Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads: Specs, Fitment & Wear Symptoms

If your Polo has an electronic parking brake, DIY rear pad replacement without the right tool can genuinely leave the car immobilised.

Illustration for editorial purposes

Find Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front pads (aftermarket) Brembo P 85 146 / Bosch 0 986 424 364

Accuracy note: Covers the Volkswagen Polo (6R/6C 2009-2017) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Front brake pads are sold by caliper system (ATE / Teves, TRW / Lucas, Bosch, Akebono, Brembo etc.) and by pad size, and one model usually has two or three pad sizes depending on engine, brake size and trim — a wrong size will not fit the caliper. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand with their width x height x thickness in mm; genuine numbers are shown only where a listing quotes one. Measure the old pad or check the caliper system against your VIN before ordering, and fit a new wear sensor where the set is only 'prepared for' one.

Front brake pads (aftermarket)	Brembo P 85 146 (155 x 66/72 x 20 mm, wear contact included 145 mm, ATE/Teves/Continental system, WVA 23587, 23588 and 24696); Brembo P 85 075 (155-157 x 66/71 x 20 mm, wear contact included 145 mm, ATE/Teves/Continental system, WVA 23587, 23588 and 23589); Brembo P 85 041 (146 x 55 x 20 mm, no wear contact, ATE/Teves/Continental system, WVA 23130 and 23131); ATE 13.0460-7184.2 (155.1-156.3 x 66.0/71.3 x 20.6 mm, wear contact included 155 mm, ATE/Teves/Continental system, E1 90R-02A0334/0194); Bosch 0 986 424 364 (146 x 54.6 x 18.7 mm, no wear sensor stated, ATE/Teves/Continental system, WVA 23130, low-metallic); TRW GDB1984 (146 x 54.7 x 19.5 mm, not prepared for a wear contact, ATE caliper, E9 90R-01107/2852); Ridex 402B0009 (155-156 x 66.1/71.4 x 20.3 mm, integrated wear sensor 155 mm, WVA 23587, 23588, 23589 and 24078, cars built up to November 2016).
Pad sizes & variants	Two front sizes, both for ATE/Teves/Continental calipers: the small 146 x 55 x 20 mm pad without a wear contact (WVA 23130 / 23131) on the base brake, and the 155 x 66-72 x 20 mm pad with wear contact (WVA 23587 / 23588 / 23589 / 24078) on the larger brake.
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	None quoted in catalogue listings — order genuine pads against your VIN
Fitment notes	Lower-powered Polos use the 146 x 55 mm pad with no wear sensor, while the larger-engined and higher-trim cars with the bigger front disc use the 155 mm pad, which carries a wear contact. No engine or chassis-number splits are given beyond a November 2016 build-date limit on the Ridex set.

If Your Polo Has an Electronic Parking Brake, Read This First

Some models in this range use an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) on the rear, which genuinely changes the pad replacement job — the caliper houses a small motor that must be put into a "service mode" using a diagnostic scan tool (VCDS or OBDeleven) before the piston can be safely retracted. Skipping this and simply forcing the piston back with a standard caliper tool risks genuinely serious damage: documented cases include a torn piston seal and the parking brake becoming permanently stuck engaged, leaving the car unable to move at all without recovery.

If you don't have access to VCDS or OBDeleven: many independent garages have the correct tooling for a modest fee. If the EPB does become stuck after a mistake, disconnecting the battery overnight and removing the relevant parking brake fuse has resolved this for some owners, based on real accounts — though a genuinely stuck motor may still need proper diagnostic intervention. Always confirm whether your specific car has EPB or a conventional cable handbrake before starting the job.

Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads: Brake Pads Are One of the Few Truly Universal Parts

Every version of the Polo uses brake pads that wear down through normal use — the only real variable is how quickly, which depends on engine, trim, and (where fitted) whether the car has any form of regenerative braking to ease the load.

Before you buy: pad size and compound vary by engine and trim. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: How to Replace Front Brake Pads and Discs on VW Polo V (2010-2017)

Watch on YouTube ↗

Polo 6R/6C era.

Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads reference plate

Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads: What They Do

Brake pads clamp against the discs to convert the car's momentum into heat, slowing it down. On any version of the Polo with hybrid assistance or regenerative braking, this system handles a meaningful share of everyday slowing, which can genuinely extend pad life compared with a purely petrol or diesel equivalent.

Common Sizes

Front pads, standard trims (1.0, 1.0 TSI, 1.2, 1.2 TSI)	Sized to match the 256mm disc/caliper on this tier. Pad size genuinely scales with engine output and trim on this model, not just the disc diameter — always confirm the exact pad against your VIN rather than assuming from generation alone.
Rear pads, standard trims	Sized to match the 232mm disc/caliper on this tier. Pad size genuinely scales with engine output and trim on this model, not just the disc diameter — always confirm the exact pad against your VIN rather than assuming from generation alone.
GTI/performance variants	Genuinely a different, larger pad to match the 312mm disc/caliper on this higher tier — not interchangeable with the standard-tier pad on the same axle.

Find Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

Volkswagen Polo Brake Pads: Wear Symptoms, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Brake Pads Guide for warning signs to watch for, confirming fitment against your VIN, and R90-certified aftermarket brands worth trusting.

More Volkswagen Brake Pads

The same part, covered across other Volkswagen models.