What to replace my SEAT Ateca with?
Hi guys,
I'd like your advice please on what to change my SEAT Ateca for or stick like for like (it's a lovely drive).
I live in north Donegal so very windy roads but now spend three out of four weeks in Louth caring for my father who's had a stroke, So wheelchair and Zimmer frame space is needed. I already have heated front seats in mine, that's a must, plus I mind my grandnephew and there's a new baby on the way so it needs to be easy to fit a car seat also.
Because Donegal is so hilly I need a good bit of power. I was thinking automatic for the longer drives but honestly don't mind manual. I'm also used to diesel, I'd like rear parking assistance, Bluetooth, anti-collision detection if possible.
So many to choose from my brain is addled, I've a 172 Ateca at the moment so want to go 2021+ and my maximum budget is €16,000 plus whatever I get for my car as a trade-in.
Any advice would be great thank you
Lorraine Rath (Gweedore)Mar 2025 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Lorraine,
There really is a lot of choice out there, but we will try to help you narrow things down.
With your car as a trade-in, and the €16,000 budget on top, we'll look for cars up to about €27,000.
First up, narrowing the search to automatic SUVs post-2021 really limits your options to the Nissan Qashqai, which isn't very powerful, the Peugeot 3008 (which is quite rare) or the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan. The latter two are potentially worth a look as they're built on much the same underpinnings as your Ateca and their 2.0 TDI engines have plenty of go. There aren't many of them about with automatic gearboxes though.
Removing the constraint on that opens up the options considerably and one car that stands out for us right away is the Mazda CX-5. It's perhaps not as common as some others, but it's great to drive in particular and it should tick all your other boxes. Try to get hold of one to test drive for yourself.
A newer Ateca is of course an option, and we're big fans of the SEAT, but all the newer ones we found haven't a very powerful engine.
The Peugeot 3008 is another car we like and would encourage you to try it out for size. There are plenty of them about with a manual gearbox.
All of these should have the niceties you're looking for as well.
Come back to us if you need help narrowing your search further, or if you want our opinions on any other alternative to the above.
Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Advisor