Cupra Ateca Review & Prices

The Cupra Ateca is a family-sized SUV which combines practical interior with a sharply styled exterior and sporty engine options, but it’s getting on now and the cabin feels more dated than in SUV alternatives.

It started life as a SEAT before sticking with Cupra during its separation from the Spanish legacy brand, so you can consider this Ateca the edgier twin to the more sensible SEAT Ateca…even though you can have them both with the same engine. Confused? We are too.

The important thing to remember is that the Cupra Ateca comes with an optional engine choice which you can’t get in the SEAT (it’s the same engine as a Volkswagen Golf R), marking the Cupra out as an alternative to the sporty BMW X1 M35i, more comfortable Volkswagen Tiguan or the dashing Renault Rafale.

It’s more aggressively styled than the SEAT, too, with Cupra’s signature bronze detailing alongside deeper bumpers, side skirts and quad exhaust tips at the back. Racy. It’s handsome, but compared to the latest batch of family SUVs it looks a little dated.

That ‘nice but behind the times’ theme extends to the Ateca’s interior. While everything is clearly laid out and there’s an array of (delightful) physical controls instead of irritating touchscreen menus, the vast expanse of continuous grey plastics on the dashboard is at odds with the striking exterior details.

Even the door trims are grey, and though the push-button starter on the steering wheel and sporty seats are achingly cool, they look out of place in an otherwise boring cabin. Still, they’re very comfortable to sit in, and though it feels small compared to newer SUVs with enormous infotainment systems, the 9.2-inch infotainment display is fairly responsive to your inputs. The menus are annoying to navigate, though.

There's plenty of storage space dotted around the cabin, with a wireless phone charger under the dashboard, cupholders behind the gear lever, big door bins and a hidden centre console cubby. The back seats are roomy while the 470-litre boot features handy hooks, anchors and a clever floor that flips up at the sides for access to the (limited) under floor compartments.

While the entry-level 1.5-litre engine is the same as you can get in its SEAT counterpart, there’s also a more powerful 2.0-litre option in V1 and V2 trims. Step up to the range-topping VZ2 for the full-fat, 300hp unit which provides hot hatch levels of performance.

You’d think that a hardcore performance SUV from a sporty brand would be uncomfortable around town, but aside from being jiggled about over broken roads the Cupra does a good job of absorbing potholes and speed bumps. It’s noisy on the motorway though, with noticeable road and wind noise in the cabin.

It defies its size on a twisty road, because the Cupra’s steering is responsive, the range-topping engine provides rapid acceleration out of corners and the strong brakes bring you to a stop reassuringly quickly.

Check out the latest Cupra Ateca deals on Carwow, as well as Cupra Ateca lease deals and used Cupra Atecas available through our trusted dealer network. There are plenty of other used Cupra models to choose from, and remember, Carwow can help you sell your car when the time comes to switch.

Starting at just under £38,000, the Cupra Ateca is ever so slightly cheaper than the SEAT version in top-spec FR Sport trim - when equipped with the same 1.5-litre engine. Prices for the Cupra increase massively as you move up the range, with the 2.0-litre 190hp engine commanding a £4,000 premium over the 1.5 in both V1 and V2 trims, while the VZ2 starts at a whopping £49,500.

For that you also get 19-inch alloys in matte black, leather heated sports seats and a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, 360-degree cameras and automatic high-beam assist. At that price, however, the Cupra Ateca costs almost as much as the BMW X1 M35i which is comparably quick, but feels more premium inside and features a posher badge.

It fares well over speedbumps and big dips, but the big wheels mean the Ateca suffers through sharp potholes

In town

The Cupra Ateca does a good job of soaking up bumps and going round corners with minimum fuss, even if it does feel jittery on pockmarked roads. Drive it gently and your passengers will never know they’re in a car that can beat many a hot hatch away from the lights.

Visibility is good all round which makes the Ateca easy to place on a narrow road, as does the 10.8-metre turning circle which is smaller than a Volkswagen Golf GTI. The Cupra comes as standard with a seven-speed DSG gearbox which is lightning quick on the move, if not as slick as the traditional automatic in some alternatives.

We found the brakes a little snatchy at low speeds, which took some getting used to, and when trying to crawl through traffic they let out a tremendous squeak - so much so that passers by would swivel their collective gaze towards the Cupra.

On the motorway

Most SUVs such as the Ateca are even more comfortable on the motorway than they are around town, but the Cupra bucks this trend. The suspension still does a good job of absorbing bumps and dips, but there’s a lot of road noise from the large alloy wheels and too much noticeable wind noise from the top of the windscreen. Our test car even had a faint whistle at the national speed limit, which was tiresome.

Accelerating to 70mph is a piece of cake in the VZ2 model thanks to its powerful engine, but you won’t want for power in the lesser models, either.

You can also specify a Travel Assist package on certain versions, which is designed to ease the stress of long distance driving by gently steering you within your lane and keeping you at a fixed distance to the car in front of you via the active cruise control. It’s an effective system, neither too intrusive nor untrustworthy.

On a twisty road

‘Hot hatch on stilts’ is a term often banded around these days, but with its mechanical similarities to the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3, the Cupra Ateca in VZ2 trim really is just that. It’s most noticeable in sport or Cupra mode with the gearbox also set to sport, at which point a valve in the exhaust opens for more noise and the engine feels like it comes to life.

Head down your favourite country lane and the Ateca tackles it with ease, carrying speed though corners with no hesitation and great composure. Okay so it’s not as fun as the aforementioned hot hatches, but compromises have to be made when trying to balance practicality and hooliganism.

You can also change gears via flappy paddles mounted on the steering wheel, accompanied by a “parping” noise from the exhaust with each change - which is naff, in all honesty. Scrubbing off speed is easy, too, thanks to the sharp, powerful brakes.

The tall roofline means there’s plenty of space inside the Ateca, but it loses storage cubbies compared to its SEAT counterpart

The Cupra Ateca is pretty much as spacious and versatile as the SEAT Ateca on which it’s based, but it loses out on some practicality features, like the storage tray beneath the front seats. It’s an easy car to get comfortable in, and the seats (trimmed in either leather or Alcantara) have snug side bolsters to keep you in place around fast bends.

The steering wheel is highly adjustable and the front seats come with lumbar support, but the standard adjustment on base VZ1 cars is manual, whereas higher trims come with electric seats. It’s not the end of the world, but you’d expect more from what’s supposed to be a premium SUV.

There's a shelf to store your phone underneath the infotainment system with a wireless charging pad, and another storage bin between the driver and the passenger. The glovebox isn’t particularly roomy, though.

Space in the back seats

Passenger space in the back is good, however. There’s plenty of space for a couple of lanky teenagers, while kneeroom and headroom is fine for tall adults. You can fit three people in the back and you won’t hear many complaints from them, either.

The only downside is a large hump in the middle of the floor so middle-seat passengers will need to have a foot in the footwells either side. The Cupra Ateca has large door pockets and a flip-down armrest with a pair of cup holders.

Still, there’s a shelf to store your phone underneath the infotainment system. And if your phone is compatible, it will charge it wirelessly too. There’s another storage bin between the driver and the passenger, but the glovebox isn’t the biggest around.

There is a pair of cupholders in the arm rest in the back, and a couple of USB ports for back seat passengers. And there’s a small shelf for at least one of their phones too, underneath the USBs.

Boot space

The luggage area in the Cupra Ateca is big enough for most day-to-day jobs, but alternatives offer more space. In fact, it’s not even the biggest Ateca boot, because the SEAT version will hold 25 litres more - about the size of a soft sports bag. That’s due to the four-wheel drive system in the Cupra taking up space beneath the boot floor.

Still, at 485 litres, that’s enough space for a couple of suitcases and is certainly a chunk bigger than in the Golf R which shares its engine and four-wheel drive system.

Fold the rear seats down and you get a load space that is big enough to take a bicycle without having to take the wheels off, or even a pallet, as we discovered. You can flip those rear seats down by levers in the boot, so you don’t have to walk round to the rear side doors to drop the seats flat. Handy.

Solidly put together and well laid-out, but the Ateca’s cabin is getting on now

The Cupra Ateca interior looks classy, feels well made and has a few nice touches that mark it out from the SEAT range. It has all of the good bits from a Volkswagen Group interior such as the solid-feeling climate controls knobs and buttons, it’s just a shame that they are bits from about five years ago.

Still, it’s better than in the standard SEAT Ateca. The black interior looks stylish and the piano black trim, copper effect details and body-hugging seats mark it out as something a bit more special. It’s a pity that the sporty wheel with integrated drive mode selector and starter button isn’t standard on every model.

There are Cupra logos on the illuminated door sills, and before you even get into the car, ‘welcome puddle lights’ shine the Cupra logo on the ground next to the front doors. It’s a bit of a shame the quality in the front seats isn’t quite the same for the lesser-used versions in the back. The door bins are made of scratchy hard plastics that let the side down.

The 9.2-inch infotainment system features a piano-black surround flanked by touch-sensitive shortcut buttons for different menus. You can tell it’s not the latest tech, however, because it’s set into the dashboard as opposed to floating above it. You might prefer the cleaner look of the integrated screen, that being said. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are built-in if you don’t want to rely on the in-built sat nav.

To complement the infotainment system, there is another digital screen behind the steering wheel that transforms into a huge map, making following sat nav directions a doddle (though not if you are using your phone’s apps).

We achieved an average fuel economy of 34.2mpg during our time with the Cupra Ateca VZ2, and while we did a lot of motorway and A-road mileage, that’s still an impressive figure for such a large, powerful car with four-wheel drive.

CO2 levels vary from 153g/km in the 1.5-litre engine, through to 205g/km in the full-fat, 2.0-litre, 300hp VZ2 model. The middle-ground 2.0-litre unit outputs 180g/km of CO2 - almost bang on in between the others.

Road tax is quite expensive in the Cupra on account of there not being any hybrid assistance, while the V1 and V2 models barely scrape under the luxury car supplement threshold of £40,000. You’ll pay extra duty on any 2.0-litre model between years two-to-six.

Company car drivers look elsewhere, as the Benefit-in-Kind rate is very expensive on any Cupra Ateca. The all-electric Cupra Tavascan or plug-in hybrid Terramar are better options in this case.

The Cupra Ateca earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating when it was last tested in 2016, but that result has since expired.

Still, it achieved its stars by earning a highly commendable 93% score for adult occupant protection, 84% for child occupant protection, 71% for vulnerable person (also known as “pedestrian”) protection and 60% for safety assistance systems - the telltale sign of its age.

Every Cupra Ateca comes with seven airbags, front assist, autonomous emergency braking, a hill-holder and fatigue recognition. Higher level versions pick up traffic-sign recognition as well as adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist and lane assist.

Coming 28th out of 31 brands in the 2025 Driver Power survey for owner satisfaction, Cupra performed poorly when compared to alternatives BMW (eighth place) and Skoda (12th place).

Cupra offers a basic three-year/60,000-mile warranty that’s the entry fare among mainstream car manufacturers, while companies such as Kia, Hyundai and Toyota offer lengthier standard packages.