Used Seat Leon ST 2013-2020 reliability

Category: Estate car

The Seat Leon ST might not be the biggest estate car, but for used car buyers it represents great value for money

Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • 2016 Seat Leon ST Cupra 290 review
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Seat Leon ST
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Seat Leon ST
  • Seat Leon ST
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • 2016 Seat Leon ST Cupra 290 review
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Seat Leon ST
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Used Seat Leon ST 13-present
  • Seat Leon ST
  • Seat Leon ST
Used Seat Leon ST 2013-2020 review
Star rating

What should I look for in a used Seat Leon estate?

You’d expect anybody who buys an estate car to make extensive use of the boot space. As a used car buyer it’s therefore important to check for dog hair or muddy carpets, as well as the general condition of the boot and rear bumper.

That aside the Leon ST is so far proving to be perfectly durable, and scores above average for wear rates on components such as brakes and wiper blades.

If you're looking at an FR or Cupra make sure you check the big alloy wheels carefully for damage, as well as looking out for signs the car has been driven hard. The suspension, for example, should feel taut and the steering track perfectly straight. If there's any sign of blue smoke coming from the exhaust walk away.

The only recall for the Leon ST concerns potentially fault child locks on cars built between November 2015 and April 2016.

Used Seat Leon ST 13-present

What are the most common problems with a used Seat Leon estate?

The VW Group mechanicals are proving robust in the Leon ST, so as long as the car has been serviced to schedule you shouldn't have any problems with the engine, clutch or gearbox. If you're after an automatic it's worth bearing in mind that the VW Group did experience some issues with the seven-speed unit used on the smaller petrol engines at launch. While there aren't a significant number of reports of problems with Seat Leons, for peace of mind it might still be worth opting for the six-speed unit that featured on the larger engines instead (bear in mind this needs an oil change every three years).

There have also been some reports of trim rattling and minor electrical gremlins, so be sure to prod all the buttons to make sure everything works.

Is a used Seat Leon estate reliable?

According to our latest What Car? Reliability survey, the diesel Leon is not quite as reliable as the petrol-engined versions. The petrol car came in 10th place out of 24 cars in the family car class and the diesel-engined car came 11th.

Seat as a brand managed to finish in 17th out of the 30 manufacturers featured.

If you would like to see the full reliability list for family cars, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.

Seat Leon ST