The city automobile segment is challenging at the moment, but the onset of electrification has helped breathe some new life into the industry – and Volkswagen has exploited that nicely with its revised up! range.
You can still purchase the up! as a three or five-door model and with VW’s 59bhp naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, and a terrific city automobile it is, too, with good punch around town and just enough performance to cut it with motorway traffic. It also rides well, providing a mature feeling to the way it deals with bumps and broken surfaces in towns and cities, where the up! will spend many of its time.

Volkswagen up! review

It’s the grown-up feel and relatively strong practicality that are essential to its appeal. but the up! range also provides plenty of choice where other city automobiles do not, so there ought to be something for every budget.
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If you’re after some fun, the 113bhp up! GTI has that covered. It boasts the same level of usability as the regular car, but with a turbocharged version of the 1.0 unit kicking out much more power and a lot much more torque for much more pace. The dealing with is much more involving, too, showing the flexibility of the VW’s small automobile platform, because its architecture also accepts full electrification.
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The all-electric e-up! is the newest addition to the line-up and provides a range of up to 159 miles from its 36.8kWh battery, which is quite large for a small car. Practicality isn’t compromised because the e-up! has the same level of interior space and 250-litre boot. CCS rapid charging is included as standard, which implies with a 40kW power supply you can top up the battery to 80 per cent in 50 minutes, making it very usable.