Volkswagen Up review

For such a small car, the Up is certainly spacious in the front. There’s lots of leg room for tall adults and head room is equally generous. There’s plenty of room for elbows, too.

Storage space is impressive, with wide, deep door pockets and a single cupholder located centrally at the bottom of the dashboard. The small shelf that divides the open-faced cubbyhole is another practical touch.

On the other hand, the Up’s glovebox provides enough room for the car’s manual, but not much else.

The Up's boxy shape prevents the roof from tapering towards the rear of the car, so there's almost as much shoulder room in the back as there is in the front. Head and leg room are reasonable by the standards of the class, but if you plan to carry adults in the back on a regular basis, the Hyundai i10 is a roomier choice. It’s worth noting that the i10 also has three seatbelts in the back – the Up only has two. 

Rear access is decent in the five-door version, and each rear passenger gets a thoughtfully positioned armrest with an integral cupholder.

All versions of the Up have 60/40 split folding rear seats, as does the Hyundai i10. In the three-door model, the front seats slide and fold forward for easier access to the rear, and return to the same position once they’re unfolded.

Height adjustment of the front passenger seat costs extra, except on e-Up versions.

Other similarly priced rivals, such as the Dacia Sandero, provide more space overall, but lack plenty of the driving manners and fun that the Up offers. 

The Up has a decent enough boot that's usefully square in shape and large enough for a few shopping bags or a couple of soft luggage cases. If you need to carry lots of luggage, though, the rival Kia Picanto is a better choice, thanks to its much bigger load bay.

Every Up has a height-adjustable boot floor. With this in its highest position, there's only a small lip at the boot entrance and no step in the floor of the load bay when the rear seatbacks are folded down. Another benefit of the false floor is that you can keep fragile or valuable items stowed safely away out of sight.