Fleet World Fleet: SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSI FR 95PS

P11D: £19,720 BiK 29% I £92 (20%) /£184 (40%) Economy 47.9-51.4mpg CO2 emissions 124g/km On fleet 50.1mpg

The Ibiza is very hard to fault

Report 2:

Most of the time, as an end-user company car driver, you will get to specify a vehicle that is the right fit for your job-need and lifestyle. With this in mind, I’ve concluded that, while the Ibiza may not work for other members of the FW Fleet, it most certainly does for me.

As company car tax continues in one direction, conventional logic has dictated that it doesn’t make sense to specify a vehicle bigger, heavier and thirstier than required. And until the latest raft of tax-friendly EVs and PHEVs came along to alter the dynamic, this was still the case.

Would I rather be paying EV-level £10 vs £90 pcm in BiK? Yes, of course, but life is full of compromises and full-time EV driving also presents different issues.

For a sub-£20k supermini (now >£20k with price increases), the Ibiza is very hard to fault, in that it does everything so well. A little more torque low-down would be welcome, but it’s worth noting there is a 1.0-litre 110hp TSI version with lower CO2 emissions at 123g/km (which combined with our FR trim level would be FW’s pick of the range) and a 1.0-litre MPI with 80bhp for around £500 less than our FR 95PS.

Our new SEAT Ibiza long-termer brings an appealing package

While the FW long-term fleet is increasingly going electric, reflecting the broader shift in the fleet industry, I’m bucking the trend with our new car and eschewing both a plug and any form of hybrid system for a conventional ICE engine, albeit one with impressive efficiency.

Meet our new long-termer – SEAT’s sharply styled Ibiza in FR trim – offering 95hp from its 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine, 124g/km CO2 emissions, around 50mpg on the combined cycle and BiK (rated at 29%) of £92 per month for a 20% taxpayer.

All of which adds up to an appealing package which, despite not having the option of plugging in and avoiding the current spiralling petrol prices, makes a lot of financial sense.

For starters, its list price of £19,720 is competitive, and for this, the equipment levels are good. The 9.2-inch touchscreen sat-nav system works particularly well, especially when it comes to finding said petrol stations, and the comfort levels, despite the FR model only being available with the “sport” suspension, rather than the SE trim’s “comfort” suspension, are really very good.

Yes, the ride can feel firm – and will be even firmer if you opt for the £900 extra FR Sport – but the seats are great and the driving position is spot-on for me. I’m just under 6ft, so this does mean rear legroom in the back behind the driver’s seat is a little compromised, but then SEAT’s upsizing customers always have the option of the Leon.

Luke Wikner

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