Used test: Audi S1 vs Volkswagen Golf GTI - costs
The Golf GTI has grown bigger and heavier over the years, so could the feisty little Audi S1 prove to be a better used hot hatch?...
![Audi S1 infotainment screen](https://media.whatcar.com/fit-in/760x503/wc-image/2020-08/audi_s1_infotainment_screen.jpg)
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety
The rarity of the S1 means it commands a higher price than the GTI. And it will be more expensive to run, due to its higher fuel consumption (40.3mpg vs 47.1mpg) and CO2 emissions that will see you pay £240 in yearly car tax compared with £150 for the GTI.
Both cars get climate control, Bluetooth, xenon headlights, and automatic lights and windscreen wipers as standard, while the S1 has a bigger infotainment screen. However, Audi charged extra for front and rear parking sensors, whereas these came as standard on the GTI.
![Volkswagen Golf GTI 2013-2020 infotainment screen Volkswagen Golf GTI 2013-2020 infotainment screen](https://media.whatcar.com/wc-image/2020-08/golf_gti_infotainment_screen.jpg)
The GTI outscored the S1 for both adult and child safety in the Euro NCAP safety tests, too, and it comes fitted with a fatigue monitor, automatic emergency braking, pre-sense crash detection and adaptive cruise as standard; none of these features appear on the S1.
According to our latest What Car? Reliability Survey data, the pair are likely to be similarly dependable – hardly surprising given that they use many of the same parts underneath. The Golf did receive a marginally better score than the A1 (the car upon which the S1 is based), though, and Volkswagen as a brand ranked two places higher than Audi in 20th out of 31 car manufacturers.
![Best hot hatches 2022](https://media.whatcar.com/370x245/wc-image/2022-01/best_hot_hatches_2022.jpg)
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