Volkswagen Polo Review 2025

The Volkswagen Polo has been a staple in the small car sector for decades, and still remains right at the top of the tree. This sixth-generation car is several years old now, but a 2021 mid-life facelift, along with lots of small incremental improvements along the way, have kept it fresh enough. Excitement isn't the order of the day here, but as our VW Polo review shows, the car just does everything really well, and with minimal fuss. 

There's a lot to be said for downsizing. Fuel prices are rising, the roads are getting more crowded, and cars are getting bigger and bulkier than ever. So, do you really need anything bigger than the Volkswagen Polo?

The latest, MK6 Polo is basically where the VW Golf was 20 years ago in terms of space and on-road refinement, despite being smaller on the outside. In fact, during our time with the car, we actually had passengers who thought it was the latest Golf when climbing inside. It really could serve as a small family car, not least because it has a surprisingly big boot, too. 

Of course, the VW Polo is much more efficient, agile, high-tech and safe than a two-decades-old Golf. In fact, it's previously been declared as one of the safest cars in its class and, in top trims particularly, is packed full of big-car kit. The 2021 facelift brought standard niceties such as digital instruments and Travel Assist for partial self-driving. 

As has been the case for years, the Polo shares much under the skin with the SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia. But despite having the same platform and excellent TSI engines, the Polo feels a fair bit more upmarket, with better soundproofing, and a higher quality cabin with more kit. 

One thing the Polo does lack is the fun, engaging driving experience of the now-sadly defunct Ford Fiesta. It's more composed and comfortable instead, with an easy and relaxing driving experience, particularly if you avoid the bigger wheel options. With super-low insurance groupings on some versions, it also makes for a very sensible first car. If you can afford to buy it, that is, because it's one of the pricier cars of its type.

But although the VW Polo isn't the cheapest small car, it is priced roughly in line with the Hyundai i20, Peugeot 208 and Toyota Yaris. Some of them are more stylish and kit-laden, but only the Peugeot can really match the quality feel and refined driving experience. 

There's a Polo for everyone, from the cheapest 80PS 1.0-litre Life right up to the 207PS GTI hot hatch (the Polo GTI is a very different beast to the rest of the range, so we've written a separate review of that car). But the range of engines and trim levels has shrunk in recent years, with diesel options having fallen by the wayside. Regardless, the Polo is an easy car to recommend, but perhaps a rather harder car to fall head-over-heels in love with. 

The Volkswagen Polo might not be as fun to drive as the now-defunct Ford Fiesta, but it's a comfortable and refined small car whether you're in town or on the open road. 

The Polo feels agile at low speeds, and it’s easy to guide into a parking bay thanks to the short rear overhang and good visibility. All versions these days have rear parking sensors, while top-spec models add front sensors, too.

The suspension is supple, and cars on 15-inch or 16-inch wheels provide a soft and comfortable ride quality, even on fairly bumpy roads. The Polo can also be specified with 17-inch or 18-inch wheels, but these convey more bumps and lumps into the cabin and are best avoided if comfort matters more than style. 

In terms of handling, the steering is nicely weighted but not super-sharp. The car turns into bends pretty well and the body doesn't roll around too much. You can drive it on a twisty road with absolute confidence, but it's nowhere near as engaging or playful as a Fiesta. 

The most popular engine is the turbocharged 1.0-litre TSI petrol with 95PS. It's a perfect fit to the car and one of the best three-cylinder engines on the market at this price point, being smooth, pretty refined and punching well above its weight on performance. 

It comes with a five-speed gearbox as standard. Although first and second gear are quite long, the flexibility of the little engine means sixth gear isn't missed too much. 

If you must have six gears there is a more powerful version of the 1.0-litre TSI engine available, coming with either 110PS or 115PS at various different times. Either way, it feels much the same as the 95PS engine, but does respond a little more urgently higher up the rev range. 

All versions of the 1.0 TSI engine can be fitted with an optional seven-speed DSG automatic, which we've yet to try in the Polo. We've tried this combination in other Volkswagen models, though, where we've found that the gearbox saps some performance out of the engine, and the gearshifts can feel a little clunky.

There is the option of a non-turbo 1.0-litre petrol engine in entry-level VW Polo Life models. With 80PS and not a lot of torque, it's pretty gutless, and unless you're only pottering around town - or insurance is a concern - we'd avoid it. 

You used to be able to get a diesel VW Polo with 95PS. It was efficient and a decent performer, but it was also pretty noisy. It was also more expensive than the petrols, so very few people bought one and by 2021 it was removed from the range entirely. 

All Volkswagen Polos have Front Assist autonomous emergency braking and post collision braking to reduce the effects of an impact, while a Driver Alert System helps avoid fatigue and lane assist helps further avoid accidents. 

Stepping up to mid-range Match trim brings Travel Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control with a more advanced lane keeping aid to do much of the steering, accelerating and braking for you on motorways or in low-speed traffic. 

Of course, you also get Isofix child seat mounts on the two outer rear seats. A Hill Hold function is also standard, while blind spot monitoring is on the options list. 

All of this has earned the Polo a five-star rating from Euro NCAP in its crash test assessments. It did this with a superb 96 per cent rating for adult occupant safety and 85 per cent score for child occupant safety. However, that was way back in 2017, and these ratings now expire after five years due to ever-improving safety standard, and so it no longer applies.

Very few people will be towing in their VW Polo or any small car, but it does have a braked capacity of up to 1200kg depending on engine. 

No matter how tall you are or what shape your body is, the Volkswagen Polo will accommodate you with ease. Once you’ve found your ideal seating position - there's plenty of adjustment for the driver's seat and steering wheel, by the way - you will find that the Polo also provides good visibility in all directions for the driver.

The back doors open nice and wide - almost 90 degrees - for easy access, which is also helpful for loading and unloading child seats. Once in, the rear bench accommodates two adults - even big ones - really rather well. Passengers will think it's a bigger car than it is, although things will be a lot less comfy if you try and squeeze a third person into the tight middle seat. 

For cargo-carrying, the Polo’s boot is among the more generous in the supermini sector. With 355 litres of capacity on offer in normal use, the Polo’s luggage bay is not far short of the Golf’s.

This is the area where the Volkswagen Polo pulls out a very clear lead over its rivals. Everywhere your eyes or hands come to rest, the Polo’s interior reeks of quality that is a cut above the common herd of superminis.

There are thickly padded surfaces on the dash-top and doors, while other areas such as the door handles and steering wheel have a classy, tactile feel most of the competition can't quite match.

The same is true when you reach further down in the Polo, so even the seat bases and door pockets have neatly finished, smooth edges. Sure, there are a few more hard plastics than you'll find in a Golf, and not much colour, but remember that this is an affordable small car. 

As of the VW Polo's 2021 facelift, all models - even entry-level ones - get an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a digital instrument display. 

The touchscreen includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity alongside the usual DAB radio and Bluetooth. There's six speakers, with decent sound, and USB-C ports both front and rear. Upgrading to R-Line trim gets you sat-nav, but if you want the bigger 9.2-inch screen (which isn't really necessary, in truth), you'll need to raid the options list. 

The standard 8.0-inch digital instrument display isn't the best, with limited information and a small readout. Stepping up to R-Line trim gets you a more customisable (and nicer looking) 10.25-inch 'Digital Cockpit Pro' dial display.

The VW Polo is one of the more expensive cars in the small hatchback class. Prices start at around £22,000, but that's for a car with the weedy 80PS non-turbocharged engine. To get one with a turbo, which we'd very much recommend, you'll be paying at least £23,000. Prices rise up to around £28,000 for the R-Line with the more powerful turbocharged engine and the automatic gearbox.

Polos - and Volkswagens generally - tend to hold onto their value better than most rivals, so that should provide new-car buyers with decent protection for their investment, and keep finance payments down a bit. Volkswagen periodically offers deposit contributions and other incentives on finance deals, so these are worth looking out for.

These strong resale values aren't such good news for used car buyers, but this generation of Polo has been around for several years now, so prices have had plenty of time to tumble.

The cheapest ones you'll find will cost less than £9,000, but these will be early examples of a low engine-and-trim spec, with around 80,000 miles on the clock. For a desirable post-facelift car, you'll be looking at more like £12,000 and this should get you a turbocharged engine and a mid-range trim level with around 60,000 miles in the dial.

Historically, the most economical version of the Volkswagen Polo was the 1.6-litre TDI that returned an official combined consumption of 57.6mpg. Barely anybody bought it, though, and it was dropped from the range in 2021.

Interestingly, the turbo TSI petrol engine is more efficient than the non-turbo, with 54.2mpg playing 51.4mpg officially. If you work the turbo unit harder, though, it'll be thirstier. There's no real economy penalty for choosing the 110PS version over the 95PS one, or the DSG gearbox over the manual. The cost difference will be in the price you pay for the car initially.

Choose the Volkswagen Polo with the 1.0 EVO 80PS engine, and you'll enjoy insurance premiums as low as group 1 (depending on trim level). These will definitely be worth seeking out for new drivers. A 95PS 1.0 TSI Life model falls into a reasonable group 8, while the most expensive non-GTI model to get cover for is the 110PS 1.0 TSI R-Line version.

The engine you choose won't make a difference to how much VED road tax you pay, as all cars built since April 2017 (that includes all examples of this generation of Polo) incur the same flat rate of £195 per year. Thanksfully, no Polo is expensive enough to be affected by the steep luxury car surcharge.

The Polo has been offered in many different specification levels over its several years on sale. Versions from before the 2021 facelift came with multiple trim levels including S, SE, Match and SE L. They were then changed to Life, Style and R-Line, and several limited-run special edition versions have been offered along the way. Equipment levels have improved incrementally over time.

These days, the basic trim structure consists of Life, Match and R-Line trims. The entry-level Volkswagen Polo Life kicks things off with:

• 15-inch alloy wheels
• automatic LED headlights
• rain-sensing wipers
• power folding and adjusting door mirrors with heating
• 8.0-inch touchscreen with DAB and six speakers
• wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• wireless phone charging
• 8.0-inch digital driver display
• front- and rear electric windows
• manual air-conditioning
• cruise control
• rear parking sensors
• autonomous emergency braking
• lane keep assist

Then comes the Volkswagen Polo Match, which comes with:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• reversing camera
• rear privacy glass
• adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist

At the top of the regular range sits the Volkswagen Polo R-Line, which has: 

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• cornering front foglights
• sports seats
• 10.25-inch digital driver display
• satellite navigation
• dual-zone climate control
• high-beam assist headlights