Introduction
What Car? says...
It wasn’t that long ago that the Seat Arona was just a twinkle in the Spanish brand’s eye. When Seat decided to jump on the SUV bandwaggon (and why wouldn't they?), its first model to hit the road was the bigger family SUV, the Ateca. This was a fine first effort, winning a major gong at the 2016 What Car? Car of the Year awards. The Arona arrived hot on its heels, or perhaps rear wheels, a short while later.
Called after a small municipality in Tenerife (Seat has a long-standing tradition of using places in its native Spain and surrounding territories when naming its model), the Arona is based on the Seat Ibiza (its small hatchback). That makes it a small SUV of roughly the same size as the Ford Puma and Volkswagen T-Cross, but a little shorter than the Skoda Kamiq.
The Arona's a bit pricier than some of its peers, but still cheaper than the premium models in the class, which include the Audi Q2, Mini Countryman and Volkswagen T-Roc. The good news is that, being from the Volkswagen Group stable, the Arona shares a lot with the Q2 and T-Roc beneath the surface, including a similar range of pokey petrol and diesel engines.
But how does the Seat Arona stack up against those and other key rivals? And which engine and trim level make the most sense? Read on over the next few pages and we'll tell you all you need to know.
And when it’s time to buy your new small SUV, or any other car for that matter, What Car? has your back with our New Car Buying service. Without any awkward haggling, you could save a small fortune on the Seat Arona and pretty much every other new car on sale.
At a glance
Number of trims | 6 see more |
---|---|
Number of engines | 3 see more |
Available fuel types Which fuel is best for you? | petrol |
MPG range across all versions | 44.8 - 53.3 |
Avaliable doors options | 5 |
Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £1,029 / £1,568 |
Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £2,058 / £3,136 |
How much is it?
RRP price range | £18,610 - £25,240 |
---|---|
What Car? Target Price range | £16,033 - £22,367 |
What Car? PCP range | £177 - £245 |
Save up to £3,352 when you buy with What Car? |
Our pick
BEST PETROL

Seat Arona 1.0 TSI SE Technology [EZ] 5dr
Read full version reviewAlso consider
Suzuki Ignis
2020 - present
The Suzuki Ignis is a dinky SUV that’s well priced and neatly...
Ssangyong Tivoli
2020 - present
Low price and roomy, but average to drive and not every versio...
Citroën C3 Aircross
2018 - present
The Citroen C3 Aircross is not without its strengths, but most...
Nissan Juke
2020 - present
The Nissan Juke is strong in some key areas, but there are mor...