The Seat Leon has won the prestigious Car of the Year 2013 prize at the annual Auto Express New Car Awards in London earlier this week. The award was handed over to new Seat Chairman Jurgen Stackmann during a ceremony in London by Auto Express Editor-in-Chief Steve Fowler. The Leon also scooped up the Best Compact Family Car award.

Explaining why the Leon was crowned the year's best car by the U.K.'s best selling motoring weekly, Steve Fowler said, "We love its style, the way it drives, the quality and the kit. Best of all, you get all that at a bargain price, while running costs will be ultra low, too. The SEAT Leon has beaten some superb cars to be crowned Car of the Year - it's that good,"

Jurgen Stackmann thanked the Auto Express jury for choosing the Leon as Car of the Year. "The new Leon is the best vehicle in Seat's history. It is a perfect embodiment of Seat's transformation and shows the direction we will be taking over the next few years. We are very pleased with the reception customers have given the Leon," said the Seat Chairman.

The new Seat Leon was unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and hit U.K. showrooms in March 2013. Priced from just