Used Volkswagen Up 2012-2023 review

Originally launched to a grateful public in 2012 and updated in 2016 and 2020, the diminutive Volkswagen Up has been a huge sales success for Volkswagen and is now a great used buy.

The best thing about it is that it's never really felt like a small car – not in the way it drives, the material choices of its interior or the way it rides. It’s only when you get out of it and see how much space is left over in a standard parking space that you remember that you’re in a bantam Volkswagen.

The Up took a lot of the design elements of the Toyota Aygo but gave them a Germanic spin by combining it with the quality of the contemporary Volkswagen Golf.

Somehow, during this process, it managed to create a very stylish car with an identity all of its own. The Up is still cute, with big, bug-eye headlights, tiny 15in wheels that are pushed out each corner, and a boxy rear end with a neat glass hatch that sports an oversized badge. Its looks were further enhanced by those refreshes, both of which trimmed the engine range and tweaked the styling.

The other thing the Up copied from the Aygo is its four-seat layout. While that does mean that those travelling in the back are less squished together, alternatives such as the Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Celerio are more practical, because they offer a third belt in the rear and would be better choices for those who need a five-seat car.

Engines & Performance: The Up started life with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine in two states of tune: 59bhp and 74bhp. Later models offered two additional 1.0-litre engines: a turbocharged version with 89bhp and a 113bhp turbo in the sporty GTI model. There's also an all-electric VW e-Up. From 2020 onwards, the only petrol Ups were the 59bhp 1.0 (recently upgraded to 64bhp) and the revised GTI.

Trims & equipment: The later models include an entry-level Take Up trim that isn’t blessed with much standard equipment; even air conditioning isn’t on the list (it can’t be added as an option, either). Move Up trim gets you air-con, as well as electric front windows, remote central locking, a full-size spare wheel, split-folding rear seats and a height-adjustable boot floor. Both trims are available only with the 59bhp engine.

Next comes High Up trim, which is offered with the 74bhp and 89bhp engines only and comes with a much more impressive kit list. This includes a more sophisticated 5.0in infotainment system, 15in alloy wheels, heated front seats, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, front foglights and a leather steering wheel and gearlever.

The Up Beats is a separate trim available with all three engines. It's slightly less lavishly equipped than the High Up, but if you love your music you won't care about that, because it brings a much more powerful sound system.

Ride & Handling: On the road, the two lower-powered engines are a little weedy, so we'd recommend seeking out the 89bhp version. It brings much punchier acceleration, particularly at low revs, making the Up far more relaxing to drive and a much more competent out-of-town car. The 113bhp engine is exclusively offered in the range-topping Up GTI and can propel the tiny car to 62mph in just 8.8sec. There’s also an all-electric version called the e-Up, which has been substantially updated over the years. It feels genuinely nippy around town, although acceleration quickly tails off above 40mph.

The Up manages to be both really good fun to drive and remarkably smooth riding. This is partly helped by the smaller wheels on offer, but also by the high levels of grip the car manages to achieve. The controls are a pleasure to use; the gearshift and clutch are easy to operate smoothly and the steering is light yet precise – ideal for low-speed manoeuvres such as parallel parking. But it weighs up nicely during high-speed cornering, inspiring confidence in the Up’s handling.

Interior & Practicality: Tall drivers benefit from a wide range of seat adjustment, although only mid-range Move Up and higher trims get driver’s seat height adjustment as standard. Some people might find the seat a little firm and flat, although side support is good, helping to hold you in place through corners. It’s a shame that the Up’s steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach (it only moves up and down).

For such a small car, the Up is certainly spacious in the front. There’s lots of leg room for tall adults and head room is equally generous. There’s plenty of room for elbows, too. The Up's boxy dimensions mean the roof doesn’t taper towards the rear of the car, so there's almost as much head room in the back as there is in the front. Leg room is reasonable by the standards of the class, although if you plan to carry adults in the back on a regular basis the Hyundai i10 is a roomier option.

The Up has a decent enough boot that's usefully square in shape and large enough for a few shopping bags or a couple of soft luggage cases. However, the rival Kia Picanto has a much bigger load bay so is a better choice if you need to carry lots of luggage.

If you're interested in finding a used VW Up, or any of the other small cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

Basic Volkswagen Take Up models from 2012 can be found from £2500, but these have usually had a hard life and previously repaired accident damage – either that or they have a high mileage. Better equipped Move Ups are £3000, rising to £4000 for the poshest High Up variants from 2013 or 2014. Spend between £4000 and £5000 on clean 2015 cars with a full service history and preferably bought from a trader or an independent dealer; hunt around and you should find similar 2016 cars for the same money.

If you can stretch to it, the facelifted car from July 2016 with a TSI turbocharged engine is available from £5000 upwards. The extra performance this version offers over other Ups in the range is worth it, along with the other improvements Volkswagen made to the Up range. Between £5000 and £7000 should net you a nice 2017 car, and between £7000 and £9000 for a 2018-2019 one. Look to spend between £9000 and £10,000 on a 2020 or 2021 car, and upwards of £11,000 for a 2022 or 2023 example.

MPG

All Volkswagen Ups have good fuel economy, especially the ones with Bluemotion Technology. These versions are fitted with low rolling resistance tyres and engine stop-start to reduce consumption to a claimed 64.2mpg, under the older NEDC test.

Under the later, more realistic WLTP test, the 1.0 65 averaged 55.4mpg and the GTI 51.4mpg.

Insurance costs should be low, helped by the fitment of automatic emergency braking, which aims to reduce the likelihood of a low-speed collision.

Road tax

For examples registered before 2017, car tax will cost £20 per year for manual cars, but only Ups badged Bluemotion Technology get below 100g/km and free road tax, which isn’t as good as some rivals. Petrol Ups registered after April 2017 will currently cost you a flat fee of £180 per year, which is the same as any petrol or diesel car. The e-Up will cost you nothing in car tax. To find out more about road tax costs, click here.

Choosing an automatic Up registered before April 2017, however, doesn’t penalise you as it would in rival offerings, with lower CO2 figures than the manual and providing one of the few good reasons to choose it.

Servicing

Volkswagen has fixed-price servicing on cars between three and 15 years old; this should help you to reduce costs on service items. It is worth noting, though, that if you plan to keep your Up for a long time, the 1.0-litre engine requires a cambelt change every three years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Take Up models don’t come with air conditioning or electric windows. Later versions got a DAB radio and a CD player as standard, but the Take Up's relatively mean spec makes the Move Up a better bet. It will also give you that rarity in a new small car these days: a full-size spare wheel.

High Up is the best-equipped version of the Volkswagen Up, with heated front seats, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, leather coverings for the steering wheel and handbrake, extra speakers for the stereo and front foglights.

There are also numerous other special editions such as Up Black and Up White, which were based on the High Up but only added additional styling tweaks, so they’re not worth seeking out.

The facelifted car from July 2016 has some styling tweaks, upgraded smartphone integration and a host of new paint and interior colour options to boost personalisation, but the major new introduction was the turbocharged 1.0-litre engine found in other VW Group products. With 89bhp, it give the Up the higher performance the car had been craving since its launch, making it the one to go for if your budget can stretch to it. The Up Beats edition, with its 300W stereo, is the one to go for it you're an audiophile.

Our favourite Volkswagen Up: 1.0 TSI 90 High Up

The Hyundai i10 would be the one to consider if you need more interior space, because this is one of the roomiest cars in its class. It can be had with a 7.0in touchscreen in higher trim levels, whereas the Up requires you to use your smartphone. The i10 isn’t as much fun to drive and it doesn’t have a five-star NCAP safety rating, though.

You should also look into the Up’s stablemates, the Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo, because they are essentially the same car, except with different badges and interior finishings. Neither of them can be had with the 1.0-litre turbocharged engine from the Up, though, so they aren’t quite as effortless to drive. Both cars went electric-only in 2020.

At the other end of the scale is the bargain-priced Suzuki Celerio, which is more practical than the Up, because it comes with three seatbelts in the rear, rather than the Up’s two. The Celerio doesn’t have a classy interior like the Up, but then you aren’t paying Volkswagen money.

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If you're interested in finding a used VW Up, or any of the other small cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.