• Small-capacity engines and front-wheel drive
• SEAT Arona is affordably cheap to run
• Petrol engines claim up to 53.3mpg

How much is it going to cost to run?

Despite its tough SUV image, the Arona isn’t a real off-roader that needs a big engine to haul it up a rocky outcrop in the middle of the desert. It’s more likely to be found mounting a kerb in town. As such, it doesn’t need four-wheel drive or powerful engines, so running costs are reasonably low.

Choose the 1.0 petrol with 95hp, and the claimed fuel consumption is 52.3mpg, but we found this equates to 45-47mpg in gentle real-world driving, with an overall average of 42.6mpg. Go for the more powerful 115hp version and you can expect better fuel economy figures, with 53.3mpg on official tests comparing with our 45.5mpg in real-world testing – still an excellent result.

Emissions figures are low across the board for the Arona range. It’s the 95hp 1.0-litre manual that produces the least amount of CO2, at 124g/km.

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Servicing and warranty

Servicing intervals are once a year or every 20,000 miles. The Arona is cheap to service as it’s established itself as an economical and reliable car. There are a number of service plans available for those who want to pay for their servicing up-front on a monthly plan – thus avoiding big bills.

Covering the Arona should anything go wrong is a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. Nothing untoward should happen, though, as it uses parts found in plenty of other cars across the Volkswagen Group, including the SEAT Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and larger models.

Reliability

• Little to be concerned about
• Arona has a strong reliability record…
• Lots of parts commonality with other VW Group cars

SEAT’s reliability record isn’t brilliant, but the Arona is proving to be a faithful, although Parkers owner reviews aren’t exactly glowing with a distinctly average overall rating.

There have been two recalls for the Arona so far. One is for the handbrake lever that can travel more than necessary, while the other is to do with a rear seatbelt issue – a recall that’s affected cars across the VW Group.