Volkswagen Passat long-term test

The car Volkswagen Passat 1.5 TSI eHybrid 204 DSG Life | Run by Max Eldeston, senior photographer

Why it’s here To see if the Passat’s reputation for comfortable and spacious transport endures in its latest generation

Needs to Function as a mobile office, have space for all my photography kit, and be comfortable enough to spend long hours at the wheel

Mileage 12,427 List price £44,850 Target Price £41,000 Price as tested £45,160 Test economy 60.9mpg Official economy 755mpg Private price now £27,520 Dealer price now £26,452 Running costs (Excl. depreciation) fuel £1179, electricity £271

12 July 2025 – Ode to a friend

I’ve run lots of different types of 'cars' over the years. There was the Renault Kangoo van, which gave me acres of space but not much comfort. Then there was the Dacia Jogger, which provided more comfort but little in the way of luxury. And most recently there was the Ford Ranger Raptor, which conquered everything I asked of it but wasn’t exactly subtle. But none of them has suited me as well as my Volkswagen Passat; it is simply the best vehicle I’ve ever had.

Let’s start with the obvious metric for a jobbing photographer: how much boot space the Passat offers. Not only could it carry the same amount of kit as the Raptor, but it did so more securely, and without the need for ratchet straps to keep everything in place. Plus, while a roll-top cover kept my kit safe and dry in the back of the pick-up, having an actual boot has proved far more convenient.

The space available for me and my passengers was palatial, too. It’s common for there to be some downtime on a photo shoot while I wait for the light to be right, so colleagues will dive into the biggest car to keep warm or do some work. And for the past six months, that job has fallen to my Passat; I’ve often come back to it after taking the shot I need to find all the seats occupied by reviewers.

This marked my first time running a plug-in hybrid; I’ve had hybrids in the past, but not any I had to plug in to top up the battery. And the early weeks with the Passat required me to change my mindset somewhat; because I can’t charge at home, I took every opportunity to plug in while out and about. Fortunately, I often need to pull over for half an hour or so to send photos back to the office, so I made sure that I did so when I was using a charging point. 

The Passat’s 19.7kWh battery and resulting 80-mile electric range meant there could be plenty of time between fuel stops. When the system worked, it worked well, and I was very pleased with my overall average fuel economy of 60.9mpg. 

But I say ‘when it worked’ because, fairly early on, there was a fault with the electric side of the hybrid system, leaving me able to drive only on petrol power. While the issue was quickly sorted by a VW dealer, I wouldn’t have expected something like this to happen with a new car.

Elsewhere, I found the hands-free boot access – which allowed me to open the tailgate simply by waving my foot under the rear bumper – took some getting used to, with me smacking my shin on the Passat’s rear bumper more than once. And while I’m used to paying subscription fees for streaming services these days, I still think Volkswagen charging £8 per month for me to have the heated seats in my car activated is a bit cheeky.

These annoyances, though, couldn’t take away from the Passat’s overall brilliance. Since my weekly mileage regularly includes hundreds of miles of motorway driving, I was impressed with the suite of safety and convenience features it has. In particular, the Travel Assist system, which combines adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assistance, meant long journeys weren’t stressful, and I always arrived at my destination relaxed and ready to work.

Helping that relaxed feeling was the Passat’s ride, which soaked up lumps and bumps with the quiet diligence of an attentive butler. Although the ride could be a tad choppy around town, it was sublime on the motorway. And while the Passat’s steering isn’t geared towards sportiness, I found it very reassuring, thanks to good weight and accuracy.

All in all, then, I didn’t want to hand the keys to my Passat back when the time came. It was the best companion I could have
asked for, and among the sea of SUVs on the roads, I felt smug about being in a slightly left-field estate. I sincerely hope cars like the Passat stick around for a long time to come.

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