Used Audi A1 2010-2018 review

The Audi A1 is like a Chihuahua, small yet chic. So chic, in fact, that it's one of the brand's most popular models.

It certainly won us over back in 2011, because we named it our What Car? Car of the Year. Now, more than 10 years later, this small car continues to impress, albeit as a used buy. Its since been succeeded by a second-generation Audi A1 model.

Engines & Performance: There's a good range of strong engines on offer. These started with a 1.2-litre petrol unit, which was in time dropped in favour of a 94bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder TFSI engine.

The rest of the engine range was made up of two tunes of the 1.4 TFSI engine producing 123bhp and 148bhp respectively. The only diesel available was an 114bhp, four-cylinder, 1.6 TDI version, while topping the range was the ferocious 227bhp 2.0 TFSI unit that powers the S1.

Ride & Handling: Some rivals are more comfortable and some are more fun to drive, but the A1 generally strikes a great balance. The ride of Sport trim is your best point of reference in that regard, with SE cars on the softer side and S line cars on the firmer end. All A1s feature steering that's responsive and confidence inspiring, too.

Refinement is top notch and you’re well insulated from wind and road noise, even at higher speeds.

Interior & Practicality: Inside, a near-perfect driving position, an elegant dashboard and solid controls immediately demonstrate that the A1 is a classy car, much in the mould of its bigger brothers.

The A1’s sloping roofline means the back seats are best suited to children, but there’s decent leg room compared with other stylish superminis, such as the Alfa Romeo Mito and Mini.

The boot is a decent size and some A1s get a height-adjustable boot floor that lets you divide up the available space. However, it is worth pointing out that, on some versions, either the battery is stored in the spare wheel well or, on cars fitted with the optional Bose surround sound system, the subwoofer.

If you need a more practical A1, then the best one to seek out is always the Sportback version with five doors, which makes it easier for people to access those rear seats. In addition to the doors, you can tell a Sportback apart by the optional contrast roof. The three-door car has only its roof pillars painted in a different colour, whereas the whole roof is in a separate colour on the Sportback.

Trims & Equipment: Entry-level SE models come with 15in alloy wheels, halogen headlights, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, cruise control and rear parking sensors as standard, while inside there are manually adjustable front seats, air conditioning, and front floor mats. Dominating the dashboard is Audi's MMI infotainment system, complete with a 6.5in pop-up display, a DAB radio and SD card reader.

Upgrade to Sport and the A1 is adorned with 16in alloy wheels, firmer suspension, front foglights, and USB and Bluetooth connectivity, while opting for S line adds 17in alloys, sports suspension, xenon headlights, LED rear lights, front sports seats, an aggressively styled body kit and LED ambient interior lighting to a fully loaded package. Black Edition models get 18in alloys, a gloss black exterior trim, climate control, automatic lights and wipers, and a leather and Alcantara upholstery.

Numerous changes were made to the A1 during its life, including a facelift in 2016, chiefly featuring the addition of a new grille, bumpers and headlights, alongside a new electric power steering system and adaptive dampers.

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Early Audi A1s can be found from £5000. These will have covered a fair number of miles, though, so if you want one with less than 60,000 miles, you will need to spend £6000 to £8000 or more, which gets you a nice mix of early 1.4 TFSI petrols and 1.6 TDI cars with either three or five doors. Best spend between £9000 and £10,000 on later versions from 2016 and 2017, and a little more on the final models from 2018.

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MPG: The petrol range begins with the 1.2 TFSI, which manages 55.4mpg under the NEDC tests and if pre-2017 costs a mere £30 per year in road tax; the same as the 120bhp 1.4 TFSI. There is also a 1.0 TFSI three-cylinder petrol, which is rated to do 67.3mpg and sneaks into the free road tax band.

Road tax: All 1.6-litre diesel models emit less than 100/km CO2 and if registered before April 2017 therefore qualify for free road tax. It can also return some impressive official combined fuel economy figures of 74.3mpg under the older NEDC tests. There is also a higher-performance 2.0 TDI that should do 68.9mpg and pre-April 2017 cars will cost £20 to tax.

If you are looking at a 1.4-litre unit, check the power output because there was also a 182bhp variant available that costs significantly more to run than the 120bhp version. The 182bhp 1.4 is the thirstiest petrol in the A1 range at 47.9mpg and £135 per year in tax if registered before April 2017. Anything registered after April 2017 will currently cost £180 per year to tax.

Servicing: Servicing costs will be similar to that of the Mini. Audi does offer a servicing strategy that alternates between a minor and a major service to help reduce costs. If the previous owner has taken out a service plan, you should also check if there are any remaining services left on it. This can be done by contacting the service department of any Audi dealership.

Engines: Unless you cover plenty of motorway miles, we would steer clear of the diesel car and stick with petrol. Those engines are much smoother and more than up to the job of getting this small Audi motoring along quite happily. Of the various capacities on offer, we’d go for the 1.4 TFSI with 120bhp. It pulls strongly from low revs and is nippy enough around city streets, while being quite economical too.

The later 1.0-litre TFSI petrol cars are worth a look, too, as they are smooth and, at a claimed average fuel figure of 67.3mpg, economical. At the moment prices for used ones are still on the high side, beginning at around £8000, but if you saw one you fancied and could afford it we'd recommend it equally with the 1.4 TFSI unit.

Specification: Trim wise, we like Sport best, as you get Bluetooth, a leather-covered steering wheel, sports seats (which include lumbar adjustment) and various aluminium interior highlights on top of SE trim. It will come with sports suspension, but Audi did make it a no-cost option to swap this out for the softer springs of the SE, as the ride can be a little uncomfortable otherwise. Any Audi dealer will be able to tell you which set-up your can was built with by checking its specification through its chassis and registration number.

Our favourite Audi A1: 1.4 TFSI Sport

The Mini is perhaps a little more fun in terms of both the way it handles and how it is styled. It will also have a better infotainment system, being based on BMW’s iDrive. However, it is only the most recent version of the Mini that you can buy with five doors, so the Audi is slightly more practical.

The Alfa Romeo Mito has great looks, but it falls short of the Audi A1 in almost every other regard. It will come with more equipment, though, and for a much cheaper price on the used forecourts.

The Fiat 500 is a funky little city car, ideally suited to those who have limited parking as you can slot this car into the tightest of on-street spaces. It doesn’t have the same build quality as the Audi but, as it doesn’t cost quite as much, it’s acceptable.

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Interested in buying a used Audi A1? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.