Ranked #30 car in the UK · Hatchback · 26,573 units sold last year
The sixth-generation VW Polo (2017 on) is essentially a smaller Golf - grown-up, solidly built and refined enough to feel a class above most superminis. It's the sensible, high-quality pick in the segment, trading the Fiesta's playfulness for cabin quality, refinement and strong residuals. Almost all are 1.0 petrol (naturally aspirated MPI or turbo TSI), with the 2.0 GTI as the hot option. Cross-shop the closely-related SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia (often better value) plus the Fiesta and Corsa.
combined
The short version
Forecourt score
Value 82 · Reliability 12 · Insurance 84
The Volkswagen Polo holds its value well and is cheaper to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is average, 61 out of 100, ahead of 12% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 82% of models.
The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.
Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.
Fuel
Mild Hybrid · 999cc
Power
95 ps
Drivetrain
FWD
Cam drive
Dry belt
Quoted MPG
53 mpg
The volume Polo. 1.0L 3-cyl turbo mHEV, 95 PS, 5-speed manual, FWD. 10.8s 0-62. 53+ mpg. The premium supermini.
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.
Remembered as you browse other cars.
Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.
Estimated market value
How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.£12,700
Range £10,650 – £14,850
medium confidence
Past the steep drop — most of the depreciation is behind it.
At 20,820 miles it’s about the ~23,770 typical for a 3-year-old.
Seen one for sale?
A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.
How a 2023-registration Volkswagen Polo loses value over time.
Based on the 2023 car with 20,820 miles you entered above — worth about £12,700 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 6,940 miles a year.
5-year total
£13,787
Per year
£2,757
All-in per mile
£0.40
Fuel per mile
13.7p
If a company carAround £240/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£120/mo at 20%) — 30% band
If you're a company-car driver
At 30% BIK, a 40% taxpayer would pay about £240/month in company-car tax (£120/month at 20%) — on top of the running costs above. Full BIK table below for context.
Best age to buy — around 4 years
A 4-year-old example loses roughly £1,450 a year — under half the £4,100 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.
Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.
Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.
Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.
How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.
VW's premium supermini. Cross-shop Audi A1 (sister, premium), SEAT Ibiza (sister), Skoda Fabia (sister, cheaper). The Polo is the premium supermini — VW badge premium at sub-£25k.
Watch for
Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ
Group 15 of 50 (low — cheaper end of the scale) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39
£820/ year
Roughly £68 per month
Typical
Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-25 | £1,870 | £2,337 | £3,038 |
| Age 26-32 | £976 | £1,148 | £1,401 |
| Age 33-39Selected | £722 | £820 | £968 |
| Age 40-49 | £613 | £681 | £789 |
| Age 50+ | £546 | £607 | £716 |
How we estimate this
Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).
Routine service
£185
Annual main-dealer service
Major service
£210
Every 2 years, annualised
Road tax
£195
Standard rate, post year-one
Fuel
£887
51 mpg, £1.49/L
Insurance
£820
Age 33-39, group 15
Clean-air zones
✓ ULEZ compliantBased on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.
Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).
What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.
0-30k miles
£80
per year · low risk
30-60k miles
£240
per year · low risk
60-100k miles
£520
per year · medium risk
100k+ miles
£900
per year · high risk
195/65 R15 · 205/55 R16 · 215/45 R17
What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.
Budget
£300
set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre
Mid-range
£440
set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre
Premium
£620
set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre
Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.
| Option | New cost | Added used value | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it. | £650 | £450 | 69% |
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns. | £500 | £300 | 60% |
Heated seats / cold-weather pack | £450 | £200 | 44% |
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk. | £600 | £200 | 33% |
Panoramic / opening roof | £1,100 | £350 | 32% |
Larger alloy wheels | £700 | £200 | 29% |
Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 20,820 miles.
Watch now
Failure typically happens around your current mileage.
Upcoming
A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.
Already due
Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.
Recorded in 13.4% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 12.2% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 12.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 9.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 7.8% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 5.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 15,268,814 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.
Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Volkswagen Polo, from its 2017 assessment.
The passenger compartment of the Polo remained stable in the frontal offset test.
Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.
How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 15,433,334 real DVSA test records.
MOT pass rate by age
A 3-year-old Polo passes its MOT 86.4% of the time; by 25 years that has slipped to 66.8%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.
Longevity
From 74 vehicles registered in 1975.
Survival by registration year
Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.
What’s on the road
The fuel-type split of every Polo currently MOT’d in the UK. From 1,674,129 vehicles.
Common MOT failures by mileage
The defect categories this Polo fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.
| Category | 0-30k | 30-60k | 60-100k | 100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 2% | 6% | 10% | 13% |
| Brakes | 2% | 4% | 8% | 12% |
| Lighting & signalling | 1% | 4% | 8% | 12% |
| Tyres & wheels | 3% | 5% | 8% | 9% |
| Emissions | 1% | 2% | 5% | 8% |
| Driver's view | 2% | 3% | 4% | 5% |
Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.
Typical mileage by age
The average odometer reading for a Polo at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.
Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records (ages with at least 10 tests shown).
Average
Composite of MOT pass rate, defect prevalence and cohort survival from 15,268,814 tests — high confidence.
MOT outlook · age 5 years
24th percentile — Among the worst — investigate carefully
Based on 1,043,599 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data
Where this car sits in the catalogue
Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models
Safety recalls
Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Volkswagen Polo, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.
Check on GOV.UKOpens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.
A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.
Whole-car theft
Around average
Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.
Parts theft
Higher
Hybrid versions are a catalytic-converter target — a hybrid cat is rich in precious metals and can be cut out in about a minute.
Worth doing
Whether driving a Volkswagen Polo into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.
| City | Area | Daily charge | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | All of Greater London (within the M25) | £12.50 | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Birmingham | Inside the A4540 Middleway | £8.00 | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Bristol | City centre and part of the Portway | £9.00 | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Glasgow | City centre | — | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Edinburgh | City centre | — | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Aberdeen | City centre | — | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
| Dundee | City centre | — | Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4. |
Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.
What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this Volkswagen Polo as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 126 g/km, using £24,000 as the P11D value.
| Tax year | BIK % | Tax @ 20% | Tax @ 40% | Monthly @ 20% | Monthly @ 40% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 30% | £1,440 | £2,880 | £120 | £240 |
| 2026-27 | 31% | £1,488 | £2,976 | £124 | £248 |
| 2027-28 | 32% | £1,536 | £3,072 | £128 | £256 |
| 2028-29 | 32% | £1,536 | £3,072 | £128 | £256 |
| 2029-30 | 32% | £1,536 | £3,072 | £128 | £256 |
P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.
How well-supported Volkswagen is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.
Franchised UK dealers
~190
Large network
Mass-market
Network size relative to the UK's largest (Volkswagen is 4.2% of all franchised outlets)
Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.
For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.
Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.
Length
4,300 mm
Width
1,790 mm
Height
1,460 mm
Kerb weight
1,350 kg
Boot
380–1,250 L
Fuel tank
48 L
Of every Volkswagen Polo ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.
Total ever registered
737,151
Currently taxed & on road
685,314
93% of all registered
SORN (off road)
51,837
7% of all registered
Scrapped or exported
0
UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025
-0.1% vs 2024Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026
Common questions
Same underpinnings
MQB variant for B-segment superminis. Shorter wheelbase, smaller crash structures. Different badges, often substantially different residuals, but broadly the same mechanicals and repair cost profile.
Volkswagen Group MQB A0 (small) · Volkswagen Group
Common questions
Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.