Skoda Citigo Hatchback (2012 - 2019) practicality

• Surprising amount of space
• Boot one of the biggest in its class
• Makes a very practical city car

Although there’s only one cup holder up front in the Citigo, there are some very clever touches which give it a uniquely useful interior. For instance, there’s a hook on the glovebox release to hang a bag, keeping the footwells clear.

There’s a smartphone holder that fits in the cup-holder too, so you have somewhere to put your phone. You also get a parking ticket clip on the windscreen and a clip on the dash so you can keep a photo of a family member, pet or other significant being in the car.

You can also add more features – Skoda calls them ‘Simply Clever’ – such as a small waste bin for the door pockets, an umbrella located under the passenger seat and a glasses holder in the glovebox. Skoda says there 16 of these features used in the Citigo, some more appealing than others.

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The Citigo boasts 251 litres of load space in the boot of the three-door models, extending to 951 litres if you fold the rear seats down (959 litres in the five-door). Access to the boot can prove troublesome since the boot lip is relatively high and you have to drop things down into it, however an adjustable boot floor means you can have it level with the loading lip with a hidden area underneath.

Three-door models get a clever folding system for the front seats to make rear access a little easier than some of the car’s competitors, while five-door models feature a folding front passenger seat.

There probably isn’t a parking space the Citigo won’t fit into. It’s less than 4m long and, thanks to plenty of window area and small pillars, it’s also a doddle to park. While they are available at extra cost, you’re unlikely to need parking sensors on a car as small as this – parking is made even easier thanks to the light steering and flat sides.

Safety

• Strong safety rating for the Citigo
• Five stars awarded by Euro NCAP
• AEB can be added at extra cost

A maximum five-star rating on the Euro NCAP test for crash safety means the Citigo is an extremely safe place to be.

There are four airbags as standard with the driver and front passenger getting head/thorax airbags.

You also get the option of clever systems such as City Safe autonomous emergency braking, which is a laser-based braking assistance system that operates at urban speeds (below 19mph).

If it senses there’s a danger of collision it will effectively brake for you to try to avoid any collision, or at least reduce the severity of the impact.

Isofix points are situated on both rear seats, meaning child seats can be anchored securely.

See below for the crash test footage of the Volkswagen Up - it's the Citigo's sister model and the two cars are identical in terms of crash protection.