Volkswagen Polo review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

With either of the 1.0-litre TSI units forming our favourite choices from a performance perspective, the turbocharged three-cylinder options make sense when it comes to fuel economy and emissions, too.

Volkswagen claims a best of 53.3mpg (on the combined cycle) for the 94bhp version under the latest WLTP test, with CO2 emissions from 120g/km. Add the seven-speed DSG gearbox and the figures drop slightly, with maximum fuel economy of 50.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 128g/km.

Move to the 109bhp engine, and the addition of the six-speed manual gearbox helps it deliver economy that's on-par with the 94bhp engine. The claimed efficiency range on the combined cycle is 49.6mpg to 54.3mpg with CO2 emissions starting from 118g/km.

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Insurance groups

Basic S and SE models with the underpowered 1.0-litre MPI engine will be very cheap to insure, sneaking into insurance group 1. All cars fitted with our recommended 94bhp 1.0-litre TSI occupy a slot in group 8, with 109bhp cars stepping things up to group 11 or 12, depending on trim.

Depreciation

Predicted residual values for the Polo are impressive, and experts expect it to retain more value the Ford Fiesta. Our pick, the Polo SE 1.0 TSI 95, is the best choice in this regard, as it's anticipated to retain an average of 45% of its value over three years and 36,000 miles.