SEAT's style icon, the exotic Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra, is proving to be as hot a property in the used car market as it is among eager new car buyers.

Since its UK market introduction in the autumn of 2009 is has proved popular with its 180 PS power and state-of-the-art DSG automatic/sequential manual gearbox.

Now the latest values from respected industry used car guide CAP show that a 12-month-old Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra with around 10,000 miles on its clock is still retailing for more than 77 per cent of its showroom price of £18,655. This exceptional retained value puts the Ibiza well ahead of some even more glamorous, and pricy, models.

The current edition of CAP Black Book suggests that a 12-month-old BMW Z4 2.3i sDrive, for instance, retains a shade over 71 per cent of its retail price while a Mercedes-Benz C250 CGI automatic with a year on the road under its belt is good for around 67 per cent of its original asking price. The SEAT dealer network, which now numbers almost 130 outlets, rarely has more than a dozen or so of the sought-after Ibizas available nationwide.

SEAT UK used car manager, David Ardern, said: "It's no surprise, perhaps, that this very special Ibiza's combination of hot hatch performance and stand-out styling has buyers queuing up."