Volkswagen Passat long-term test: report 5

The car VW 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 8300 List price £44,850 Target Price £41,000 Price as tested £45,160 Test economy 59.3mpg Official economy 755mpg 

26 April 2025 – All in a day's work

I’ve mentioned before how varied my job can be, but to give you some idea of just what I mean, I thought I’d keep a log of a typical day.

My shift begins early in the morning, when I need to get from where I live in London to Hayling Island on the south coast for a photoshoot. That’s a two-hour drive away, and one which I want to complete partly on electric power. And that means topping up at a public charging station.

I’ve become an evangelist for Applegreen Electric’s chargers recently, because of all the various networks I’ve tried, they seem to start charging the fastest, with the proverbial juice flowing as soon as I’ve tapped my card to pay. And that means I can nip to the nearest shop to fuel myself up while my car does the same.

With an additional 57 miles of electric range fed into the Passat, I’m back on the road and soon arrive at my destination, where thanks to the Passat’s comfortable ride and easygoing driving manner, I’m ready to be put to work. 

The shoot involves car-to-car photography on a closed section of road, so I get my harness out to hold me safely in place. Handily, a metal ring which normally serves to latch the folded-down rear seatbacks in place also does the same for me when I’m shooting from the boot, and it does a brilliant job.

With that done, it was back to London where I emptied the Passat’s considerable boot of work gear and re-loaded it with my Easter holiday luggage. And not just mine – my girlfriend Tabitha and her sister Jemima were hitching a lift to go and see my parents in rural Cheshire. I was again impressed at just how spacious the Passat’s boot is, with our suitcases barely making a dent in the available space.

From the rear seats, Jemima commented that she felt very comfortable and had acres of room, even sitting behind a tall front passenger.

The Passat’s adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance systems helped to minimise stress on the journey North, and when we finally rocked up at home I felt just as fresh as I had done that morning. A long day, then, but thanks to the Passat, you wouldn’t know it.

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