Item: Used Volkswagen e-Up 2013-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/used-review/n817">Renault Zoe</a> is&nbsp;larger&nbsp;than the e-Up, and it shows in interior and boot space. It also has a much longer claimed range. It’s good to drive, too, and quiet and comfortable inside.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/ioniq/saloon/used-review/n891">Hyundai Ioniq</a> is available in three distinct power sources: petrol-electric hybrid, plug-in petrol-electric hybrid and pure electric. It’s larger again than the e-Up and the Zoe, with plenty of space inside. In electric variety, it’s quick off the line, easy to drive and well equipped inside.

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There have been two recalls that apply to the e-Up. The first is for examples produced between 1 February 2014 and 1 August 2014 for unintentional airbag deployment, and the second&nbsp;is for cars produced between 1 February 2016 and 5 April 2016 that are fitted with panoramic sunroofs, because the glass can come unstuck.

Hatchback

The VW Group famously spends more money on research and development than any rival – and as a result, perhaps it should be no surprise that our testers rate its cars so consistently highly.

The fact that many of those cars use the same underpinnings also helps, because it means that if they get it right once, they have the foundations to keep on getting it right.

However, the Volkswagen brand faces plenty of tough competition, often from within, because the rapidly rising Seat and Skoda brands that are also part of the group have access to the same technology.

VOLKSWAGEN

E-UP

The Volkswagen e-Up is great to drive and easy to park, but the Renault Zoe is bigger, cheaper and will get you much farther between charges

Used Volkswagen e-Up 2013-present

Electricity obviously costs a lot less than petrol, although it’s worth bearing in mind you’ll pay a lot more for an e-Up than a regular Up. Insurance costs are roughly on a par, but you do benefit from free road tax, since there are no tailpipe emissions. There's an eight-year battery warranty from new.

The e-Up will need regular servicing, but it should work out to be cheaper than a petrol Up, because there’s no oil to change. Volkswagen doesn’t offer fixed-price servicing for electric cars nor publish any fixed price costs, so it’ll be worth contacting a few<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/volkswagen"> Volkswagen</a> dealers to find out which one works out the least expensive. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The VW e-Up is great to drive and easy to park, but the Renault Zoe is bigger, cheaper and will get you much farther between charges

You can buy an earlier 2013 e-Up for around £11,000 now. This will get you a clean car with an average mileage for the year and a full history from a trade seller. With around £13,000, you should be able to pick up a good 2015 car&nbsp;with the same criteria, bought from an independent dealer, while you’ll need between £16,000 and £20,000 for cars registered in 2016 and 2017.

There's only the one version of the e-Up available, but it's quite handsomely equipped, with 15in alloy wheels, heated front seats, a 5.0in colour screen and a mount to hold your smartphone when running Volkswagen's Maps+More app. It also comes with cruise control, automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, city automatic emergency braking and Car Net, which comes with a three-year subscription.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Sufficient range between charges to fit in with most people’s lifestyles – and in the real world, not on some far-fetched official test </li> <li>Quick charging times and compatibility with the most ubiquitous types of public charging points </li> <li>Priced to be within the grasp of more than just the privileged few </li> <li>As with any car, ride comfort, practicality and ownership costs can’t be ignored</li></ul>

We define an electric car as one that runs purely on battery power and has no tailpipe to puff out nasty chemicals. These cars qualify for the maximum plug-in car grant (PICG) of £3500.

The Renault Zoe is one of the most affordable options and has a surprisingly long range of between 120 and 180 miles (depending on the weather and the road type). However, the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf are more practical and more accomplished to drive, even if the latter doesn't have a particularly long range between charges.

At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s ground-up EV philosophy – and the American brand’s own network of super-fast chargers – makes the Model S a tempting choice. It has seating for up to seven, an classy interior and a long enough real-world range to make inter-city travel a real possibility.

Electric

Check for bumps and scrapes to the bumpers and bodywork, as this will all cost money to put right. Also, the e-Up provides its infotainment system through an app on your smartphone, which is held in a cradle on top of the dashboard. As this is removable, check that the previous owner has left it in the car. Also, make sure the car comes with all of its charging cables and that they're in good condition, since they can be expensive to replace.

Look in the boot when you go to view an e-Up, because only its floor is carpeted. The sides are exposed paint and could easily be damaged by the contents of whatever has been stowed in there.

Also check the DAB digital radio; it's unlikely to be covered under warranty if the unit fails or the screen gets scratched, because Volkswagen views it as a wear and tear item. Also, the e-Up has a heated windscreen,&nbsp;unlike the regular Up. This is highly useful on an icy morning because you don't have to get your hands cold and it clears the screen faster than the heater can. The downside&nbsp;is that because it is unique to the e-Up, it'll cost significantly more to replace than a regular Up windscreen, so look out for any chips or cracks in the glass.&nbsp;

The e-Up didn’t feature in our most recent Reliability Survey, but the regular Up finished firmly mid-table in the city car class. Most of the problems mentioned centred around non-engine electrics. Volkswagen as a brand finished a slightly disappointing 17th out of 37 manufacturers.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to designing an electric car. The first option is to develop an electric car from an existing model; the second is to develop a car that's completely new from the ground up. The beauty of the first method, apart from the fact it’s much cheaper, is that it gives people a car they already know and trust and showcases what electrification can do. In the case of the Volkswagen Up, this is one of the city cars that people most trust; indeed, it’s so good that it has almost come to define this class, and&nbsp;if you’re thinking of switching to an EV, why not do it with the seemingly familiar?

So, what you get is what you see: the e-Up is a zero-emissions Up, with a claimed maximum range of 99 miles in warmer weather&nbsp;and between 50 and 75 miles in colder conditions. It can be charged via a standard three-pin socket, taking nine hours from empty to full, six hours from a dedicated wall charger or half an hour from a rapid charger. The battery itself is hidden under the seats, so the luggage capacity of the e-Up is the same as that of the regular Up. You might, therefore,&nbsp;think there is little to differentiate the e-Up from the standard car, but the two are, of course, very different under the skin.

For starters, the e-Up is spookily quiet. Indeed,&nbsp;it’s almost silent around town. Approach a corner and, remarkably, the e-Up is quite good fun, thanks to its direct steering. It handles well, too, and it even rides slightly better than its petrol-engined sibling, taking bumps and potholes with aplomb. There’s a good rush of almost instantaneous acceleration, too, and the car, while not ultimately very fast, is quick enough to cope easily with nearly all road situations.

There are five different levels of energy recuperation, which increase the amount of regenerative braking that happens when you lift off the accelerator. The aim is to put energy that would normally be lost in slowing down and braking back into the battery.

There are also three separate driving modes that adjust the climate control, performance and speed limiter in order to either improve comfort or increase the range. Normal lets you drive unimpeded, Eco reduces performance slightly and Eco+ switches off interior heating altogether and cuts performance further still. &nbsp;

Inside, there’s a good driving position, although the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, which some might find a pain. The dashboard is logically laid out and user-friendly, and space up front is fine. The rear seats are limited to two people, and taller passengers will feel a little cramped. The boot is decent for a city car, and the variable-height boot floor means you can hide the charging cables.

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Used Volkswagen e-Up 2013-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Volkswagen e-Up hatchback?