• Reasonable space for a supermini
• Compact dimensions are good for cities
• Bigger boot than main rival MINI

How much space is there?

Considering the Audi A1 is a small car in general terms, there’s a feeling of spaciousness in the front, with plenty of leg, head and shoulder room. That’s no bad thing considering its been designed to tempt buyers downsizing from a larger car.

Commenting on the back seat space in his long termer, Tom Goodlad said: ‘Behind someone of my height (a few inches shy of six foot), there are few complaints. There’s a good amount of space and the seat base is angled to free up knee room. Headroom is better than you’d think, but the black headlining makes it feel smaller and darker in the back.’

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Overall, though, the A1 is a surprisingly pleasant car for four adults to travel in, and kids should have few complaints about the space. It’s certainly a better prospect than a MINI 5-Door, if not a Skoda Fabia – the back seat space champion in the supermini class. But ignore the fifth seat belt and treat it strictly as a four-seater.

Boot space and storage

The A1 has a relatively large boot for a supermini. There’s 335 litres of space with the back seats in place – not as generous as the VW Polo’s 355-litre cargo bay but an awful lot better than the MINI 5-Door’s pokey 275 litres. The A1’s boot is a well-shaped space that’s easy to load, as well. A couple’s week-long holiday luggage should fit without any issues.

Folding the back seats down (they split 60:40) liberates a useful 1,090 litres – in contrast to the MINI’s 925 litres. The space is far from flat and there’s a quite a high loading lip to heave things over. But it’s better to have the facility than not.

Other storage spaces include bins on all four doors, a decent glovebox, a cubby between the front seats, two cupholders in the centre console and a tray ahead of the gearstick. All useful stuff.

Is it easy to park?

The Audi A1 Sportback might be pretty roomy inside but it’s still a supermini and therefore has quite a compact footprint. But it’s still not particularly easy to park. That’s because, like so many cars these days, the rear roof pillars are enormous, severely restricting the view out of the back.

Adding the black headlining and privacy glass some models have only compounds the issue. At least rear parking sensors are fitted as standard, so you at least know roughly where the back of the car is. And the view out of the windscreen is perfectly fine.

Check out the car’s dimensions on our Audi A1 specs page.

Safety

• Automatic emergency braking standard
• As is lane departure warning
• Five-star Euro NCAP rating

The Audi A1 scored a full five-star rating when it was assessed by crash safety experts Euro NCAP in 2019. It scored a very strong 80% for its safety assist systems and 95% for adult protection – a truly remarkable score for this type of car. Standard safety systems include:

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitor
• Lane departure warning
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Emergency call button

Isofix child seat mounts are found on the outer rear and front passenger seats.

Watch: Audi A1 Sportback Euro NCAP crash test video