Volkswagen Polo safety levels are top-notch. It was awarded five stars in the tougher Euro NCAP crash tests introduced in 2009 – making it one of the first small cars to achieve the maximum rating.

This new overall rating covers Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and a new area of assessment: Safety Assist.

All models have an electronic stability programme (ESP) which helps keep control of the car in a skid.

In addition to this, all cars have four airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes and a system to reduce whiplash injuries that Volkswagen calls WOKS (Whiplash Optimised Head Restraint System). Isofix child-seat anchor points are also fitted as standard.

Update in 2014

In January 2014 the Polo was updated with post-collision braking fitted as standard to prevent accidents after an initial impact. There’s also a raft of optional safety systems including a driver fatigue detection system, automatic cruise control and a city emergency braking system which stops the car dead at low speeds to prevent crashing. It’s not clear at this point whether the new bits will affect insurance premiums, but we’d suspect they may lower them a little.

Being a small car, Volkswagen Polo practicality isn’t its strongest card but it’s not rubbish either.

The boot is an adequate, rather than exceptional size. With 280 litres on offer, it’s big enough for a small weekly shop or a couple of weekend bags.

The rear seats split (on Moda models and above) and fold flat, which creates a useful load area for larger items.

The boot gets a ‘false floor’, which makes the most of the space available. It means that items can be stacked on top of each other – or hidden from view.

The false floor can also be collapsed down so that the entire boot volume can be used.

Inside there’s a large air-conditioned glovebox and door bins for each of the four doors, one of which is large enough for a 1.5-litre bottle.