Volkswagen Up review

What Car? Car of the Year. Yep, the Volkswagen Up is a previous winner of our greatest accolade and was once the benchmark by which all city cars were measured.

But that was back in 2012. And when the Up first arrived on the scene, the competition was decidedly ordinary: the Fiat 500, the previous-generation Hyundai i10 and the Kia Picanto were its main rivals.

These days, the competition is a whole lot fiercer. The Picanto and i10 have moved on in leaps and bounds and the Up also competes with the mechanically identical Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

There’s a three-door version for those more concerned about style than practicality but, should you regularly carry rear passengers, you can pay a bit extra to have five doors. The Up is also one of few cars in this class available with a turbocharged engine (the 1.0 TSI 90), so performance can be surprisingly brisk.

So, is the Up still the benchmark in the city car class and which engines and trims make the most sense? Read on over the next few pages to find out.

If you decide you want to buy an Up, make sure you check out our latest deals to find out how much you could save.