SEAT Arona SUV - Reliability & safety

​​With its use of Volkswagen parts and platforms, you’d think that SEAT would perform well in our Driver Power new car survey. Although you shouldn’t have too many concerns, the results are more mixed than you might imagine.

Safety equipment is generous on all models, and the Arona performed very well when subjected to independent crash-testing.

SEAT Arona reliability

The Arona is based on some of the newest technology Volkswagen Group has in its arsenal, but most of its major components have been tried and tested by other models in recent years. SEAT has put in some thoroughly impressive showings in our annual Driver Power owner satisfaction survey recently, too. That said, the Arona is beginning to slip down the rankings as the car gets older, only managing to achieve 59th place on a list of 75 cars in 2023. The brand itself slipped into the bottom ten in the manufacturer survey, finishing 23rd out of 32.

SEAT owners praise their cars for the way they drive, with handling, ride and acceleration held in high regard. The Arona's fuel efficiency and running costs also scored well, but reliability and build quality were rated below average.

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Safety

The SEAT Arona held onto its five-star Euro NCAP rating after the facelifted model was put through the latest crash testing, despite it being stricter than ever before. It lost its 95% adult protection score, dropping to 83% to match child safety, however, this was still enough to retain its overall high rating.

All models have autonomous emergency braking (SEAT calls this Front Assist) and driver tiredness recognition, while you can specify rear cross-traffic alerts and blind-spot monitoring. Hill-hold control makes pulling away easy on inclines, while curtain airbags supplement the usual front and side airbags.