As a small car, you shouldn’t have much cause for concern regarding Volkswagen Polo running costs.

Although more expensive to initially buy than many other small cars, the Polo is among the top performers for keeping its value. It is much sought-after on the used market, which keeps prices high.

Other running costs are similarly impressive, with low road tax bands and good fuel consumption – even the petrol engines have the potential to return more than 50mpg.

For that reason, drivers who cover a large mileage and are considering a diesel Polo may find that a petrol model will actually suit their needs better – the Parkers petrol-v-diesel calculator can help work these figures out for you.

All the petrol engines offer great economy for their sizes, which means the diesels may take some time to pay back the premium it commands.

In 2014 a BlueMotion TSI version was introduced which uses a 1.0-litre petrol engine. It emits just 94g/km and returns 68.9mpg on the combined fuel economy cycle.

Volkswagen Polo emissions are some of the lowest available for conventionally powered cars.

The previous generation of Polo was notable for its ultra-economical Bluemotion model, introduced in 2006. This car sneaked-in under 100g/km of CO2 and was therefore free to tax – the first mainstream car to do so.

Volkswagen has since raised the bar even further with a new version to be introduced at the end 2014 which sees CO2 emissions cut to 82g/km with economy of 91mpg.

In summer 2014 a new petrol-powered BlueMotion model will be available with emissions of 94g/km.

In the past, Volkswagen Polo reliability has been excellent. Although this new model uses many new components, there is little to suggest that it won’t be as reliable as previous generations of the Polo.