Introduction
What Car? says...
The Volkswagen Golf is the ultimate classless automobile that anyone would be happy to be seen in, and has always managed to bridge two worlds: mainstream family cars and pricier premium alternatives.
It’s an amazing feat when you think about it, but means the Golf has to compete with a daunting range of rivals.
FAQs
Not particularly. The current, eighth-generation model finished 20th out of 24 family cars in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey. The rival BMW 1 Series did much better, coming third, while the Mercedes A-Class was ranked bottom. The Golf comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile VW warranty. Read more here
Previous Golfs were available in electric car form (the e-Golf), but VW now sells the ID 3 electric hatchback instead. The 1.0 eTSI and 1.5 eTSI Golfs have mild-hybrid electrical assistance to boost efficiency. There are also two plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – the 1.4 TSI eHybrid and GTE. They can officially travel up to 44 miles and 38 miles respectively on electric power. Read more here
We’d go for the 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol with entry-level Life trim. It feels significantly stronger than the cheaper Golf engines, but also brings a more sophisticated rear suspension set-up that helps the car ride more smoothly. Life trim has everything you need, including climate control, automatic lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control. Read more here
The 10.0in touchscreen infotainment system that’s standard across the Volkswagen Golf range looks quite fancy at first glance and has lots of features. Unfortunately, style has been put before ease of use. Some of the menus are confusingly arranged, there are no physical shortcut buttons and the screen is slow to respond to inputs. Read more here
The latest Golf was awarded five stars out of five by the independent safety experts at Euro NCAP, not only because it performs well in a crash, but because there are lots of driver aids to help you avoid one in the first place. Read more here
The Golf has a 380-litre boot, which is about average by the standards of the family car class. Just bear in mind that you get less space if you go for one of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants – either the 1.4 TSI eHybrid or the GTE – because their bigger batteries take up the underfloor storage area. Read more here
| RRP price range | £25,340 - £42,190 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 8 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 11 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | petrol, hybrid, diesel |
| MPG range across all versions | 235.4 - 67.3 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years / 60000 miles |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £494 / £3,048 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £987 / £6,096 |
| Available colours |
