Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £12,460 to £12,960
2005 restyle has brought looks up to date, quality feel inside and out, space, safety equipment, ride and handling, interesting engines, aura of rational Volkswagen-ness.
Mediocre performance from some engines, expensive.
The Polo falls short on few measures, but some supermini rivals do the job better, and for less.
Insurance is reasonable, as repair costs have been reduced, and the fuel-efficient engines need minimal servicing. Depending on use as calculated by the on-board service indicator, the petrol engine can run up to 18,500 miles between oil changes, and the diesels to 31,000 miles. Not many Polos are likely to achieve this, however, unless they spend all their time cruising motorways, and the absolute time limit between garage visits is two years.
Though it's initially expensive to buy, the 1.4 TDI Bluemotion is the cheapest to run: it returns 74.3mpg or 70.6mpg, depending on specification (low-kit Bluemotion 1, or Bluemotion 2 with air conditioning and remote central locking).
Carbon dioxide emissions are just 99g/km and 104g/km respectively, putting the Bluemotion 1 into Band A for annual road tax - free - and the 2 into the £40-a-year Band B. Both are expected to be exempt from the London congestion charge when changes are made to the charging criteria next year.
The Polo holds its value very well, so second-hand bargains are rare, but the high prices buy you a durable, well-made car which will look fresh for many years.
Purchase prices are expensive, even compared with the closely related Seat Ibiza, let alone the Skoda Fabia, but the payback comes when you sell. The over-priced Dune models are likely to lose more value, however.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Polo
wrote on 03 03 2008
wrote on 29 05 2006