SEAT Ibiza Review

The SEAT Ibiza has been manufactured by the Spanish manufacturer since 1984 and is their best selling car. It became the second car in the range to be name after a Spanish location and is currently in its fifth generation which was then facelifted in 2021. It's built on the same platform as the Audi A1, Skoda Fabia, and Volkswagen Polo which places it in very good company.

It's a great option for a sportier supermini before choosing the sports specific trims and offers plenty of different equipment options across a sliding price scale.

Our SEAT Ibiza review will guide you through the current model and help you to decide which will be best for you.

Design and Style

The current generation of the SEAT Ibiza uses the VW Group MQB A0 platform which has extended its wheelbase by 95mm which has drastically improved the SEAT Ibiza's interior space. This generation lost the three door option, but for most buyers this isn't a problem as the five door hatch was always more popular.

It's also 85mm wider and a little lower than the previous generation which makes it look sportier on the road, with sharp lines running down the sides and narrow LED headlights really emphasising it.

SEAT have made these changes without sacrificing visibility. The front windscreen pillars allow fairly good visibility out of the front and the side windows are tall enough to get a good view out of too.

Upgrading through the trim levels improves your alloy wheels and also increases the size as well as adding on additional exterior kit such as parking sensors and a rear camera.

Interior

With the facelifted model there are new soft touch materials throughout the cabin and extra chrome trim. The air vents have been redesigned and are different colours across the trim levels and add LED illumination on the FR and XCELLENCE trims.

The current infotainment system has an 8.25 inch touch screen for the SE trim and a 9.2 inch screen with integrated sat nav on all other trim levels. This is paired with an 8 inch digital cockpit which is then upgraded to a 10 inch digital cockpit on FR Sport and XCELLENCE Lux models.

The system itself is well designed and easy to used and the touchscreen responds quickly as you use it, definitely one of the better systems to be found in a small car. It comes with Full Link as standard which gives you Android Auto and Wireless Apple Carplay and SEAT Connect services too.

This includes a 10 year Safety and Service subscription that covers private emergency call, breakdown call, and service scheduling and also a 12 month Remote Access subscription that gives driving data, parking position, remote lock and unlock, and anti theft/area/speed alerts. Models with sat nav will also have one year of SD card map updates.

Comfort and Practicality

The SEAT Ibiza is an incredibly comfortable supermini thanks to improvements made on the previous version. The interior space includes 35mm more legroom than the fourth generation and an amazing 1022mm of headroom for the front seats. Those in the rear seats have 957mm, only 2mm more than the Ford Fiesta but 100mm more than the Peugeot 208.

There's also 355 litres of boot space with all five seats in use, compared to only 292 litres in the Fiesta and 333 litres in the Volkswagen Polo. Folding the back seats down opens this up to 1165 litres, again more than the Fiesta at 1093 but the Polo gives a little more with 1380 litres.

Finding a comfortable driving position is easy enough thanks to height adjustable front seats, cloth comfort seats, height and distance adjustment for the steering column, and it's also a flat bottomed steering wheel with leather covering.

There's a few good places that have built in storage, particularly in the front seats, with good cupholders and a cubbyhole in front of the gear lever for any small, loose items you take with you.

Performance and Engine Options

If you choose the SEAT Ibiza there are three petrol engines for you to choose from. SEAT have ditched diesel from the range entirely in its steps towards becoming a carbon neutral company by 2050, as many manufacturers are also doing.

The entry level SEAT Ibiza engine is a 1.0 litre MPI capable of 80PS with a five speed manual gearbox. Not overly exciting but it drastically reduces the insurance group of the Ibiza to 4E making it an ideal car for first time drivers. It's also got fairly good fuel economy, offering 53.3 combined mpg meaning you can get the most out of the miles you do with your new driver.

Stepping up takes you to the 1.0 litre TSI engine, another five speed manual gearbox. This is a turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine capable of 95PS and has a combined mpg of 54.3. It's a little more powerful and a little more economical than it's predecessor.

The final option is the 1.0 litre TSI 110PS which is the only option in the SEAT Ibiza range which offers both six speed manual transmission and seven speed automatic transmission. It has the lowest fuel economy of the range, but only ever so slightly, at 52.3 combined mpg and the highest CO2 emissions at 123 g/km.

Trim Levels

SEAT Ibiza models have six trim levels available across the range: SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, XCELLENCE, and XCELLENCE Lux.

The SE is the entry level trim. It includes 15 inch alloys, ECO LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, Full Link smartphone integration (including Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto), an 8.25 inch touch screen, 8 inch digital cockpit, leather steering wheel, and cruise control with speed limiter

The Seat Ibiza SE Technology adds and changes a few pieces of equipment such as upgrading to 16 inch alloys, adding sat nav, increasing to a 9.2 inch touch screen, voice control, and SD card updates for 1 year.

Stepping up again takes you to the sportier FR. It will give you 17 inch alloys, tinted rear windows, electrically adjusted door mirrors with folding and heating functions, FR rear bumpers, dynamic headlight range control, LED tail lights, rear spoiler with simulated twin exhausts, sports seats in cloth, dual zone climate control, auto dimming rear view mirror, rain sensing wipers, SEAT drive profile, and sports suspension.

If you choose the SEAT Ibiza FR Sport it will give you all of the equipment in the FR as well as 18 inch alloy wheels, a 10 inch digital cockpit dash screen, and comfort seats in Microsuede upholstery.

The SEAT Ibiza XCELLENCE includes 17 inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, electrically adjustable folding and heated door mirrors, LED dynamic headlight control, LED tail lights, a front centre armrest, Microsuede upholstery, an auto dimming rear view mirror, dual zone climate control, keyless entry and go, rear parking sensors, and rain sensing wipers

The top trim is the XCELLENCE Lux and as well as the equipment that the XCELLENCE has you additionally get a 10 inch digital cockpit, adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, a rear view camera, and SEAT drive profile.

Reliability and Safety

The SEAT Ibiza has earned a five star safety rating from Euro NCAP, placing it on par with other superminis such as the Ford Fiesta and the Renault Clio. It outperforms the Peugeot 208 and the Vauxhall Corsa, making the SEAT Ibiza supermini a great choice in the class.

This rating comes from having a variety of safety equipment in place. As standard the SEAT Ibiza has lane assist, a speed limiter, anti-lock braking system and electronic stability control, emergency brake assist and front assist, hill hold control, a tiredness recognition system, and front airbags with front side and curtain airbags. There's also isofix points in the two outer rear seats too, allowing everyone t travel together safely.

SEAT has a 3 year or 60,000 mile warranty in place on all of its new cars to cover any issues or any defects that are identified as having been caused by materials or workmanship at point of manufacturing. SEAT offer the option to choose a five year manufacturing warranty as an extra at point of purchasing a brand new Ibiza which is then valid for 5 years or 90,000 miles.

Prices

The SEAT Ibiza cost is well inline with other entry level cars, with the SE trim starting at £17,755 and the SE Technology starting at £18,750. For comparison, an entry level VW Polo starts at £18,855 and a Ford Fiesta costs £18,655.

A SEAT Ibiza FR will cost £20,005 and it's only a small jump to the FR Sport at £20,905 whilst XCELLENCE starts at £20,800 and top trim XCELLENCE Lux starts at £21,640. A top tier Fiesta costs £26,645 whilst a top tier Polo is £27,805. The SEAT Ibiza is the cheapest by a long shot and still provides ample amounts of equipment and tech.

Changing from the standard engine option or adding any extras on will increase your price further and is always worth taking note of when configuring your ideal model.

Summary

The SEAT Ibiza is a great supermini offering that stands out against rivals thanks to it's excellent price point and good level of equipment. It's got a great safety rating and runs in the lower insurance groups which helps to keep running costs down overall.

Our knowledgeable teams at our John Clark SEAT sites in Aberdeen and Dundee are always on hand to answer any further questions that you may have and to show you the model in person.