Civic Type R and you can’t have it with a manual gearbox, which saps a lot of the fun. Space in the back is also quite tight, and the least powerful 1.5-litre feels rather underpowered. The PHEV also isn’t as good to drive as it weighs a lot more than the non-hybrid version.