Volkswagen Polo review

The new Polo costs a few hundred pounds more to buy than the previous model and also a few hundred pounds more than the equivalent Seat Ibiza, Ford Fiesta and Skoda Fabia. However, the Polo does have slightly better residuals than those rivals, so when it comes to PCP finance, which the vast majority of buyers will turn to, the Polo’s monthly payments aren't too far adrift from others'.

Avoid the punchy 2.0 petrol and you’ll enjoy very agreeable running costs, too. The diesels are the cleanest engines available, with the lowest CO2 figures and extremely high claimed fuel economy, but you'll pay a lot more to buy them in the first place.

We’d say the 94bhp 1.0 turbo petrol is the best bet; it has the best blend of performance, claimed fuel economy and official CO2 emissions.

The range kicks off with S trim, continuing with SE, SEL and sporty R-Line. There is also a Beats special edition with an upgraded sound system.

Air conditioning, electric front windows and automatic emergency braking are all standard on entry-level S models. SE adds 15in alloys, electric rear windows and a leather steering wheel, as well as superior infotainment. This would be our pick.

The ability to add options such as LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and blindspot monitoring are all impressive in this class.

This latest Polo is too new for us to properly assess its reliability. Volkswagen as a brand features in our latest reliability survey, but managed only average scores. For context, small cars such as the Honda Jazz scored brilliantly, while Ford as a manufacturer scored more highly than VW.

VW offers a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty as standard on its Polo, as well as the ability to extend the warranty to four or five years for a reasonable price.

The Polo features as standard automatic emergency braking technology – which brakes the car if the system thinks it’s about to hit something – and an advanced pedestrian recognition system. That played a large part in its five-star rating from crash testers Euro NCAP, where the Polo scored particularly highly in the adult and child safety categories.

The Polo has deadlocks and an engine immobiliser, and an alarm is standard on all but the entry-level S trim. Thatcham Research awarded the car the maximum five stars for resistance to theft and four stars for resistance to be broken into – these compare well with rivals.

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