Car Model Guide/ Volkswagen/ Polo/ 6R/ 1.2 12V

1.2 12V CGPA

The three-cylinder base petrol of the Polo, Fabia and Ibiza, and the simplest engine in the group. It's slow and it's cheap, and the timing chain is the one item to listen for at a cold start.

Overview

The 1.2 12V is the CGPA petrol version of the Volkswagen Polo hatchback (6R), sold 2009–2014 with 70 PS and manual_5. Manageable at level 2. A chain to listen for at a cold start, and nothing else expensive on its record. 2 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Volkswagen Polo hatchback (6R) · photo 2010 Volkswagen Polo (6R) 77TSI Comfortline 5-door hatchback 01 by OSX · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Power70 PS

Torque108 Nm

Years2009–2014

Fuelpetrol

DriveFWD

EnginesCGPA

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 2 recorded in total.

83Dependable

Water ingress into the footwells€120–€900checkable
Timing chain stretch (1.2 12V)€600–€1,100checkable

Risk level −11 · Likely spend vs price −6 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 7 with no recurring fault reported

EnginewatchTiming chain stretch (1.2 12V), €600–€1,100.

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & air✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Cooling✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Emissions✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Transmission✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

ElectricswatchWater ingress into the footwells, €120–€900.

Suspension & brakes✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2009–2013	€3,400	€5,400	€8,200	€4,400	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2014	€3,700	€5,900	€8,950	€4,800	Revised nose and lights; New three-cylinder and updated 1.2 TSI engines; Better cabin materials

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Water ingress into the footwellsPolo platform€120–€900

Damp carpets on one or both sides, misted windows that won't clear, and electrical faults that come and go with the weather. The plenum drains under the windscreen scuttle block with leaves and debris, and the water then finds its way past the bulkhead seals. Once it reaches the wiring and control units under the carpet the faults look far more serious than the cause.

Check: Lift the carpets in both footwells and press down hard with your hand, then smell the cabin. Damp underlay on a dry day tells you the drains have been blocked for a while.

ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–180k km

Timing chain stretch (1.2 12V)CGPA 1.2 12V€600–€1,100

A rattle for a second or two after a cold start, and over time a rough idle or a camshaft timing fault code. The chain and tensioner on this three-cylinder wear with age and short-trip use. It's less abrupt than the failure on the turbocharged engines of the same family, and it still costs a real share of what these cars are worth.

Check: Start it from stone cold and listen for the first few seconds. A short rattle that clears is the early warning, so price the work in rather than hoping.

EngineoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented100–190k km

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once.

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

2 checks · saved in this browser ·

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

Timing chain stretch (1.2 12V)Start it from stone cold and listen for the first few seconds. A short rattle that clears is the early warning, so price the work in rather than hoping.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

Water ingress into the footwellsLift the carpets in both footwells and press down hard with your hand, then smell the cabin. Damp underlay on a dry day tells you the drains have been blocked for a while.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

There's no turbocharger and no filter here, so a high-mileage car in good condition is a sound buy. Listen at a cold start rather than reading the dial.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil and filter Chain and tensioner wear track oil condition on this engine.	15,000 km or annually	€70–110
Brake fluid Ordinary safety work that gets skipped on cheap cars.	every 2 years	€60–90

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €5.7k

€3.4k€4.4k€8.9k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€4,400band €3,400–€8,950

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold1.2 12V CGPA was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelVolkswagen Polo 1.2 12V
Chassis6R
EngineCGPA
Years2009–2014
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the 6r median, all 3 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

This three-cylinder is the simplest engine in the range, which is exactly why it's worth considering in a car most people buy for reliability. It's slow, and on a motorway you'll be working it hard, so be honest about your driving. Listen for a chain rattle in the first seconds from cold and check the service book. So look at the rear beam and the underside for corrosion, since that's what limits the life of a high-mileage example.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	CGPA 1.2 12V
Configuration	I3, naturally aspirated · 1198 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · port
Model years	2009–2014
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2014 facelift, 2009–2013 pre, 2014 LCI
Power / torque	70 PS · 108 Nm
Transmissions	5-speed manual
Gearbox families
Drivetrain	FWD
Economy (real-world)	5.5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU