Volkswagen up! review - Reliability and safety

The Volkswagen up! received the full five-star safety rating in its original 2011 Euro NCAP test. However, the testing procedures have since been adjusted and, when re-tested in 2019, the up! was given a three-star score.

This was largely due to VW deleting the formerly standard City Emergency Braking Pack, along with more rigorous Euro NCAP testing standards. Sadly, Autonomous Emergency Braking is no longer even an option, though all versions of the up! do at least get six airbags, stability control and Lane Assist.

The up! didn’t feature in the 2022 edition of our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, but Volkswagen itself managed to finish in 18th place out of 29 in the best car manufacturers rankings. The German brand's dealerships also performed admirably coming 10th out of 16 networks ranked.

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Warranty 

Volkswagen offers an industry standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty with the up!. It’s easy enough to find rival city cars with longer periods of cover if you want them – the Hyundai i10 and the Toyota Aygo both come with five-year/unlimited-mileage warranties and Kia offers seven years and 100,000 miles of cover with the Picanto.

Servicing

Volkswagen offers guidance on fixed and flexible servicing approaches, depending on the age of your car, mileage covered and what type of driving you regularly undertake. The company also offers service plans for the up! that can help spread the cost of regular maintaince.