Volkswagen Polo hatchback - Reliability & safety
Standard autonomous emergency braking is brings a boost for safety in the Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen's reputation for owner satisfaction has been through various ups and downs, with a disappointing score for the brand in our 2023 Driver Power survey, as it came 27th out of 32 manufacturers. The Polo's safety, though, is beyond doubt.
Volkswagen Polo reliability
Volkswagen as a brand failed to impress in our 2023 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. The German giant came 27th out of 32 brands, falling from an already disappointing 18th in 2022. 26% of owners reported at least one fault within the first year of ownership, which is slightly worse than average.
The Volkswagen Polo itself finished in 41st place out of 50 cars in our 2024 survey, scoring highest in the practicality and running costs categories. However, reliability was regarded as patchy at best, while overall build quality also scored a mediocre rating.
Safety
The facelifted version of the Polo was rewarded with a five-star rating after independent crash testing by Euro NCAP in early 2022. While the Polo's strength is evident in its 94% score for adult occupancy protection and 80% rating for child occupancy, and 70% scores for both vulnerable road user protection and its safety assist systems thanks to the high level of crash-avoidance technology that's fitted as standard.
Every Polo comes with an autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) that works at urban speeds and can detect pedestrians, which is a welcome decision by VW. Blind-spot monitoring illuminates a light by the door mirrors when an object is detected either side of you, while rear cross-traffic alert scans behind the car when reversing, braking if it detects a potential collision you haven’t.
Adaptive cruise control features on the top-spec models and is both a feature of convenience and safety: this system will match your speed to the car in front, braking and accelerating for you within prescribed limits. Specify it with the DSG automatic gearbox and it comes with a ‘Stop & Go’ function, taking much of the strain out of traffic jams as the Polo keeps pace with crawling cars automatically, leaving you to just steer.
