Cupra Leon Estate review – more practical and powerful than the hatch

Verdict – is the Cupra Leon Estate a good car?

The Cupra Leon Estate offers a left-field choice for buyers after a sporty hot hatch with a little more practicality, making it a well-rounded option. Buyers are well catered for in terms of engine options, too, and those after lower running costs will appreciate the plug-in hybrid version. With a more upmarket, sporty image compared with the SEAT Leon Estate, the Cupra seems like an obvious upgrade.

Cupra Leon Estate models, specs and alternatives

The Cupra Leon Estate is the longer, more practical version of the Cupra Leon hatchback, which itself is the upmarket, sporty version of the SEAT Leon: a stylish family car that’s closely related to the Volkswagen Golf.

If that’s a bit too much information to comprehend, just think of the Cupra Leon Estate as a car for buyers that want sportiness and driving fun without sacrificing on practicality, going up against models like the Ford Focus ST Estate and Volkswagen Golf R Estate. Cupra is the sporty spinoff of SEAT, so the engines offered in this version are more powerful in general, though there are still slower entry-level models for those simply after the athletic looks.

Best estate cars – the top 10 to buy in 2025

The Cupra Leon Estate, as well as its hatchback sibling, was updated in 2024 to more closely resemble other models in the brand’s line-up, such as the Tavascan and Born EVs. It also now differs much more visually from the SEAT Leon Estate on which it’s based.

The Cupra Leon Estate is actually the most powerful model in the entire Leon range, because it has up to 328bhp – the hatchback model has 296bhp. The hybrid Estates are the same as the hatchback in terms of power, though – both have either 201bhp or 268bhp. The normal entry-level petrol TSI uses a 1.5-litre engine with 148bhp, while the automatic uses a mild-hybrid version badged the eTSI. The plug-in hybrids have a 1.5-litre engine and an electric motor. 

As of March 2025, the trim line-up comprises V1, V2, V3, VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 models. The Cupra Leon is more upmarket than the SEAT version, and even entry-level V1 models come with 18-inch alloys, LED lights, a 10-inch touchscreen display, sports seats and a reversing camera. 

16

One optional extra to be aware of is Dynamic Chassis Control, which adds adjustable suspension at the touch of a button. It’s good for changing to a softer setting for daily driving and a stiffer one for a twisty, fun road. There’s lots of grip in the Cupra Leon Estate and it’s very nearly as agile as the hatchback.

The key thing with an estate car is that it has a bigger boot and a more practical interior space than its hatchback counterpart. Here that means there’s a 620-litre boot with the seats up, which is a really big area and the load bay is a great shape. It’s a hugely practical car considering how much performance it has.

There are currently discounts on the recommended retail price of Cupra Leon models via our sister site Auto Express' marketplace

16

The engine line-up for the Cupra Leon Estate has been revised on various occasions since launch, and now there are two plug-in hybrid versions, called the e-Hybrid 204 and e-Hybrid 272. Both make use of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor, but the most economical of the pair is the former, with impressive on-paper fuel economy of up to 719mpg, while the 272 version sacrifices a little fuel economy for higher power, returning up to 655.5mpg. That’s thanks to both the plug-in hybrids’ ability to travel for up to 58-61 miles on a charge.

As with all plug-in hybrid models, bear in mind that these figures will only be remotely achievable if you have a means to keep your Cupra Estate charged up frequently, preferably via a home wallbox charger to keep costs down. Keep driving when the battery is depleted and you will see fuel economy plummet.

These models are excellent for company-car drivers because they have emissions of 9-10g/km of CO2, which result in a low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rating. Combined with the high fuel economy, this version has the potential for being very cheap to run, especially compared to the petrol model.

The standard petrol TSI engine is available at the lower end of the range, using a 1.5-litre unit with a manual transmission, and the automatic model gets mild-hybrid tech, badged eTSI. The TSI can return up to 48.5mpg, while the eTSI is slightly more economical and capable of up to 51.2mpg.

Go for the full-fat 2.0-litre engine with 328bhp and fuel economy predictably takes a big hit. With that fitted, fuel efficiency tops out at 34.1mpg, while CO2 emissions are 189g/km – don’t expect this version to be cheap to run as a company car.

16

The model to choose for the ultimate Leon Estate in terms of performance is the TSI 333. It has a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 328bhp, four-wheel drive and a DSG automatic gearbox. It’s even more powerful than the Leon hatchback in the Cupra range, and matches the VW Golf R Estate for power.

This version can go from 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds – an astonishing time for a practical estate car – and up to a top speed of 155mph. It’s easy to access the performance because it’s automatic-only and has four-wheel drive. This means there’s loads of grip and the car does most of the hard work for you in getting up to speed as efficiently as possible.

The downside to that is that it’s not quite as rewarding or involving to drive as some other fast estates like the Ford Focus ST Estate, but it’s undeniably fast. It’s still a calm and smooth everyday car if you change to a less sporty driving mode too, so it makes a great all-rounder. 

It’s comfortable when you want to do a long motorway trip, but also really exciting on a twisty bit of road, just like the VW Golf R Estate. There’s not much to separate the two, in fact; both of these hot estate cars have a similar approach. Both the Golf R Estate and Cupra Leon Estate get a four-wheel drive system that’s front-biased, but clever technology also means that more power can be sent to the rear wheels on occasion to improve the car’s agility and push the back end out a little more when you put your foot down.

We like the way the power builds in the Cupra Leon Estate, because the turbo kicks in later on in the rev range compared with many other modern turbocharged cars. The steering is well weighted, too, so you can push it with great levels of confidence. Switch to ‘Cupra’ mode, and the Leon Estate amps up the theatre, pumping more engine noise into the cabin, changing gears much more quickly and firming up the ride.

Don’t forget that there’s also an e-Hybrid model with a 1.4-litre petrol engine, electric motor and battery. This version has 242bhp, and it’s also quite a lot heavier than the 310, so it takes seven seconds to get to 62mph and its top speed is 140mph. It’s fast enough to have some fun, but the extra weight means it’s less grippy and agile in corners, and so it’s a bit less fun overall. 

16

The Cupra Leon Estate has the same interior forward of the front seats as the normal Cupra Leon, which means it’s a smart-looking place with an angular dashboard, some nice materials including copper-coloured surfaces and soft-touch plastics and a very useful steering wheel with easy access to driving modes and paddles to change gear.

The 2024 update increased the infotainment screen size from 10 to 13 inches, though we think it looks a little overly big compared to the rest of the dash. That said, it’s a much better system than before thanks to quick responses and a logical menu structure. Climate controls are built into a bar below the screen, and the software keeps shortcuts to various apps permanently at the top of the screen for easy access.

V1 is the entry-level spec, and comes with privacy glass, folding door mirrors and LED lights, plus digital dials and a 10-inch infotainment display with sat-nav and a rear-view camera. V1 Design Edition adds 18-inch wheels finished in copper and black colours, plus styling upgrades such as a black spoiler extension and side skirts and a panoramic roof. 

VZ2 Design Edition and upwards get larger 19-inch wheels and wireless smartphone integration, plus high beam assist, traffic sign recognition and lane change assist tech. Top-spec VZ3 Design Edition comes with wireless phone charging, heated leather seats, a power tailgate and matrix LED headlights. Buyers opting for the top-spec model can also specify optional Brembo brakes.

16

The Cupra Leon Estate has just as much space inside as a SEAT Leon Estate. This means there’s lots of room in the front and enough capacity in the back seats for adults to get comfortable too. Legroom and headroom are both good, so it’s a great family car option.

The Estate version is all about the boot, though, and it’s usefully bigger than the Leon hatchback’s luggage area. While the hatch has 270-380 litres of boot space depending on which version you choose, the Estate has up to 620 litres available in the back.

If you opt for one of the e-Hybrid models, which has a large battery pack and electric motor on board, boot space is dropped to 470 litres. This is still more than even the non-hybrid hatch versions of the Leon, and the large hatch and flat floor mean that it’s a very usable and useful space. There’s a bit of a loading lip but it’s not huge and storing items is easy enough

16

Cupra scores the best out of its Volkswagen Group counterparts in the Driver Power customer satisfaction surveys, and came in 18th place out of 32 manufacturers in 2024. In contrast, Skoda placed 23rd, SEAT 24th, Audi 27th and parent-company Volkswagen in a lowly 29th. Buyers seem to like Cupra’s engines – though these are all Volkswagen-derived units – and the styling of its cars, but are less impressed with the infotainment and its user-friendliness. 

Reliability is nothing to write home about, but it’s about average, with around 23% of Cupra owners reporting an issue with their car in the first year.

The Leon has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, and this shows how the Cupra model will perform in a crash as well, since the models are so similar. Standard safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assist and tiredness recognition. The 310 model also comes with traffic sign recognition, high beam assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and lane change assist. You can add these to the e-Hybrid version as part of the Safety & Driving packs.