SEAT Ibiza hatchback (2008-2017) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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I've experienced one problem after another with this car. I picked this car for it's style and performance which are both good and it still had 1 year of manufacturer's warranty left which was fortunate. It went into the workshop in the first 2 months of owning it because it burned a litre of oil every 500 miles. This was fixed under warranty but oil still needs topping up and SEAT insist this is normal 2 months after that the radiator went. The car had 22,000 miles on it and the warranty was 1 week out but to SEAT's credit they paid for it. It took weeks to fix because they couldn't source a radiator for my car and wanted the courtesy car back that I needed for work Now 18 months later at 40,000 miles the radiator has gone again and despite claiming 2 year parts warranty on the website they insist mine is void and will have to pay to have it fixed.

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I bought the car from new as I wanted something economical for a 50 mile daily commute. I haven't been disappointed, and the car hasn't given me any major problems despite nearly covering 110k. Whilst it is proving to be this cheap to run I will be keeping it. Only problems I have had are with the boot lock, and fuel tank filters failing (which were later the subject of a recall). In order to get the best fuel economy from the car keeping within 50 to 60 mph yields the best results on a longer run.

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Hi, I've had this car since new and in the 5 years since owning i have been very disappointed with its reliability and aftersales service received. I bought from a main dealer. It has done 60,000 miles in 5 years. Given the large number of excellent reviews it could well be the case i have been unlucky but felt the need to write an honest review my experience. My car has been back to the garage for fault repairs a large number of times for repair. I personally feel the number of faults is unreasonable. Some of these have left the car usuable for weeks. Some are minor but the after sales service i have received has also been shocking. Seat have not been interested! On one occasion i was told a component was out of stock and i they would have to hold my car for up to 8 weeks as the part was on back order (i had to refuse to leave the showroom and make a scene before they would even consider providing a courtesy car, then they asked me to pay £12 per day! If you purchase this vehicle the following faults may occur: Day 1 - V.loud rattle in the dash (3-4 visits to resolve, eventually replaced the plastic trim on the dash which solved the problem) Following the above repair the car was returned with the trip computer/ ecu fault - spare keys stop working, immobiliser kicked 6 months - electric mirror knob falls off (unfortunately whilst they were folder up) 18 months - turbo fails, car in limp mode (advised 8 week wait), after i make a scene in the showroom they provide a courtesy car and cover the fee. They miraculously source a part from an alternative source within a week. 18- 28 months - no problems 28-34 - various engine faults unable to diagnose 35 months - took for early service before warranty expiration as engine sound v.loud. Timing chain was about to fail and water pump was leaking. Both were changed 46 months - injector failure (2 injectors) 60 months - epc and engine light, limp mode - currently being diagnosed There has also been a couple of investigations and recalls (bonnet catch, turbo repairs)

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never misses a beat.

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Car was supplied with a dent, which took months to repair

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x3 new engines replaced under SEAT warranty. Dsg software /mechanical problems.

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Very reliable car, only called out the breakdown services once in five years, that was to change a tire that had a nail in it

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Have had some issues, which have been fixed under warranty.

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Nothing has gone wrong in 15000 miles

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Only had one repair

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Well built reliable car and for the running costs performace is good

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Extremely pleased with my car.

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Very happy with its reliablity and running costs. it has been excellent value for money and has served us well, covering many miles all over europe on holidays.

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Amazing handling although the road noise is loud due top profile of tyres. Does not have any traction whatsoever ion snow or icy conditions.

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Great all rounder, sporty and fast when you want , or as economical as a diesel with the twin charger engine.

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Good practical car and huge improvement on previous ibiza.

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Practical.

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My car is very good all round im a driving instructor so i need a car that looks good is economical easy for my pupils to drive and wont let me down. the seat ibiza ticks all the boxes

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Does what it says in the brochure!

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I hate it. wish i never bought it and cant wait to change!!

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A highly effective and much underrated green vehicle which does its job with style, economy and comfort. We have been pleased with our local dealer and delighted with the fuel consumpton. Could receopmmend the seat ibiza ecomotive to anhyone - why does it not rate more highly in the press?

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Great little car, poor ride quality in the rear, fantastic economy, handles well. Seat have got things correct, price is keen and build quality good,1 small problem in 4 years and 80k i think is fantastic.

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Does what it says on the packet

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Since I passed I always bought cars from a British make; cars such as Vauxhall or Ford but for a change I went for a seat ibiza. The design is what attracted me to this car. Its very stylish and has eyes turn around. When I found out it its owned by VW and has VW engine built in, i knew this car would be reliable. Now that i have purchased it and driven the car. Positive: Great reliable petrol engine for quick short trips. 1.2 fuel is great, £20 for half a tank and that lasts for a good 2 weeks if driven daily. Road tax, insurance, maintaining all of it is cheap. Affordable and a great price. Negative: Back seats are so uncomfortable but decent enough space for a person to sit. Interior is so basic and lacks quality but hence the great price. If you get a ibiza basic design,no button keys, you will have to open the door manually.

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SEAT Ibiza looks fabulous with efficient performance engine.

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Bought the car from new and it is ideal for commuting along single carriageway roads where my speed seldom exceeds 55mph, regularly returning +70mpg. Excellent road holding and grip and like the firmer suspension. I would not like to use it regularly at motorway speeds, but it suits my purpose.

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No problems

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Never had any problems

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In the last 2 years I have had no issues at all. Its been a fabulous car

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No problems to report, other than 2 recalls for minor things

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always starts . Ac stopped working and had other electrical faults.

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In 1.5 years there's been no problems problems with it at all. It's used quite infrequently but is always fine.

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never had a problem with my lovely seat

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Havn't had any problems yet

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Needs a new engine at 15 months old with 10,000 miles on the clock.

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Not had a single problem with it.

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I'm a driving instructor, doing 30K miles per year, and this is my 3rd Ibiza. I do love them, particularly my current 1.2tsi. I just wish it was more reliable... Timing chain rattle (chain replaced), mis-fire, persistent engine management warning light (they think it's an ECU problem)... Most of this occurred at 45 thousand miles. I'll reluctantly use a Mazda 2 from now on, for reliability reasons. Such a shame, 'cos the build, performance, economy, styling all top notch.

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Quick performance for the price

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I owned an ibiza before, loved that one, love this one even more, like the shaping, the emissions are low and it goes a long way on a tank of diesel.

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So far so good, no faults with the car at all, would reccomend, the power for the engine size is amazing

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Great car; very practical and easy to drive and live with, partly due to the performance levels that it can deliver easily. Its harsh ride is the only criticism. Four and a half years using it and still brings a smile to my face when i see it and most of the times i drive it.

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The seat ibiza has gone above and beyond my expectations. Changing from a bmw 118d; i was certain i wouldn't find anything "eco" engined that performed like my previous car. We tested vauxhall, peugeot, renaut, ford and citroen - none of them came close. Then we drove past a seat garage and thought it worth a look. An hour (and a test drive) later we walked out having paid the deposit on an ibiza ecomotive 1.2 se. The car is amazing; it grips the road like the bmw, it has a sporty steering wheel (unlike any car we test drove), cruise control, a/c, electric heated and movement mirrors, aux input - i could go on. The car was perfect. Ok, the engine can hum loudly when it starts up; but you soon forget that; it's fun to drive, it looks cool, it gives me over 60 mpg. It may not be as powerful as a 118, but it's spacious in the back, it accelerates perfectly (...once in second) and responds to your every whim. Inside the build quality is brilliant. There's no carpet on the doors - it's plastic but that makes it light (only 1,500kg i've been told) and that gives me great mpg and it still looks great inside - it's not lumpy plastic like the vauxhall; it's fine tuned plastic! Overall, this car has definately been thought through by someone. No other eco car has; they all have faults - this one doesn't in my opinion. It's the best repacement for a bmw ever. If you don't get one you will always regret it; unless you own a bugatti veyron.

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Excellent performance, economy,handling and looks.DSG Box superb in auto for town driving and manual paddleshifts for country roads or trackdays. Handling good but trade off is very harsh ride- makes you nervous if you hit a pot hole. more steering feel also needed (not as good as my focus c-max).

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Fun when you want to bash some b roads but not v comfy on long trips

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Still looks like a nice shape of car and is a pretty good runner

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Stunning to look at.... runs like a dream! Would buy another one :-)

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Good handling, reliable car with a surprising amount of space. Only let downs are fairly cheap interior and harsh ride over bumps.

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Bought brand new it was a very good buy

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It was bought as a cheap to run car, to commute from carlisle to edinburgh, but still have good performance. So far it has done this, but it doesn't excite me.

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Good little car generally reliable and quite practical

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Seat use vw mechanicals which have a very good reputation and i prefer their styling to vw plus they are cheaper.........no contest.

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Fantastic small family car with very economical yet nippy 1.9 tdi engine. Externally looks great and internal layout is fine but internal build quality is not vag standard with too many dashboard rattles. Would buy another but dealers are not very helpful or supportive to customer care or satisfaction. The dealers are the only reason i will not buy seat again.

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Reliable, practical, quick, economical excellent package considering its cost.

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Practical & affordable

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My car is a SEAT Ibiza Sport from 2009. The car drives like new and looks like. It's spotless inside and has only had 3 owners, the last one been a family member, and it has 79000 miles on the clock

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

The way it handles

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

The size, it needs 4 doors

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This is great car. I've covered 60k in it since buying it at 12k, it's never let us down apart from an exhaust sensor . I can't really fault it.

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generally a great little car, had a couple of issues, but mostly down to wear and tear and i suspect improper servicing before i received the car (spark plugs werent replaced until around 55k from what can tell) - also required a HT lead. other than that only issue has been with suspension; appears to be quicker to wear than most cars - bushes and spring top mount replaced this year. although i am only just approaching 70k miles so perhaps this is harsh . overall i love the car, drives great, engine really pulls, the little turbo charged 1.2 engine is quicker than most 1.6 litres and have had friends guess its at least a 1.8 litre engine with the way it pulls.

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Overall, I really like my SEAT Ibiza. The (admittedly very old fashioned) N/A engine is pretty punchy, nippy in town and keeps up comfortably on the motorway. MPG is not as good as modern rivals, but you can expect that with an engine that has been in production (in different forms) for well over 10 years. In town fuel consumption is very poor, struggling to do 30mpg, but on long journeys this can rise up to 45-50, I have personally averaged 39 (although I had to work this out manually because despite excellent equipment levels, for some strange reason a trip computer was omitted). The car has electric folding mirrors, climate and cruise control, plus remote locking (with a drivers door only function) although only two airbags and no traction control. Some small reliability issues have cropped up recently, although it is probably me not looking after the car as well as I perhaps should, which would explain the majority. Suspension bushes are a weak-point however, my car has been through 3 sets on the front since 2008. It is a very practical car, with seats that fold nearly flat, I have got a surprising amount of things in the back, but cheap materials let the whole cabin down. And that's the thing, SEAT got this car so nearly right for a young driver like me - it was good value, quick enough, cheap (ish) to run, practical and exceptionally reliable. However there are some foibles which you must take into consideration before you buy. Despite this I would recommend to any young driver who needs a cheap and reliable car, and I would definitely buy from the SEAT brand again.

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I will start with its main positive attribute, great engine 2.0 TDi, powerfull, smooth, low consumption and quiet. Handling is good fun and braking is mildly good too, front seats are great. Negatives, ride quallity is pretty firm, doesn't feel as safe as a VW Polo at high speeds, really poor quallity of materials used in the cabin.

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Everything just works and nothing has gone wrong

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Car has been reliable

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Sensor failed at 30k - replaced under warranty

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amazing reliabilty - best car ive ever owned in 24 cars!! always starts first turn of the key

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Problem with electrics kept car in dealership for repairs for 1 month .

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Absolutley cracking little car. The 1.4 VW polo engine has never let me down and has seen almost 94,000 miles now. I've had two minor issues whilst i've owned the car but they were through my own error or when the key fob buttons wouldn't unlock the car it's because the key is 10 years old and average wear and tear is to be expected at this age, along with a couplke of other replacements like two new disc brakes for the front wheels

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No problems so far

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Car suffers from a lot of road noise. Front spring broke (on a 3 year old car!). Pattern part from euro car parts gave awful ride so had to buy seat part at £60. Took ages for me to fix as i needed a special spring compressor (luckily i could borrow from work otherwise i would have to fork out £300+, standard compressor does not fit in the wheel well). Economy and performance are good. Ride is a little uncomfortable at times but it does have sport suspension so my fault for not buying the most suitable car, not the cars fault! Some interior plastic feels cheap. Persistant wind noise problem from wing mirror area (according to forums even dealers cannot fix this). Rear window washer recently stopped working, not sure why.

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Very happy with our choice - economic, comfortable, good in urban, rural and motorway driving, on short and long journeys.

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Fabulous and stylish, a bit noisy in the back, also the ride is more unsteady in the back. Also the headrest has to be in its lowest position to put the seat forward for access to the back seat. Even though there is plenty of room in the back seats, the other drawbacks make this suitable for only occasional use of back seats.

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The best car i have so far but i am only just 21 so hopfully i will get better cars each time i change them this is my thrid car and my second brand new one

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Fun, practical and doesn't drink fuel. Easy to maintain and has kept its looks well over the years. Will definately buy from seat in the future.

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Lovely car but not as good reliabilty as expected, issues with battery going flat when car left for 3 weeks and been recalled for ecu update.

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I bought this car to replace my saab 95 tid estate for business use - i am the sole occupant so it made sense to run something smaller and more economical. The ibiza with the new vag cr diesel engine failed miserably in that regard - it uses more fuel on every cycle than the saab! The first ibiza 1.6 cr sport (59 plate) was replaced and upgraded by my dealer as its performance was so poor. This was against the express advice of seat uk who clearly graduated from the basil faulty school of customer care! All credit to my excellent local dealer for trying to help but the replacement (10 plate) car is no better and had the additional problem of intermitant coolant loss which they could not trace but now seems to have resolved itself after 5000 miles. Both cars have problems with the dpf despite my mileage being exclusively open road - the car could not be used as a town car. I believe the dpf is the cars achillies heel and the source of the appalling fuel consumption. On my daily 90 mile a road commute the car averages 50 mpg but after my monthly 300 mile motorway trip (which cleans out the dpf) the mpg on my next commute jumps to over 60 mpg before dwindling again to 50 mpg. The car also feels choked and does not pull freely until well over 2000 rpm - other diesels i have owned pull hard from as low as 1200 rpm. Cannot fault the styling, handling or breaking or indeed my dealer but the car does not do what it says on the tin regarding economy and seat uk are a joke! I am glad i kept the saab as a second (family) car as we can still use it to save fuel.

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Brilliant little hot hatch. Performance and exhaust note are superb. Downsides, with one exception, are niggles - the doors have weak hinges, there's little oddment space inside, there's a lot of tyre roar and the fascia buzzes at a particular rpm. The one exception is that the dsg can sometimes have a mind of its own especially when the engine is cold and the car has to go up hill.

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Reliable & economical. Great around town & on 3/4hr motorway journeys.

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Highy delighted with our first green car. We egularly achieve 65mpg= and get up to 75mpg on longer trips. The seat has proved to be a tough little basic mens of trnasport, comfortable and roomy.

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I love my car, very powerful and handles beautifully, second seat ibiza in a row. looking to go up the seat range currently. never had any problems with it, never lets me down. always starts and very economical.

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Good economic run around. Boot big enough for shopping.

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It does what it says on the tin.

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An absolute beast! I bought my car for the excellent engine and have modified it to be even better!

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It came upto my expectations

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Good car backed up by good dealer. Would recommend if something not quite mainstream preferred over the regular cars with good residuals.

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The car has been very reliable but as when new it had a persistant pulling to the left and this was fixed by the dealership the interior access to the rear is poor but as its a sports coupe that is understandable. as this car is part of the vw group i would definetly buy another seat in the future.

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I like the car its just a shame the manufacturer/dealers dont know how to repair there own product. Iv had the car almost a year and it still has the same fault that was there the day i drove it home. Seat uk have been involved but still it has the fault even though its been in many times and to different dealers. I also wonder if its a common fault as we purchased another identical ibiza for my wife and that has the same fault

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