Volkswagen T-Roc review

Frankly, you'll pay silly money for the top-end Volkswagen T-Roc models, such as the 2.0 TDI 150 DSG R-Line. For that money, we reckon there are better options available in the larger, family SUV class. However, the 1.0 TSI 110 especially, but also the 1.5 TSI petrol, combined with a lower trim, make much more sense; they're cheaper than the equivalent versions of the Audi Q2 and Mini Countryman but still slightly pricier than the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq.

Running costs for cheaper T-Rocs also look sensible. The 1.0 TSI 110 can officially average more than 45mpg; that's pretty good, although the Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid 155 can do even better, and we're yet to put the 1.0 TSI 110 through our own True MPG test cycle. Decent CO2 emissions and the reasonable P11D values (for the cheaper variants) make the T-Roc competitive when it comes to company car tax, but again, the Puma tends to be better still. 

On a PCP finance deal, the T-Roc isn't generally that cheap, with rivals such as the Stonic and Kamiq offering better monthly payments. That said, it's always worth checking to see what manufacturer-supported deals are available at the time, or looking at our New Car Buying pages. The T-Roc will cost less per month than the Q2, though, and it has strong predicted resale values after three years. 

Equipment that's fitted as standard from entry-level S trim includes dual-zone climate control, electric windows, electric door mirrors, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror, automatic lights and wipers and 16in alloy wheels.

But we'd advise at least going for SE trim, because it adds, among other things, adaptive cruise control, 17in alloy wheels, a front armrest, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, power-folding door mirrors, plus the front and rear parking sensors and upgraded infotainment features we mentioned earlier.

However, the best trim is Design; it's not a great deal pricier but brings a wider range of personalisation options and styling add-ons, including twin chrome-effect trapezoid-exhaust surrounds and contrasting roof and door mirror colours (those tweaks tend to help bolster resale values), as well as privacy glass and interior ambient lighting. The upper trims are too expensive to justify; you'd be better off going for a bigger family SUV instead.

As a brand, Volkswagen finished well down in the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey; it ranked 20th out of the 31 manufacturers, which was below many of its rivals that make small SUVs but ahead of Audi, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Nissan and Renault.

However, compare the T-Roc itself with its rivals and it did much better, finishing near the top of the small SUV class behind only the Mini Countryman and Mazda CX-3.

A three-year warranty, limited to 60,000 miles, comes as standard with every Volkswagen. That’s typical of many car makers but not as generous as Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty or Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile package.

Euro NCAP awarded the T-Roc five stars (out of five) for safety. A more in-depth look at the category scores shows that the T-Roc is good at protecting you in a crash; like the Skoda Kamiq, it’s better at protecting adults and pedestrians than cars such as the Kia Stonic.

All T-Rocs have automatic emergency braking, which can detect pedestrians as well as other cars, and lane-keeping assistance, which will push you back in line if you drift out of your lane. Design trim and upwards will sound an alert if the driver gets fatigued and advises them to take a break, while blindspot monitoring is a reasonably priced option that comes with rear cross-traffic alert; this will warn you if you’re about to pull into the path of another car when reversing out of a parking space, for example.

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