Item: Used Volkswagen T-Cross 2019-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

If you can do without the additional few centimetres of the height of&nbsp;the T-Cross' driving position, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/arona/hatchback/used-review/n17875">Seat Arona</a>&nbsp;makes for an excellent used small SUV. The boot is big by class standards and the Arona drives really well.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/vitara/4x4/used-review/n882">Suzuki Vitara</a>&nbsp;certainly has that SUV driving position that people are looking for, right down to the clamshell bonnet you have to look over that's a dead ringer for what you'd find in a&nbsp;Land Rover. Most engines provide&nbsp;lively performance&nbsp;and equipment levels are high, especially in SZ-T form.

On balance, your money is perhaps better spent on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/used-review/n1003">Volkswagen T-Roc</a>&nbsp;because it's more refined and feels sharper to drive than the T-Cross, with less body lean in corners and a slicker feeling gear change.&nbsp;

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3>Curtain airbags</h3>

The curtain airbags that are used to protect the head in a side impact might not fully deploy in T-Crosses made between 21 May and 10 June 2019. Find out from a VW dealer if your car is affected by this because it will need to have the relevant airbags replaced.

The T-Cross didn't feature in the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, but Volkswagen as a brand finished two thirds of the way down the table, in&nbsp;20th place out of 31 car manufacturers.

If you'd like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey/n20042">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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Estate

The VW Group famously spends more money on research and development than any rival – and as a result, perhaps it should be no surprise that our testers rate its cars so consistently highly.

The fact that many of those cars use the same underpinnings also helps, because it means that if they get it right once, they have the foundations to keep on getting it right.

However, the Volkswagen brand faces plenty of tough competition, often from within, because the rapidly rising Seat and Skoda brands that are also part of the group have access to the same technology.

VOLKSWAGEN

T-CROSS

The chunky T-Cross is a small SUV with a comfortable ride and a spacious and practical interior&nbsp;

Used Volkswagen T-Cross 2019-present

<h3>MPG</h3>

There isn't much difference between the two 1.0-litre petrol engines&nbsp;because the 94bhp version has a combined figure of 47.9mpg, while the 114bhp one gets 46.3mpg. The more powerful and larger 1.5 has a figure of 44.1mpg.

The economy champion is the 1.6 diesel with 54.3mpg.

<h3>Car tax (VED)</h3>

All T-Cross' will fall under the current taxation scheme, so each version will be charged the same flat rate fee since no T-Cross cost more than £40,000 when new.&nbsp;You can find out more about <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs here</a>.

<h3>Servicing</h3>

No T-Cross is yet old enough to take advantage of Volkswagen's offer of cheaper servicing once outside of warranty, but you can purchase a plan (usually 24 months)&nbsp;and pay for each service in&nbsp;instalments. Plans cost, at the time of writing, £16.09&nbsp;per month for cars less than a year old, and £20.69 for anything older.

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The chunky T-Cross is a small SUV with a comfortable ride and a spacious and practical interior 

Prices for a used T-Cross&nbsp;start at around £15,500 for a 1.0-litre petrol, most like in 94bhp form. The more powerful 114bhp version is a bit more expensive, but it can be a little as £500-£1000. Diesel models are rarer and pricer still, with most starting at around £17,000.&nbsp;To keep up to date with used&nbsp;prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Check the value of a used Volkswagen T-Cross&nbsp;with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3>Engine</h3>

Most will find that the 94bhp 1.0-litre&nbsp;provides them with enough performance, plus it has decent fuel economy to make it our preferred choice. However, if you regularly drive on the motorway, the 114bhp version might be a better choice since it has a six-speed manual to keep the engine revs down at higher speeds.&nbsp;

The diesel is only worth it if you do lots of miles, and the 1.5 petrol isn't as common as the 1.0-litre.

<h3>Specification</h3>

Aside from the annoyance that it doesn't have parking sensors, the SE trim level comes with plenty of kit to give it the edge over the rest of the range. Until there are more United versions on the used market, it shall remain our pick of the range.

Our favourite Volkswagen T-Cross: 1.0 94bhp&nbsp;SE

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Running costs that won’t break the bank </li> <li>Generous kit</li> <li>Pokey engine and tidy handling</li> <li>Spacious interior</li> <li>Boot big enough to cope with family life</li></ul>

The car-buying public has fallen in love with small SUVs, or crossovers as they’re often called, with thousands turning away from conventional hatchbacks in favour of something that rides that little bit higher.

The original baby SUV is the Nissan Juke, which remains a popular choice, but there are plenty of better rivals to consider instead. We’d recommend you look at either the Ford Puma or Skoda Kamiq, because they offer&nbsp;a great blend of practicality and value that keeps them&nbsp;clear of the opposition. Equally, if you’ve got more money to spend, the Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Roc&nbsp;are both fine choices.&nbsp;

Small SUV

Since most examples will still be within the franchised dealer network&nbsp;used approved scheme, they should still look like new. However, you ought to&nbsp;give it a good once over to inspect for dents and scratches. Remember, only SEL&nbsp;(or United, if you're looking at a 2020 example) and above come with parking sensors, and those thick rear pillars hinder parking, so check the bumpers for signs of touch parking.

There were light interior trim colours options available on some models that might look grubby if not regularly cleaned. Also, the hard plastics used on the dashboard and door cards could be vulnerable to scratches from things like rings, keys and handbag buckles.

You know what it's like –&nbsp;you wait ages for a bus and then two come along at once.&nbsp;It's the same with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">small SUVs</a>, because hot on the heels of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/used-review/n1003">T-Roc</a> came the T-Cross. Its arrival in 2019&nbsp;means&nbsp;used car buyers now have the choice of not one but two diminutive&nbsp;SUVs from the Wolfsburg manufacturer.

Much like the T-Roc, the T-Cross has a 1.0-litre petrol engine in 94bhp and 114bhp flavours, along with a 148bhp 1.5, the latter being available only with&nbsp;a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. There's also a 94bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine for those who dedicate their lives to long-haul motorway driving.

There&nbsp;are five trim levels,&nbsp;starting with S, which&nbsp;has 16in alloy wheels, driver and passenger seat height and lumbar adjustment, air-con, and 8in infotainment system with a DAB radio and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">automatic emergency braking (AEB)</a> with pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assistance. SE is better equipped with 17in wheels, a variable-height boot floor, adaptive cruise control, auto lights and wipers, plus <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-apple-carplay/n1193">Apple CarPlay</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-android-auto/n1194">Android Auto</a> smartphone connectivity.

Alterations in 2020 brought in the United trim, which is&nbsp;based on SE. It&nbsp;actually has smaller 16in alloys but adds&nbsp;front and rear parking sensors. SEL has these, too, plus LED headlights, dual-zone climate control and sat-nav. For sportier looks both inside and out, choose an R-Line. This model also gets&nbsp;bigger 18in wheels and a 10.3in digital instrument cluster.

To drive, the T-Cross is a paragon of ease; the steering is light at low speeds to aid with&nbsp;parking, yet weights up in a natural fashion as the pace rises to give you a good idea of what the front wheels are doing. Grip levels are also high and it'll hang on well in the bends (as long as you're not being stupid) without running wide. However, it never feels as much fun as the firmer and more agile <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/ford">Ford</a> Puma, nor is it as refined as the T-Roc when it comes to road or wind noise at motorway speeds.

Those who happen to be blessed in the&nbsp;height department will find there's plenty of room in the front of a T-Cross. Large door pockets can be found all around that'll take a litre bottle of water, plus from SE spec upward, there are multiple&nbsp;USB charging sockets front and rear. The only major downside is that interior quality appears to have taken a nosedive because there isn't a soft touch plastic in sight, unlike the less expensive <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/polo/hatchback/used-review/n17425">Polo</a> upon which the T-Cross is based. Also, unless you find a T-Cross with a Design Pack fitted, the dashboard has no coloured highlights at all and looks very drab as a result.

Much like the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/captur/hatchback/used-review/n845">Renault Captur</a>, the rear bench seat in the T-Cross can be slid&nbsp;forwards or&nbsp;backwards&nbsp;to either increase leg room or boot capacity. With the bench slide all the way back, there's as much space as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/vitara/4x4/used-review/n882">Suzuki Vitara</a>&nbsp;and, due to the straight roofline, enough head room for a 6ft adult. That said, a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/used-review/n21831">Skoda Kamiq</a> is better still, and&nbsp;the Kamiq&nbsp;has a&nbsp;bigger boot, even when&nbsp;you&nbsp;slide the seats in the T-Cross as far forward as it'll go.

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/volkswagen/t-cross">used T-Cross</a>, or any of the other small SUVs&nbsp;mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used Volkswagen T-Cross 2019-present review

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