• Reasonable cabin space for a supermini
• Compact dimensions make it good for cities
• Bigger boot than key rival MINI hatchback

How much space is there?

Considering it’s a small car in general terms, there’s the sensation of spaciousness in the front, with a wide opening door and lots of seat adjustment. That’s no bad thing considering that the Audi A1 has been designed to tempt buyers trading down from a larger car.

The good news is that four adults have just enough room to travel, although knee and legroom remain at a premium in the rear. Overall space up front is going to be more than enough for small families not karting baby seats, carrycots or pushchairs.

Boot space and storage

Along with its relatively roomy passenger compartment, you also get a well-shaped boot with excellent capacity in the Audi A1 Sportback. It boasts 335 litres of space with the seats up, and 1,090 litres with them folded. That’s a little shy of the class-leading Polo and Ibiza’s 355- and 350-litre offerings.

Probably of more relevance to potential A1 customers, the five-door MINI Hatch has 278/941 litres of luggage room in comparison. Finally, it’s also worth saying that you get a couple of cupholders in the centre console, a roomy storage tray with USB chargers ahead the gearstick and a useful cubby between the front seats.

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Is it easy to park?

The Audi A1 Sportback might be acceptably roomy inside but it’s still a supermini and is therefore quite compact in its footprint.

Considering it is a small car, this isn’t a particularly easy car to park. While the controls are light and easy to balance, the enormous rear pillars make manoeuvring far more demanding than it should be, and higher-spec models with dark headlining also have an impact on how easy it is to see out initially.

Safety

• Automatic braking system on all cars
• Lane departure aid
• Speed limiter as standard

The Audi A1 scored a full five stars in the Euro NCAP crash testing programme in 2019. Standard equipment includes Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, to assist you with stopping suddenly in the event of another motorist or person straying into the path of your car.

There’s also a lane departure warning system to help you stay between the white lines, hold assist for hill starts and a speed limiter to keep your velocity in check. In addition, all A1 Sportback models come with Audi Connect Safety and Service including e-call, which calls the emergency services for you in the event of an accident.

Watch: Audi A1 Sportback Euro NCAP crash test video