SEAT Mii review (2012-2021)
Small cars for first-time drivers or more cautious drivers who want a dependable little nip-around don’t always come first in the style stakes. The SEAT Mii, however, is a hatchback that brings the fashionable touch to the affordable city car category. Read our full SEAT Mii review below.
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Pros
- Great for around town
- Cheap to run
- Perfect for new drivers
Cons
- Compromised driving position
- Very small boot
Interior
Our rating: 7/10
There’s not a lot to the interior of the SEAT Mii, it's basic by design.
The doors aren't fully covered, and there are nice tall windows all around, which make it feel more airy and spacious than other cars of this size.
Driving position
Most of what you touch when driving – the steering wheel, gear stick and pedals – all feel as if they've come from a bigger, more expensive SEAT.
The only real letdown is the seats, which are flat and don't provide much support or adjustment.
You'll be fine driving the Mii around town, but longer journeys probably won't be that comfy.
Tech and features
There’s not much more than a basic radio for entertainment, but SEAT has thought of this.
Presumably, to keep costs down, there's a cradle to hold your smartphone on the dashboard – that's sat-nav and music sorted.
Performance
Our rating: 6/10
Handling and ride comfort
The SEAT Mii does something special – it's just so good at weaving through back lanes and scurrying around town.
It doesn’t achieve this feat in the usual way – it certainly doesn’t have the power of a fancy performance car – but has a verve and cheerfulness that makes it a delight to operate.
As you’re scurrying around, the Mii’s little engine grumbles and huffs away ahead of you.
Its mighty efforts are worth it, the car feels nimble and responsive.
It doesn’t particularly suit motorways. It’s so terrific around town and adept on country roads that its long-journey behaviour doesn’t feel too important.
Practicality
Our rating: 5/10
Boot space
At first glance, the SEAT Mii’s boot looks disappointingly tiny – even for a car of its diminutive proportions.
It’s big enough for a weekly shop, just. You’d struggle to squeeze in a pushchair or anything bigger than hand luggage.
Then you find that the boot floor can be removed, and although this sacrifices an easy-to-access level load area, you gain a deep cavernous space for a stack of suitcases.
Fold the seats down, too, and you end up with a very generous space.
Rear seats
There are a couple of versions of the SEAT Mii - a three- and five-door model.
Of course, the more-door version is the more practical, making it far easier for rear passengers to clamber in and out.
Even with proper doors at the back, rear passengers don’t get fully functioning windows; they only pop out.
Running costs
Our rating: 7/10
It might be small and basic, but SEAT has built the Mii to exceedingly high standards.
The engine is strong and durable, and unreliability isn’t an issue from bonnet to boot.
Fuel economy
It’s also been designed to be easy and affordable to run. Its simplicity helps the Mii be exceptionally frugal – you can expect it to return over 60mpg.
It’s also cheap to tax, insure and service.
The verdict
Interior
7/10
Performance
6/10
Practicality
5/10
Running costs
7/10
Tiny, affordable cars just shouldn’t be as fun as the SEAT Mii – it’s a joy to thread around towns and hilarious to pedal along country lanes.
It’s so enjoyable that you could forgive it for being ugly, impractical or expensive to run, but it’s absolutely none of those things.
It’s simply fantastic.
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