Skip advert
Advertisement

Seat IBE Concept

We take an exclusive first drive in SEAT's high-tech electric concept ahead of its debut at the Paris show.

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your next car here
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

It’s hard not to be seduced by the IBE’s low-slung stance and razor-sharp body. But this car is more than something to look good on SEAT’s Paris show stand. It previews a new design language and proves that the company is serious about battery vehicles. We shouldn’t read too much into the driving experience, yet the electric motor’s smooth power delivery impresses even at this early stage. The highlight of the package has to be the interior, with its smartphone integration and eye-catching design. Let’s hope it makes it to a production model soon.

Advertisement - Article continues below

It’s a glimpse of SEAT’s future! This is the latest version of the firm’s all-electric IBE Concept, which debuted at March’s Geneva Motor Show. Nobody outside SEAT’s Spanish design studio has seen this car, yet Auto Express has driven it, ahead of its appearance at this week’s Paris Motor Show.

It’s very different to the Geneva vehicle. For starters, it runs, thanks to a hi-tech Siemens electric motor. It has a sharper take on Seat’s future design language, too. The low, angular and muscular body has none of the slashes, vents and chrome add-ons usually associated with concepts, while every line makes a triangular point to the SEAT logos on the front and rear, or out to the wide wheelarches. To highlight the electric drivetrain, the grille is filled in and the badges on the nose and tail light up.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

3

2015 DS

3

70,100 milesManualDiesel1.6L

Cash £4,200
View 3
XF

2015 Jaguar

XF

61,000 milesAutomaticDiesel2.2L

Cash £7,495
View XF
Range Rover Evoque

2023 Land Rover

Range Rover Evoque

32,368 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £23,495
View Range Rover Evoque
Range Rover Evoque

2023 Land Rover

Range Rover Evoque

12,482 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £28,995
View Range Rover Evoque

Inside, SEAT has gone for a minimalist approach. This exaggerates the space on offer in a car that, at 3.83 metres long, is shorter than the current Ibiza. The two rear seats fold individually to boost load space and give a large, flat floor. Yet when they’re in place, there’s plenty of headroom, even though the car is only 1.23 metres high and has its batteries placed under the floorpan.

Advertisement - Article continues below

In the front is a pair of leather-covered plastic bucket seats, and it feels as if half the dash has been sliced away. As the car is electric, a spindly, curved panel replaces the centre console, and houses the Park, Drive, Neutral and Reverse buttons. Instead of a built-in screen, SEAT has developed its own iPhone app. Dock your Apple handset in the top of the dash, and it takes care of music, navigation and other vehicle settings. Two touchpads on the steering wheel give control over the iPhone – your hands don’t leave the rim.

Push the Drive button, and nothing happens until you squeeze the throttle. Then there’s a soft whine from the electric motor and the IBE picks up briskly. It looks as fast as a Tesla Roadster, but 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds is more warm hatch pace. There’s no messing around with gears, though, with the single-ratio box taking the IBE all the way to its 100mph top speed. Then again, the claimed 80-mile range will tumble if you use a heavy right foot.

The motor has a throbbing whine, while the 19-inch tyres, hand-cut for Paris, produce very little road noise. The only other sound comes from the typical creaks and groans from the hand-built body, which isn’t engineered for road driving. Hard cornering isn’t what we’re here for, but the low and wide stance means the IBE stays flat and grips well in bends. The trade-off is minimal suspension travel, which would make for a firm ride on the road.

A lithium-ion battery pack and a mix of steel and aluminium in the chassis and plastic body panels keep weight down to 1,100kg. SEAT says the production model shouldn’t be any heavier than 1,200kg. But the IBE isn’t likely to make dealers for a few years yet. The next step is a Leon Twin Drive Ecomotive. This plug-in hybrid is due in 2014, promising a 35-mile range on battery power alone, without having to switch on its range-extending petrol engine.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,115 off RRP*Used from £13,328
Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £19,785Avg. savings £4,364 off RRP*Used from £8,595
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £23,990Avg. savings £2,192 off RRP*Used from £20,921
Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,271 off RRP*Used from £11,595
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Skoda Epiq vRS to headline brand’s hot-SUV onslaught
Skoda Epiq vRS exclusive image

New Skoda Epiq vRS to headline brand’s hot-SUV onslaught

Every future Skoda will get the go-faster treatment, with the brand also working on making cars sharper and more engaging
News
27 Jun 2025
Marcos is back! British sportscar brand’s big plan, and swirling controversy
Marcos, interior

Marcos is back! British sportscar brand’s big plan, and swirling controversy

Development is already underway on the first all-new Marcos cars in roughly 20 years
News
27 Jun 2025
Car Deal of the Day: 717bhp BMW M5 Touring super-estate on a tasty lease deal
BMW M5 Touring - front action

Car Deal of the Day: 717bhp BMW M5 Touring super-estate on a tasty lease deal

The BMW M5 Touring is M car royalty, with a thoroughly impressive PHEV powertrain. It’s our Deal of the Day for 29 June
News
29 Jun 2025