Cupra Ateca Review

In our Cupra Ateca review, we take a look at the first car to be launched under the Cupra name. In essence, it’s a SEAT Ateca with a 300PS 2.0-litre petrol engine from the Volkswagen Golf R, along with four-wheel drive, a tuned suspension, racing spoilers, diffusers and quad exhaust pipes. If you want a family small SUV with attitude, this is it. The range did diversify a bit in late 2023, while the Ateca was discontinued in 2026 and is no longer available to order from new.

You’ll be pleased to hear its bark is as aggressive as its bite. With four-wheel-drive and a DSG automatic transmission as standard, the Cupra Ateca will hurtle to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds, so just as fast as a ‘proper’ hot hatch like the aforementioned Golf R.

And it’s not just in a straight line where the Cupra Ateca’s quick. It devours corners for fun, with next to no body roll and an extraordinary amount of grip. You almost have to re-calibrate your mind as to how well a car as high as this can take bends.

It’s the Cupra Ateca’s versatility which really impresses. When your fiery family wagon has to perform those family duties, it’s almost as refined as the standard Ateca. It’s an excellent motorway companion and a heap of standard tech (including a birds-eye-view camera) means it’s a doddle to drive and park around town.

While the interior doesn’t feel as classy as that of the BMW X2 M35i, and the design is a little dated, but it feels well made and nicely finished. There's a standard touchscreen infotainment system and digital dials, although the central screen is a bit small by the standards of more modern systems. Design touches such as the suede-like Alcantara seats and shiny aluminium pedals give the cabin a sporting edge. 

It’s practical, too, with plenty of space in the back for kids and a big boot. It’s in terms of practicality where the Cupra Ateca comes into its own compared to hot hatch rivals, and even premium alternatives like the Audi SQ2.

The Cupra Ateca proves you can have your cake and eat it. It’s a practical small family SUV that’s perfectly happy cruising on the motorway or bimbling around town. There’s plenty of space in the cabin and standard equipment levels are generous. When you’re in the mood, however, it’s devastatingly quick and really fun to drive, although you’ll soon pay for it in fuel bills.

The biggest issue with the Cupra Ateca is that it sells in relatively small numbers. That means you’re unlikely to find one rocking up on your neighbour’s driveway, but it also means that finding a bargain on the used market might be difficult. That Cupra badge is more appealing than a SEAT, and as such, you’ll pay for it.

In 2023, things changed a bit with the Cupra Ateca. Alongside the scintillating 300PS engine that had always been at its heart, Cupra introduced more affordable versions with less power. There was a 1.5-litre TSI petrol with 150PS and front-wheel drive, and a 2.0-litre TSI with 190 PS and four-wheel drive. Both got a seven-speed dual clutch DSG automatic gearbox. In fairness, we've not tried these versions, but when the engine is so central to the appeal of the 'proper' Cupra Ateca, we can imagine that a big part of the experience would be lost, and you might as well be driving a regular Ateca from SEAT.

For most of the Cupra Ateca's life, you didn't get a whole lot of choice, with just the 300PS engine on offer and a single high-spec trim level. There were a few option packs you could add, though. We think the optional Comfort and Sound pack is a desirable feature. This added things like a premium Beats sound system, a space-saver spare wheel, adaptive cruise control, electric tailgate and heated front seats. Keep an eye out for cars with this pack fitted when shopping on the used market.

Then in 2023, the lesser petrol engines were added to the range, and these were offered in V1 and V2 trim levels. If you want the most powerful 300PS engine (spoiler alert, you do...), then look for a car in VZ1, VZ2, VZ3 or VZN specification, as these will have it.

Used Cupra Ateca prices now start from around £26,000, though you need to pay attention because that money can buy either an older 300PS car or a later lower-powered version.

That makes careful shopping important. The 300PS car is the one most buyers will actually want, so make sure you are not accidentally comparing it with the later 150PS model simply because the asking prices overlap.

For many buyers, the best value sits with a well-kept earlier 300PS car with the right options rather than a later but less exciting version.

The Volkswagen T-Roc R is the most obvious alternative because it shares much of the same engineering, though it is a little smaller and not quite as practical. The Audi SQ2 is another close relative, but again it is tighter inside and feels more premium than playful.

The BMW X2 M35i is worth a look if you want something with a stronger premium image, while the Porsche Macan remains the more polished and more engaging option if budget allows.

There is also a strong argument for skipping SUVs altogether and looking at cars such as the Golf R Estate or Skoda Octavia vRS if you want fast-family-car pace with a different flavour.

This is one of the key reasons the Ateca works so well. It is not merely fast for a family SUV, it is still a genuinely useful family SUV.

Up front there is loads of room, a comfortably high driving position and enough adjustment to suit most drivers. Rear-seat space is also strong, with enough room for children and adults alike, even if the middle seat is very much for occasional use.

The boot is a real asset. At 485 litres, it is properly useful and comfortably large enough for family life. The rear seats fold easily, there is useful flexibility in the load area and the Ateca never feels like a car that sacrificed its practical brief for the sake of performance.

The Cupra Ateca measures 4,386mm long, 1,841mm wide and 1,599mm high. That makes it compact enough to feel manageable in town while still offering the raised seating position and family-friendly space SUV buyers are usually chasing.

In practice, it feels smaller and easier to place than a lot of newer SUVs, which is part of its appeal.

When it was first launched, the Cupra Ateca came as standard with a very good eight-inch touchscreen infotainment display that did everything you could possibly want aside from play your favourite CDs: navigation, full smartphone integration (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), DAB radio, a 10GB hard disc drive, voice control… the lot.

It works perfectly well. The graphics are clear, it responds quickly to inputs and all the menus are laid out perfectly logically. There are a few Cupra-specific functions, like the G-force meter and lap timer, but otherwise the system is pretty much identical to the one you’d find across the Volkswagen Group cars of the time.

In 2020, this system was replaced by a 9.2-inch display. While this looks a bit more modern, it replaces the old-fashioned buttons with touch-sensitive pads, which can be irritating to operate on the move (and quickly get covered in fingerprints).

As well as the main infotainment display, there’s a digital display in place of conventional dials. These are crystal clear and easily configured to prioritise whatever information you think is most important, such as your current speed or navigation directions. The digital cockpit does a very good job of lifting the otherwise slightly bland cabin.

Material quality is good rather than outstanding. There are plenty of soft-touch surfaces where it matters, and the Alcantara trim, sports seats and copper-coloured detailing help give the cabin a more distinctive flavour.

It does not have the richer, more ambitious feel of later Cupra models, and there are some harder plastics lower down, but the overall impression remains solid and durable.

For the vast majority of the Cupra Ateca's life, there was just one engine available: a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol producing 300PS. It’s combined as standard with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox and 4Drive all-wheel drive.

It’s the same engine that appears in many hot Volkswagen Group models, including the Volkswagen Golf R, Volkswagen T-Roc R and SEAT Leon. As you’d expect from a turbocharged petrol engine producing 300PS, it makes the car very rapid, taking the Ateca from a standstill to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds. On-the-move acceleration is just as brutal, so there's plenty of excitement to be had at all times.

The four-wheel-drive system ensures there’s loads of grip and traction, so you won’t find the wheels scrabbling if you boot it off the line. There’s a launch control function for the ultimate in quick getaways, although this is a bit of a gimmick that you’ll probably never use once the novelty’s passed.

The Cupra Ateca is well suited to the DSG transmission, which provides rapid gear changes and seems to provide the right gear for the situation without hesitation. All models come with paddles behind the steering wheel should you wish to change gears yourself. This does add a degree of excitement when you’re pressing on but, like the launch control function, you probably won’t bother most of the time.

If you do decide that 300PS isn’t enough, German tuner ABT Sportsline offers an upgrade that adds an extra 50PS and boosts torque to 440Nm (up from the standard Cupra’s 400Nm). This shaves 0.2 seconds off the Cupra Ateca’s 0-62mph time. If this appeals, any SEAT dealer should be able to perform this upgrade, and it won’t affect your warranty.

Later on, Cupra broadened the range with a 150PS 1.5-litre and a 190PS 2.0-litre petrol. Both were offered with DSG, and the 190PS car kept four-wheel drive, but neither version really carries the same appeal. They may be more sensible to run, but they also feel like they miss the whole point of the Cupra Ateca.

The Cupra Ateca remains very composed during cornering, exhibiting only a hint of body lean, especially with the adaptive suspension firmed up via one of the sportier drive modes.

No, it’s not quite as keen to turn in at the limit compared to a more conventional hot hatch like the Honda Civic Type R, but you can still get a huge amount of enjoyment. Four-wheel-drive combined with wide tyres ensures there’s a huge amount of grip and traction on offer.

Surprisingly, considering its big wheels (19-inch as standard), the Cupra Ateca is more comfortable on rough roads than you might expect. Sure, it’s noticeably firmer when the dampers are set to the sportier drive modes, but it’s still pretty forgiving, and certainly nothing that's going to have your kids reaching for the sick bags up as you pootle down the motorway.

Around town, the Cupra Ateca is just as easy as any other Ateca to drive. It's relatively compact (its footprint isn’t much larger than that of a Volkswagen Golf) and you sit relatively high up, giving you a good view of the road ahead. 

Rear visibility is about as good as you get in a small SUV of this size (i.e. it's not great), but that’s no biggie. Front and rear parking sensors are standard as well as a high-resolution reversing camera with a 360-degree birds-eye view. There’s even a self-parking feature that will automatically steer the car into a space while you control the throttle and brake. 

One of the most impressive features of the Cupra Ateca is its Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. It can ‘do’ refinement surprisingly well. Leave it in Normal or Eco mode, and the exhaust note is surprisingly hushed, allowing it to happily bimble along at low revs like any other Ateca.

One of the biggest issues is road noise from the wheels. The standard-fit 19-inch alloy wheels are fitted with low profile tyres, which create quite a din, even when cruising on the motorway. It’s nothing that can’t be drowned out by turning up the stereo, but it is something that goes against the Cupra compared to a standard SEAT Ateca.

The Ateca’s bulky dimensions means there’s also a bit more wind noise compared to a low-down hot hatch like the Volkswagen Golf R.

If you do want a bit more theatre, the Sport and Cupra drive modes ramp up the drama, with more noise from the exhaust and through a sound actuator in the cabin. It does sound the business but, for the ultimate in aural delight, look for a car with the noisier Akrapovic exhaust system.

If you’re going to carry your family in a car as rapid as the Cupra Ateca, you’re going to want all of the safety systems possible. Fortunately it doesn’t disappoint.

Highlights include a front assist system, which uses radar to monitor the cars ahead of you. If it detects a potential collision, it’ll alert the driver, and will also automatically apply the brakes to mitigate an impact. With city emergency braking, this’ll bring the car to a complete halt to prevent a crash in stop-start traffic.

There’s also a tiredness recognition system, which watches out for things like erratic steering wheel inputs and lane movements, before telling the driver to take a break if it suspects you’re tired. Other handy safety features include a hill hold control system, which will hold the car for two seconds after you lift off the brake pedal, preventing it rolling back into other traffic. 

When the standard SEAT Ateca was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2016, it received an impressive five-star safety rating (out of five). It performed particularly well in the adult and child occupant tests, for which it achieved 93 and 84 percent, respectively.

SEAT’s pedestrian protection features - including deformable front wings and space left between the bonnet and engine - contribute to a 71% rating for pedestrian safety. The Ateca scored 60% for its safety assist features, losing points for not having a lane assistance system as standard (it is fitted as standard to the Cupra Ateca).

Fuel economy depends heavily on which version you buy, but the 300PS car is predictably the thirstiest. Officially it sits around 30mpg, and that is not wildly unrealistic if you drive with restraint.

Use the performance properly, though, and the figure will fall quickly. The later 190PS and 150PS cars are more efficient on paper, but again that needs to be balanced against how much of the Cupra Ateca’s core appeal they give away.

From new, the Cupra Ateca came with a three-year/60,000-mile manufacturer warranty in the UK, so any remaining cover now will depend on the car’s age and mileage. Cupra Approved Used examples are still the most reassuring place to start, as they come with at least 12 months’ warranty and roadside assistance. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 10,000 miles, so on a used Ateca a full record of routine maintenance is well worth prioritising.

Go for the full-fat 300PS version, as we'd advise you to, and you be paying insurance premiums based on groupings of between 31 and 33, depending on the specification of the car you buy. It won't be cheap to cover, then, but that's no surprise on a flashy SUV with 300PS.

The lesser versions will be more affordable to insure, naturally. The 1.5 has a group 17 grouping in V1 trim and 18 on the V2, while both versions of the 190PS 2.0-litre sit in group 24.

For most Cupra Atecas registered on or after 1 April 2017, the standard annual VED rate is now £200. Cars with an original list price of more than £40,000 also pay the Expensive Car Supplement for five years from year two. That takes the annual bill to £640, or £56 a month by Direct Debit during that period.

In the Ateca’s case, the 1.5-litre versions were the least likely to cross that threshold, while the 300PS cars were much more likely to do so. As ever, it is worth checking the exact registration and tax position of the used example you are considering.