Volkswagen up! review (2012-2023)

Driving position 

Despite its city car size, the VW up! has a surprisingly high seating position, which makes it easier to see all around you.  

This is particularly handy when you’re in multi-storey car parks, though its size means you very rarely worry about not fitting in a gap. 

The windows are also massive, so you feel as though you’re driving a small greenhouse, making merging onto the motorway a breeze. 

On a related note, the Volkswagen up! is cleverly designed, imaginatively embracing the less luxurious materials that keep the price point down, to create a light, minimalist and urban feel inside. 

Expect to see exposed metals and cool, chiselled hard-touch plastics that are very Fisher Price-esque, and that’s not a bad thing – it shows it’s a playful car. It feels sturdy and well-made, which is important and good to see at such a low price point. 

Even though you wouldn’t be using it as the main family car, you get the feeling it would be easy to wipe down and keep clean if you did end up doing the messy school run every now and then. 

Tech and features 

Volkswagen up! trims  

– up! 

– Move up! 

– up! White Edition 

– up! Black Edition 

– up! beats 

– up! R-Line 

– up! GTI 

+ older trims such as High up!, Take up!, Club up!, Street up! and the all-electric e-up! 

The affordability of the up! does unfortunately means there isn’t much in the way of tech, but VW has a clever workaround for you to use. 

But first, all models get a DAB radio and a 5.0-inch screen that connects to your smartphone, which can be mounted to the cradle on the dashboard. 

Then, with an app, your phone becomes a mini infotainment system. It’s limited to functions such as music, radio, mileage, maps and fuel efficiency, but it’s a nifty walk-around, because who doesn’t have a smartphone these days? 

And if you don’t fancy using the app, owners can buy aftermarket magnetic attachments to connect newer phones to, like Apple’s Magsafe capabilities. 

Some older versions of the up! came with a detachable Garmin screen for your maps and MPG figures, but this was replaced by the newer system in 2020. 

Engines and power 

Volkswagen up! performance stats  

– Power: 60hp, 75hp, 90hp or 115hp 

– 0-62mph: 14.4 seconds to 8.8 seconds 

– Top speed: Up to 122mph 

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive 

It may be a little Volkswagen, but when it comes to engines and power outputs, it has a big list of them. 

To simplify things, when the up! got its facelift in 2016, it added turbocharged petrol engines to replace the much slower 60hp and 75hp naturally aspirated ones from 2011. 

Later models (from 2016) offered two turbocharged petrol engines – either 90hp or 115hp in the brisk GTI. 

Either way, there’s plenty of oomph to get you onto the roundabout or to execute a quick U-turn in town. 

But if you want performance, the GTI is more powerful and faster and therefore that bit more fun, doing 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds. 

The most noticeable drawback – which is to be expected for a city car – is motorway driving in the up!. 

As city cars go, it’s actually quite good because it handles well and the ride comfort is excellent, but this is a car with a city-focused engine, so it needs a little work to keep up with naturally faster traffic – not that it can't do it! 

Then, if you’re really embracing city life, there’s the all-electric e-up!, which has 82hp and is the nippiest of the bunch. 

Handling and ride comfort 

For such an inexpensive car, the up! is fabulous to drive around town. 

The city car market has become much more saturated since the first up! came into our lives, but you’re still hard-pressed to find another small car that handles potholes or bumps as well as this. 

The suspension is really very good (and trust us, some small cars can empty your coffee cup over the lowest of speed bumps), plus it’s so nifty and quick when it needs to be. 

Boot space 

Volkswagen up! boot space:  

– Boot space: 251 litres 

– Incl. Rear seats folded: 959 litres 

251 litres may not sound like a lot, but when you compare the up! to many of its rivals, it stacks up well. 

For example, the Fiat 500 has 185 litres, the Toyota Aygo X gets 231 litres and the Kia Picanto has 255 litres. 

Thanks to the shape of the car, the boot is also square, which means it can swallow a couple of carry-on suitcases, and the boot floor is height-adjustable. 

This reduces the load lip, which is very helpful if you don’t have much upper-body strength and need to slide stuff without finesse. 

Rear seats 

You only get two seats in the back, so this limits the practicality of the car, although it does mean that the rear passengers get more space between them. 

As for headroom and legroom? It's not the best, but still better than the Fiat 500, which would struggle to accommodate even the shortest of passengers. 

The back seats fold down 60/40, and you can choose to get the five-door model if you want easier access. 

Storage solutions 

Up front, it's pleasantly spacious and there’s seemingly never-ending storage bins and cubbyholes too, especially below the climate controls. 

Door bins are well-sized too, so they can store CDs (does anyone still use these?), maps (likewise...), and small bottles. 

Volkswagen up! dimensions  

– Height: 1,504mm 

– Width: 1,910mm (incl. wing mirrors) 

– Length: 3,600mm 

– Kerb weight: Up to 1,010kg 

Safety 

When it comes to safety, the up! can't quite keep up with bigger cars and scored three out of five stars in its 2019 Euro NCAP safety test. 

As standard, pretty much all the assistance tech you get is stability and traction control, with no optional extras available. 

But it’s a basic car with basic kit, so you get what you pay for. 

Fuel economy 

As you'd imagine, the up! is very cheap to run, managing around 55mpg, while even the GTI is close to 52mpg claimed (very impressive for a hot hatch). 

Though, with some careful and considered driving, we’ve seen figures over 70mpg if you play your cards right. You’d be surprised how long the needle shows a full tank for. 

If you really want to save money on running costs, then you can buy the electric version, the e-up! This has a 159-mile range and is ideal to nip about town in, but expect this to drop in the winter or at higher speeds. 

But, charge at home using an off-peak rate and you can save a fortune on sky-high rapid charger prices on the motorway. 

Reliability 

The up! is considered very reliable by owners, and these little things are bulletproof.  

It’s not just German engineering, but also the fact it shares its platform with the Škoda Citigo and SEAT Mii.