Seat Arona Review (2017-present)

What is the Seat Arona?

SUV styling has really caught on as a major trend in the car market over the last decade or so, as consumers have been voting with their wallets and buying cars with that off-roading look, instead of more traditional hatchbacks.

Carmakers have responded by launching crossover SUVs of all sizes, including more compact models such as the Seat Arona. This car is up against an array of rival models, such as the Nissan Juke (among the first out of the blocks in this segment), Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Citroen C3 Aircross, Ford Puma, Kia Stonic, Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen T-Cross.

How practical is it?

Seat has taken the platform it uses for the Ibiza and used it for the Arona (which sits below the Ateca and Tarraco in the Seat line-up of SUVs), adding a ground clearance of 190mm and a taller body to make it a more practical proposition for families.

As such there’s a surprising amount of space in the Arona, considering it’s a small SUV, making it a good family car. The front is roomy enough for drivers of any size, while the rear also belies its compact proportions, ensuring that adult passengers don’t feel cramped – unless three large ones try to fill the bench seat. Importantly, you'll fit a six-foot tall adult behind a driver of the same height without anybody feeling too shortchanged. As with all new cars, the Arona also comes with Isofix mounting points on the outer two rear seats, helping to make it child seat-friendly.

Boot space is another Arona strong point. The total boot volume is 400 litres, which is a little more than you get in a Volkswagen Golf. Plus, the Arona is available with an adjustable height boot floor that lets you level out the load height if needed.

What's it like to drive?

The Arona is pleasing to drive, feeling nicely balanced for a high-sided car. It feels well controlled in the corners, avoiding too much in the way of body roll, while the steering is consistent and accurate, and there’s plenty of grip. The ride also feels perfectly composed and the Arona is largely unruffled by challenging road surfaces so long as you avoid the largest alloy wheel options.

When it first went on sale the Arona was available with a 1.6-litre TDI diesel engine producing 94bhp. Its official fuel economy figure is in excess of 70mpg, but in the real world careful drivers who regularly use a mix of road types (urban, rural, dual carriageway/motorway) should still be able to record 55-60mpg. Also available earlier in the Arona's life was a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine – this is the one to choose if you want the best performance.

However, these engines were dropped from the line-up when the Arona was facelifted in 2021, leaving just the VW Group's 1.0-litre, turbocharged three-cylinder petrol unit. This is available with either 95bhp or 110bhp, with the former being more popular with buyers thanks to its lower starting price. For most people this lower-powered engine is likely to offer plenty of performance; it pulls comfortably even from low revs and the five-speed gearbox is light and easy to use. Those after more power should find that the 110bhp unit is noticeably perkier, if still not outright fast. The fact you get six gears instead of five helps with acceleration, or there's the option of a seven-speed dual-clutch automotic. This is very smooth when you're cruising but can feel a little lethargic when asked to kickdown.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Seat’s Spanish designers have worked their magic on the Arona SUV, taking the sense of Iberian style that it has applied to all its models in recent years and producing a sharp-looking small car with proportions that work, aesthetically (not always a given with SUVs of any size). At the same time, buyers can add to the Arona's head-turning appeal by choosing from nine body colours and three contrasting roof colours for that touch of personalisation. The roof rails and plastic cladding on the lower bodywork hint at the ruggedness of an SUV – which is illusory, but necessary for the sake of authenticity.

The sense of style continues in the cabin, with materials that feel decent enough and look like they should be pretty hard-wearing. The equipment inside the car varies, depending on which of the six trim levels you choose, but most have an eight-inch colour touchscreen, which is a highly usable infotainment system controller. Also available is smartphone connectivity that uses Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to link your phone to the central display for handsfree use. Facelifted models from mid-2021 onwards have an upgraded infotainment system with the option of a 9.2-inch display.

If you're after a very short list of contenders, the Arona faces stiff competition in the form of the Skoda Kamiq, which is practical, well designed and good value, and the Ford Puma, which is a more engaging car to drive.

Seat Arona running costs

Buyers have a good selection of engines to choose from when purchasing an Arona, with three petrol units and a couple of diesels – all of which have official fuel consumption figures that are in excess of 50mpg.

The most popular choice – and therefore the one that will constitute the most common used version – is the 1.0-litre TSI petrol unit that produces 94bhp. It’s a modest little turbo engine that doesn’t offer a great deal of performance (0-62mph takes 11.2 seconds), but will suit many urban family drivers. Officially, it will consume fuel at a rate of 57.6mpg, but out in the real world, getting 50mpg will be good going.

The 1.0 TSI is also available with 110bhp, and this version is a little pacier (0-62mph in around 10 seconds) without giving up too much in efficiency. To that end it also has a 57.6mpg fuel economy figure (depending on the trim level it can be a slightly lower 56.5mpg).

Also on offer in older models is a 1.5 TSI EVO engine, a four-cylinder unit that can be found in many other Volkswagen Group models. It's a good engine, flexible and easy to use, while also using clever cylinder shut-down technology to improve fuel economy. In the Arona this means it can match the 1.0 TSI in returning 55.4-57.6mpg in official tests.

On the diesel side with used Aronas, a 1.6 TDI engine supplies two options, one with a 94bhp output, the other producing 113bhp. As you'd expect, fuel economy is better than the petrol options, ranging from 64.2mpg to 70.4mpg, depending on whether you choose a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox and the trim level you opt for. Again, real-world figures are unlikely to match the official figures, especially if the car is used for shorter urban trips.

There’s more good news for owners looking for a frugal ownership experience, in that all versions of the Arona have CO2 emissions below 120g/km, with the lower-powered diesel coming in at sub-110g/km. In terms of the road tax you’ll pay in the first year, most owners will be liable for £175, rising to £215 for some diesel models.

Insurance should be reasonable for Arona owners, with the various versions rated as groups 8E to 18E (out of 50 groups, with 50 being the most expensive), which puts it on the same level as many of its rivals.

The resale values of the Arona also contribute to its position as an inexpensive car to own. After three years, experts estimate that it will be worth between 42% and 48% of its original value, which is more than respectable versus its rivals.

Seat Arona reliability

The Arona seems to have been well received by many buyers, with a good showing in a few recent ownership surveys. It was placed just outside the top 20 best cars to own and just outside the top 10 for reliability in one recent customer satisfaction poll; another reliability survey placed the Arona fourth (out of 10) in the table of small SUVs.

However, owners forums do reflect some of the issues that some owners have experienced with the Arona. One issue that seems to be shared by a number of buyers is a failure of the Front Assist (Seat’s name for autonomous emergency braking) safety system. This seems to be an ongoing issue that hasn’t been resolved to the satisfaction of some, so it’s worth being aware of this potential problem.

Other than that, owners tend to complain about unspecified squeaks and rattles, so if you’re test driving a used Arona keep an ear out for any untoward or irregular noises.

If you do need something fixed under warranty, Seat’s cover lasts three years or 60,000 miles, which is pretty (unimpressively) standard for the segment. Two rivals that offer better warranties are the Hyundai Kona, which has a five-year warranty, unlimited mileage warranty, and the Kia Stonic with its seven years or 100,000 miles worth of cover.