It's good to hear from someone who's really tested one of these wee cars. I like the UP/Citigo/Mii and often recommend them but longterm durability was still a question mark. Looks like they'll prove very robust over time.

I've only fiddled around under the bonnet, changing a bulb for example, but my impression is that they designed everything from the ground up and in a very nice way. These days I think cars tend to be reliable due to robotic production methods, and the Up is a fairly basic car without sophisticated electrics. Mine has manual window winders for example. The only problem I've had with a small car was an old style Micra, which rusted after 10 years. The Up looks to have very good underbody anti-corrosion paint, and a quite long body work guarantee albeit with the usual caveats.