Used Volkswagen Polo for sale: everything you need to know
The Volkswagen Polo has been around even longer than the Ford Fiesta, making its debut a year earlier in 1975. Over that time, and across six generations, it’s effectively become the supermini equivalent of the Volkswagen Golf, making it the default choice for a lot of buyers for its quality, image, and practicality.
The modern Polo is even quite similar under the skin to the Golf, which explains why it’s one of the larger superminis and feels like a bigger car from behind the wheel. With a solid feel, a wide range of engines depending on the year you’re looking at, and confident driving characteristics, the Polo makes as much sense today as a used buy as it always has. Read on to find out more about the Polo.
Should you buy a Volkswagen Polo?
The Volkswagen Polo is one of the easiest cars in the supermini class to recommend - and has been for years. What it lacks in excitement it makes up in being a true all-rounder, with no significant weaknesses or deficiencies in any area, backed up by Volkswagen’s strong brand image.
Since 2018 the Polo has been five-door only. There’s no sporty three-door body style then, but it does make fitting people into the back seats a lot easier, and the Polo is among the roomiest cars in the class so they’ll fit better than most. The boot is a pretty decent size by supermini standards too, and overall the interior feels high-quality, clearly inspired by some of VW’s bigger and more expensive cars. There’s a touchscreen, but the controls are all still fairly hands-on too, and sensibly laid out.
The driving experience is comfortable and refined. Larger wheel options can give the ride quality a harsh edge but mostly the Polo is smooth and confidence-inspiring to drive, taking longer trips in its stride as easily as it will navigate around town. The engines are impressive too - some of the non-turbo petrols are a little slow but do the job as town cars, while the turbo petrols and the older turbodiesels have plenty of punch and return excellent economy. The GTI’s fun too, albeit not up with the best hot hatchbacks for thrills.
The supermini market is still a busy one so there’s no shortage of alternatives to the Polo. The current Renault Clio is an impressive car and right up with the Polo for its feeling of quality, while the Ford Fiesta, though it recently ended production, remains one of the best in this class to drive. The Peugeot 208, Vauxhall Corsa, and Skoda Fabia are all worth a look too, as is the hybrid Toyota Yaris, while you can get a much newer Dacia Sandero for the price of an equivalent Polo too.
What’s the best used Volkswagen Polo model to buy?
There’s one all-rounder that stands out in the Polo engine range, and that’s the 1.0 TSI petrol. This three-cylinder turbocharged unit is available, depending on the year of car you’re looking at, in either 95PS, 110PS or 115PS form, but it’s an excellent engine in any form. Even the least powerful version still has peppy performance, dipping under 11 seconds from 0-62mph, while all return impressive economy. Post-2022 110PS versions are only available with the dual-clutch automatic - this is no hardship obviously, but you’ll need a pre-2022 car to get a manual, or opt for the 95PS engine.
Match trim strikes a good balance of cost and equipment in pre-2022 Polos, while Life is probably the sweet spot post-facelift, including kit like matrix LED headlights and plusher interior trim.
Used Volkswagen Polo fuel economy and performance
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 MPI 65: Offered between 2018 and 2022 the entry-level Polo 1-litre made just 65PS and came as standard with a manual gearbox. 0-62mph took 15.5 seconds, but economy was impressive at up to 58.9mpg combined, albeit on the old NEDC test procedure..
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 MPI 75: The more powerful MPI available between 2018 and 2022 made 75PS, cutting the 0-62mph time to 14.9 seconds but with no impact on economy.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0: This engine replaced the old MPI in 2022 and makes 80PS. 0-62mph is actually the same as the 65PS MPI, while economy on the newer WLTP test cycle is 51.4mpg.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI: The Polo’s most popular engine is this 1-litre turbocharged three-cylinder, with 95PS and either a five-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. It’s much quicker than the non-turbo models with 10.8 seconds to 62mph, and economy is 54.3mpg combined.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 110: This 2022-on TSI with 110PS is dual-clutch auto only and gets a 10.4-second 0-62mph time, and 50.4mpg combined economy.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 115: Sold until 2022, the more powerful 1.0 TSI developed 115PS with manual and dual-clutch gearbox options. It’s second only to the GTI in terms of performance with a 9.5-second 0-62mph time, with NEDC economy of 60.1mpg.
- Volkswagen Polo GTI: With a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine the GTI made 200PS prior to 2022, and 207PS since then. It comes only with the seven-speed dual-clutch auto and later models get from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, with 41.5mpg combined economy.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.6 TDI 80PS: Both diesel models were dropped from the range in 2022. The first of them makes 80PS from a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, with a five-speed manual gearbox. 0-62mph comes up in 12.9 seconds, while NEDC combined economy is 74.3mpg.
- Volkswagen Polo 1.6 TDI 95PS: The more powerful 1.6 TDI made 95PS, getting from 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds, and returning 74.3mpg on the NEDC combined cycle. A five-speed manual was standard.
What used Volkswagen Polo trim levels are available?
Volkswagen has offered a wide range of trim levels on the eighth-generation Polo since 2018, so much so that we’ve split the list below between 2018-2022 cars, and 2022-onwards. The one consistency is that there’s no three-door model this time around, unlike its predecessors - the Polo is now five-door only.
- The Volkswagen Polo S is fairly well-equipped for an entry-level car, with features like an eight-inch infotainment screen with DAB radio and air conditioning. Only the 65PS 1-litre engine was offered though. It was only available with the 65PS 1.0-litre engine.
- The Volkswagen Polo SE was more popular, including alloy wheels and a few extra features, while it also got a wider range of engines.
- The Volkswagen Polo Match replaced the SE model in 2020, with extra equipment including tinted windows, new alloy wheels and front fog lights.
- The Volkswagen Polo Beats is named for its tie-up with the popular audio company, and its main feature is a 300W stereo upgrade.
- The Volkswagen Polo SEL builds on SE kit with larger alloy wheels, satellite navigation, and two-zone climate control, as well as parking sensors.
- The Volkswagen Polo R-Line gets a sporty appearance partly inspired by the GTI, and was offered with the range of 1-litre TSI petrol engines.
- The Volkswagen Polo GTI is the Polo’s hot hatchback model, with unique body styling features (including the traditional GTI red grille stripe) and alloy wheels, while the interior has a racier look too, with VW’s tartan-trimmed sports seats. It comes only in 2-litre turbo form. A GTI+ model adds tinted windows, LED headlights and adaptive cruise control.
When the Polo range was updated in 2022, the trim levels changed quite significantly too:
- The Volkswagen Polo Life is now where the range starts, and is still well equipped with technology and safety features. Engine choice is between the 80PS and 95PS versions of the 1-litre petrol.
- The Volkswagen Polo Style adds a few more features to Life spec, and comes only with the 95PS 1.0 TSI petrol engine.
- The Volkswagen Polo R-Line again gets a sporty appearance and the highest specification of the standard range, while engine choice is between the 95PS and 110PS versions of the 1-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
- The Volkswagen Polo GTI is again the range-topping performance option, packing the more powerful 207PS 2-litre introduced in 2022, plus the same styling and interior upgrades as earlier cars.
Used Volkswagen Polo dimensions and boot size
The Volkswagen Polo's exterior dimensions are:
- Length: 4053mm
- Width: 1751mm
- Height: 1461mm
- Ground clearance: 147mm (132mm for GTI)
The Volkswagen Polo's boot size is:
- 351 litres
- 1125 litres with rear seats folded
Used Volkswagen Polo road tax
No Polo breaches the £40,000 threshold, so there’s no painful £600 annual bill to worry about here. There are no hybrids to give you a £10 discount either, so that means every single Polo on the list above will currently cost you £190 per year to tax, as of 2024/2025.
How much is it to insure a Volkswagen Polo?
Insurance should be typical supermini stuff for the Polo - a bit expensive if you’re a new driver, but pretty reasonable for everyone else. The most affordable models start in just group 3, while the group 29 Polo GTI is the only model that’s really likely to cost a few bob each time you renew.
