SEAT Leon vs SEAT Ibiza – which is best?

Without wanting to sound like a BuzzFeed quiz, the answer might influence your next holiday. But probably not your next car purchase, because the SEAT Leon isn’t made out of 13th century Gothic stone and the Ibiza won’t attract world-famous DJs and heatstroked clubbers.

Instead, these are cars that share parts with the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Polo respectively, inheriting their baked-in qualities but with a little extra sprinkling of fun and style. Both the Leon and Ibiza are spacious, fun to drive and good value, but which is better? Read on to find out.

SEAT Leon vs Ibiza compared

Styling and design

Despite being penned by different car designers, the Ibiza and Leon share some similarities in the metalwork. Both have sharp body creases, angular lights and some triangular motifs. The longer Leon looks marginally lower and sleeker, but both are smart and stylish.

Both the Ibiza and Leon come in SE, FR and Xcellence flavours, with FR adding sporty touches and Xcellence adding ‘luxury’ with a detailed chrome grille and bi-colour alloy wheels. If the FR treatment isn’t quite racy enough for you, also consider the Cupra Leon which takes the SEAT version and puts it on the copper-coloured protein shakes.

Interior

In late 2021, the Ibiza was updated with a fresh interior design, bringing it in line with the Leon which had only been launched the year before. So now, both cars get an expansive dashboard with a free-standing touchscreen on top. The new software – fitted to both cars – is crisp and colourful, and won’t take long to get your head around. A digital instrument cluster is now fitted in most Ibiza and Leon models.

The Ibiza still retains physical buttons for the climate control, which are a doddle to use while driving – the Leon’s fiddly touch-sensitive sliders are a step backwards. And FR models get a youthful-feeling red interior trim package, which makes the Leon’s monochrome interior feel comparatively sullen. But the Leon pips the Ibiza for comfort, with slightly better materials on the areas you’ll interact with and more models offering a central armrest.

In recent years, the base Ibiza SE trim has become much better equipped, so now there’s almost nothing in it between equivalent Ibiza and Leon trim levels. Both are typically more generously kitted out than a Polo or Golf costing the same money.

Dimensions and practicality

You wouldn’t think that the Leon is a whole foot longer than the Ibiza – the smaller car certainly punches above its size for rear-seat space and boot space. One of the most spacious superminis, the Ibiza is barely any less practical than the bigger Leon. Both have plenty of rear legroom and enough headroom for adults, with space for a fifth adult at a squeeze.

Note that the Leon eHybrid has a smaller boot than petrol or diesel cars, because the large battery takes up space underneath the boot floor. On the other hand, the Leon also comes as a fantastically practical estate model, which’ll be your best choice if you have large dogs or suitcases.

Engines and performance

Hunt around long enough and you’ll find used examples of the Ibiza with a diesel engine, but the vast majority of examples feature a 1.0-litre petrol engine. Confusingly, there are three versions of 1.0-litre engine, starting off with a non-turbo ‘MPI’ variant – which is underpowered but very cheap to insure. The 1.0-litre TSI turbo engine comes with either 95hp or 110hp, and the latter gets a six-speed manual gearbox whereas the less powerful option has five speeds. At higher speeds, the more powerful engine is likely to be more economical and more refined than the 95hp version.

A 1.5-litre, 150hp petrol engine is also available in the Ibiza, and this is the closest you’ll get to an Ibiza hot hatch.

The most potent 1.0-litre engine and the 1.5 are both offered in the Leon, too. Even with the extra weight of a bigger car, neither of these engines struggle in the Leon. But the Leon also comes with the choice of 150hp diesel and 204hp plug-in hybrid engines, which will be more economical for certain buyers. However, if you want a Leon with more pace than these offer, you’ll need to look at the Cupra Leon instead.

Value and reliability

There’s little to set these cars apart in terms of reliability, because a lot of parts are shared between the Ibiza and Leon. And these cars’ parts are shared with Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda models, which means they’re tried and tested. Both cars should be reliable, although both have suffered annoying software glitches in the past.

Your budget for an Ibiza will also buy a Leon, and vice versa. While you might find that you can get a lower-mileage or higher-spec Ibiza for your budget than the Leon, there’s really not much in it on the used market. Both are great value but, if they both cost a similar amount, the bigger Leon represents better value for money.

With that being said, the Ibiza is likely to be marginally cheaper to run than the Leon, as a result of its cheaper prices when new and its small engines.

Which is best?

Neither of these cars is a dud. Whichever you pick, you’ll get a car that’s great to drive, affordable to buy, spacious enough for family duties and reliable. You’ll of course need the Leon if you want a mile-munching diesel engine or a frugal plug-in hybrid, but a large cross-section of buyers are best served by the TSI petrol engines anyway.

The Ibiza wins this test by a hair’s breadth because it should be a little cheaper to run and its smaller size should make it slightly easier to park.

Need more info? Read our in-depth SEAT Leon review and SEAT Ibiza review, or browse our enticing used SEAT Leon cars and used SEAT Ibiza cars for sale.