Volkswagen Polo is crowned winner of the Best Car of the Half Century award
The Volkswagen Polo now has more reason to celebrate in 2025! Alongside the marking of its 50th birthday, it has been named the Best Car of the Half Century as part of the Best Cars of the Year – The New Car World Championships. It is the second consecutive year a Volkswagen has scooped the prize, the Golf being the 2024 recipient, the same year it celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Best Car of the Half Century title plays a significant role in the annual British Motor Show, which this year is due to take place at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre on 15-17 August. Visitors to the event will be able to see the Polo, and learn why it has been the supermini of choice for millions of people for the past 50 years.
The New Car World Championships judging panel responsible for the award comprises a who’s who of international motoring experts, including auto industry figureheads, automotive consultants, broadcasters, car designers and engineers, journalists, media professionals, motor club chiefs, motoring event organisers, motorsport personalities, and vehicle retailers.
Five decades of success
The award recognises five decades of success for the Volkswagen Polo, and judge, automotive journalist Mike Rutherford, who founded the awards, said, ‘The 20 million motorists who’ve been buying Volkswagen Polos since 1975 can’t be wrong. It’s been the most consistently credible supermini of the past 50 years and has repeatedly hit the sweet spot in terms of design, overall dimensions, build quality, competitive retail pricing, efficiency and low standing and running costs.
‘It’s a real-world car for budget-conscious, real-world motorists who appreciate the affordability and durability of their long-lasting Polos. And it’s fair to say that since the birth of the Mk 1 version in 1975, it has grown in size, stature and market relevance. No longer is a Polo a basic supermini to be driven on tight, slow streets, in busy towns and cities across the world. At more than four metres long in its current Mk 6 guise, it’s more of a small, credible, and borderline premium-quality family hatchback.’
(Well-said Mike.)
Rod McLeod, director of Volkswagen UK, said, ‘We are all delighted to see the Polo claim this award; it’s a great way to kick off its 50th anniversary celebrations. The Polo is not just a pioneer in terms of technical innovations, but also represents affordable mobility for all. These attributes and values are as relevant and as important to customers today as they were half a century ago, and we believe that’s why our evergreen supermini has stood the test of time.’
Most successful model
More than 20 million Polos have been sold worldwide since its debut, and it has established itself as one of the most successful models in its class. Now exclusively built in South Africa for the local market, and for export to Europe, the Polo is also built in Anchieta and Taubaté in Brazil, and in China by SAIC Volkswagen. The supermini was also produced for a decade in India, in Volkswagen’s Pune plant.
As well as being popular with everyday motorists in its road car guise, the Polo has also been a phenomenally successful motorsport star. The almost unstoppable four-wheel-drive, 300bhp Polo R WRC secured four World Rally Championship titles in a row from 2013 to 2016.
During 2024, 166,304 new Volkswagen passenger vehicles were registered in the UK, making the marque the country’s most popular new car brand for the fourth year running. Almost 29,000 of those were Polos, second only to the Golf (32,370) among Volkswagen sales in the UK last year. The Polo was also the 20th most popular car in Europe last year, with 135,303 examples finding new homes.
