SEAT Leon SC (2013-2018) running costs and reliability

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Running costs rating: 5 out of 55.0

Written by James Taylor Published: 6 June 2019

Miles per pound (mpp)

Reliable fuel consumption data for comparison purposes is not available for this model.

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Fuel economy

A more stringent standard for fuel economy (WLTP) was introduced from September 2017, and this model was not required to undergo that test. Its fuel economy measured under the previous test system was 40 - 85 mpg. However these figures are less likely to be achievable in real world driving and so should never be compared to another car's mpg which was measured under the newer, more realistic WLTP system.

View mpg & specs for any version

SEAT Leon SC running costs are reasonable across the range. Cleanest and greenest is the 103bhp 1.6 TDI diesel which emits less than 100g/km of CO2, making it cheap to tax, and averages a claimed 74mpg. The more powerful 2.0-litre diesel isn’t bad either, returning a claimed 68mpg.

Of the petrols, the 1.2-litre TSI is cheapest to tax and averages a claimed 57mpg. Unsurprisingly, the 178bhp 1.8 TSI will cost most to tax and insure. It returns a claimed 49mpg with the DSG transmission or 47mpg with a manual ’box.

SEAT Leon SC emissions are currently all below 120g/km of CO2, with the exception of the 1.8 TSI petrol which emits 137g/km in manual spec or 132g/km with a DSG auto transmission. Interestingly, the DSG box improves emissions for petrol models but increases them for diesels.

Many derivatives are fitted with SEAT’s Ecomotive energy recovery and start/stop systems.

Cleanest engine is the 103bhp 1.6 TDI diesel, which emits 99g/km of CO2.

The car shares it’s the majority of its essential structure, components and engines with other vehicles in the VW Group (which owns SEAT), including the current Golf, Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia, so SEAT Leon SC reliability should be just as good as those cars.

If you specify the optional LED headlights, SEAT says they’ll be maintenance-free and last for more than 10,000 hours.