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Ranked #183 car in the UK · Hatchback · 5,315 units sold last year

Cupra Leon

The Cupra Leon is one of the UK's more popular hatchback choices, ranked #183 by registrations. The figures below are estimated from segment benchmarks and, where available, real DVSA MOT data — a fully researched profile is still to come.

Estimated profile — the figures on this page are modelled from segment averages and real DVSA MOT data rather than a fully researched, hand-checked profile. Treat them as a guide, not gospel.

Cupra Leon
Photo: Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Petrol

Quoted MPG

50 mpg

Cheapest to buy and simplest to maintain — best for lower-mileage town and mixed driving.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

2023
20112026
27,237 mi
0Expected: 27,237180k
good
PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£12,200

Range £9,700£14,750

low confidence

When new (2023)£22,200Age-based value£12,210Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region-£10

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Cupra Leon loses value over time.

What it costs to own

Based on the 2023 car with 27,237 miles you entered above — worth about £12,200 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 3 years, at roughly 9,079 miles a year.

3-year total

£12,234

Per year

£4,078

Per mile

£0.45

Depreciation£4,450
Fuel / energy£3,764
Servicing£975
Road tax£585
Insurance£2,460

Best age to buy — around 2 years

A 2-year-old example loses roughly £2,750 a year — under half the £6,450 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Assumes roughly £1.45/L fuel (£0.28/kWh for EVs), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. A guide for comparison — your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 330 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 71%
Reliabilitybetter than 68%
Fuel economybetter than 73%
Cheap to insurebetter than 84%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

Petrol

The default choice: lowest purchase price and easy upkeep, at the cost of higher fuel bills than a hybrid.

New price
£24,000
Annual fuel / energy
£1,299
3-yr depreciation
45%

Watch for

  • ·Carbon build-up on direct-injection engines
  • ·Ignition coils and spark plugs with age
  • ·Cam or wet-belt service where fitted

Diesel

Makes sense for high motorway mileage; less so for short urban hops, where the DPF struggles.

New price
£25,700
Annual fuel / energy
£1,283
3-yr depreciation
48%

Watch for

  • ·DPF clogging on mostly-short journeys
  • ·EGR valve and turbo wear with mileage
  • ·AdBlue system upkeep on newer engines

Estimated insurance

Group 15 · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

3 years
0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+
Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£820/ year

Roughly £68 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.
Age bandLower riskTypicalHigher risk
Age 17-25£1,870£2,337£3,038
Age 26-32£976£1,148£1,401
Age 33-39Selected£722£820£968
Age 40-49£613£681£789
Age 50+£546£607£716

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

9,079 mi/yr
2,000UK avg for this model: 9,07930,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£1,230

50 mpg, £1.49/L

Insurance

£820

Age 33-39, group 15

Total expected£2,640 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 27,237 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100k milesCost £80-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 10.0% of MOT tests 60k-100k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100k milesCost £150-£450low severityParts high

Recorded in 4.8% of MOT tests 60k-100k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 2.4% of MOT tests 60k-100k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewWatch now

Typical at 30k-60k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 1.0% of MOT tests 30k-60k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Seat belts & restraintsUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100k milesCost £80-£250low severityParts high

Recorded in 0.8% of MOT tests 60k-100k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100k milesCost £15-£120low severityParts high

Recorded in 0.8% of MOT tests 60k-100k miles — from 20,479 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

Tyres

195/65 R15 · 205/55 R16 · 215/45 R17

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

OptionNew costAdded used valueReturn

Tow bar (factory-fit)

Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.

£650£45069%

Parking sensors & reversing camera

Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.

£500£30060%

Heated seats / cold-weather pack

£450£20044%

Metallic or premium paint

Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.

£600£20033%

Panoramic / opening roof

£1,100£35032%

Larger alloy wheels

£700£20029%

Safety rating

Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Cupra Leon, from its 2020 assessment.

5/5
TEST YEAR2020
Rating expired (test protocol superseded)

The CUPRA Leon is a 'twin' of the SEAT Leon tested by Euro NCAP in 2020.

Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 20,479 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

A 3-year-old Leon passes its MOT 87.3% of the time; by 6 years that has risen to 88.2%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

Not enough older examples yet to gauge longevity.

Common MOT failures by mileage

The defect categories this Leon fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.

Category0-30k30-60k60-100k100k+
Tyres & wheels9%10%10%8%
Suspension1%2%5%
Brakes2%2%
Driver's view1%1%
Seat belts & restraints1%1%
Lighting & signalling1%1%

Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Around average

Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.

Parts theft

Around average

Parts-theft risk is around average — catalytic-converter theft is the main thing to be aware of on any petrol or diesel car.

Worth doing

  • Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
  • Park in well-lit, busy areas, and consider a tracker for faster recovery.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Cupra Leon into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

CityAreaDaily chargeLikely outcome
LondonAll of Greater London (within the M25)£12.50
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
BirminghamInside the A4540 Middleway£8.00
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
BristolCity centre and part of the Portway£9.00
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
GlasgowCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
EdinburghCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
AberdeenCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
DundeeCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.

Zones that don't charge private cars

  • BathCity centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
  • BradfordOuter ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
  • SheffieldInside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
  • Newcastle & GatesheadCity centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
  • PortsmouthPart of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

Reliability

79/ 100

Good

Composite of MOT pass rate, defect prevalence and cohort survival from 20,479 tests — high confidence.

Things owners say

  • 01This is an estimated profile — treat the figures as segment-level guidance, not model-specific data.
  • 02Before buying, cross-check against an owners' club, a recent road test, and the car's own MOT history.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Cupra is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~90

Solid network

Sporty mainstream

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Cupra is 2% of all franchised outlets)

A solid network — a franchised dealer is usually within reasonable reach, and independent garages are generally familiar with the brand.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

4,300 mm

Width

1,790 mm

Height

1,460 mm

Kerb weight

1,350 kg

Boot

380–1,250 L

Fuel tank

48 L

How many are still out there

Of every Cupra Leon ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.

Total ever registered

15,855

Currently taxed & on road

15,681

99% of all registered

SORN (off road)

174

1% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

0

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 20 May 2026