Is the Polo the most practical choice as a second car of the household? The question sprang to mind recently during a trip to the supermarket, when I discovered that a trolley-load of shopping for a family of five struggled to fit satisfactorily in the boot.

Satisfactorily is the key word, as it did fit thanks to the removable boot floor, but required the removal of the parcel shelf.

Examining the specifications of the Polo shows it has a total cargo capacity, with the rear seats up, of 280 litres. That’s 10 fewer litres than the segment-leading Ford Fiesta, which is almost the same length as the Polo, and five fewer than the second-in-segment Vauxhall Corsa, which is some 50mm longer.

The Renault Clio, which, along with the Fiat Punto, is larger than all its competition at 4.06 metres, beats the Polo by 20 litres while the cleverly packaged Honda Jazz tops the chart with 354 litres of load space, almost a fifth more than the Polo, despite being only 20mm longer than the German hatchback.

Of course, boot space is seldom the top consideration in many consumers’ minds when they start their research for a new car. Style and safety are certainly up there, and they are strengths the Polo displays above some of its staid rivals. Nevertheless, for the stay-at-home parent with a baby or toddler it certainly is a consideration, given the quantity of paraphernalia that needs transporting.