Item: Used Volkswagen T-Roc 2018-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/c-hr/hatchback/used-review/n892">Toyota C-HR</a> may not be the most practical small SUV, but it does drive rather well and you can even find it in hybrid form – a rarity in this market. It also comes with Toyota’s famed reputation for reliability that should mean you’ll enjoy years of trouble-free motoring.

If you are looking for something cheaper, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/arona/hatchback/review/n117">Seat Arona</a> offers you the vast majority of what the T-Roc can (it is, after all, built on the same platform and shares a number of engines) but for less money.

Want to go for something a bit quirky? Well, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/kona/hatchback/used-review/n18075">Hyundai Kona</a> looks very striking on the outside. On the inside, you’ll find plenty of equipment and an easy-to-use infotainment system. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine offers decent performance and, like the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> T-Roc, four-wheel drive is an option on top-spec models.

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If you're interested in finding a used <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/volkswagen/t-roc?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">T-Roc</a>, or any of the other small SUVs 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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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Some early examples have been subjected to a recall. The owner’s manual originally supplied with the car misses out on important pages about the passenger protection system, airbags and children trapsort safety. A supplement should be included in the manuals of T-Rocs produced between 1 November 2017 and 31 January 2018.

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Yes, it finished third in the small SUV class in our most recent reliability survey.

Reliability rating&nbsp;96.0%

Owners told us that 19% of T-Rocs went wrong, with the biggest areas of concern being the engine and non-engine electrics. There were also some issues with engine electrics, brakes and air-con. However, four out of five cars could still be driven and a third were repaired the same day; 90% of work was done under warranty and no bills exceeded £50.

Volkswagen as a brand finished in 20th place out of 31 manufacturers in the same survey.&nbsp;

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Hatchback

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-ROC

The VW T-Roc is good to drive and spacious and also a reliable used buy

Used Volkswagen T-Roc 2018-present

The T-Roc is&nbsp;a Polo-sized small SUV, so fuel economy is decent. The entry-level 1.0 petrol has the best fuel economy of the petrol range, with an average figure of 55.4mpg. The more powerful 1.5 TSI is nearly as good at 53.3mpg (51.4mpg for the automatic version), thanks to cylinder deactivation technology that shuts down two cylinders on a light accelerator to conserve fuel. The most expensive petrol to run is, unsurprisingly, the 2.0 because it has an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive – it only manages 41.5mpg.

The 2.0 diesel can also be had with four-wheel drive and it has the best overall fuel economy figure of 56.5mpg.

Road tax for all versions will set you back £155&nbsp;under the current system, which was introduced in April 2017.

Servicing costs, meanwhile, tend to be slightly lower than you’ll pay for a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/ford">Ford</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a>, and insurance groups for all models aside from the 2.0 petrol are relatively low, thanks to the standard automatic emergency braking system.

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The VW T-Roc is good to drive and spacious and also a reliable used buy

Prices for a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> T-Roc start at around £17,000 for a 2018 1.0-litre Design version. Spend between £17,000 and £19,000 on higher specced versions or 2019 cars. Expect to need between £19,000 and £24,000 to buy a 2020 car.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">Check the value of a used Volkswagen T-Roc with What Car? Valuations</a>

Of the various engines on offer, we’d suggest you go for the 114bhp 1.0 petrol because it’s a nice flexible engine that’s quiet on a cruise and offers good fuel economy. The 2.0 diesel may be a good one to go for if you really must have four-wheel drive, but there aren’t that many on the used market and it can be expensive.

While all T-Rocs come well equipped, the Design model includes all the niceties of SE but stands out with more distinctive exterior styling, a driver alert system and ambient interior lighting.

Our favourite <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> T-Roc 1.0 TSI 115 Design

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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

Lumbar support isn’t standard on the T-Roc, but from April 2018 it became an inexpensive extra from SE spec upwards. Try looking for a car that has this because it will be much more comfortable than one without it.

Also, check that the alloy wheels are in good condition and don’t have any damage, because some models come with 19in wheels that could be susceptible to the odd kerb. The interior plastics are all hard and scratchy and might not stand up to family life as well as the interiors of other <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> Group cars.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen </a>cars are usually eminently sensible things, but they don’t very often excite the soul. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">Small SUVs</a>, on the other hand, are very desirable at the moment, thanks to their rugged good looks and ease of use. In fact, they're so desirable that Volkswagen actually offers two of them in its range: the chunky <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/used-review/n21913">T-Cross</a> and this slightly larger T-Roc.&nbsp;

Not surprisingly, as this is such a competitive class, the T-Roc has faced stiff competition since its 2018&nbsp;launch from rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/kona/hatchback/review/n17377">Hyundai Kona</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/arona/hatchback/review/n117">Seat Arona</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/c-hr/hatchback/used-review/n892">Toyota C-HR</a>.

There are three petrol engines and one 2.0-litre diesel unit to chose from. The entry-level 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol has a useful 114bhp and makes relatively easy work of motivating the T-Roc. If you regularly drive five up, there's the 148bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol for not much more money. Need four-wheel drive? Go for a top-of-the-range 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engine.

Equipment that's fitted as standard&nbsp;from entry-level S trim includes&nbsp;dual-zone climate control, electric windows, electric door mirrors, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror, automatic lights and wipers&nbsp;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,&nbsp;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&nbsp;to help bolster resale values), as well as privacy glass and interior ambient lighting.&nbsp;

SEL models get 18in&nbsp;alloys, LED headlights, an uprated infotainment system with sat-nav and the Active Info Display screen that replaces traditional dials.&nbsp;The United model comes with 17in&nbsp;alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, ’UNITED’ badging and a matching welcome light. The Black Edition trim merely adds a number of black styling pieces, including a darkened finish to the wheels, front grille, window surrounds, side skirts and door mirror surrounds. It also gets black exhaust tailpipes, LED headlights, daytime running lights and grey contrast stitching throughout the interior. R-Line brings a much sportier look, with lowered suspension, 19in&nbsp;alloy wheels, unique badging and a body kit. There’s also heated front sports seats and heated washer jets.

The T-Roc is good to drive, with light but progressively weighted steering and a comfortable ride that soaks up the worst of our potholed roads. The gearbox is nice and slick, and helps you make the most of the performance available in some of the smaller engines. The car grips well in corners, too.

Space is good in a T-Roc, although five is a bit of a squeeze due to a small middle perch and a transmission tunnel that gets in the way in the rear. The boot is big, though, and can take plenty of holiday suitcases. However, T-Rocs with four-wheel drive have smaller boots than ones without because the floor has to be raised to accommodate all the extra mechanical gubbins below.

The dashboard is a bit of a disappointment because there is not one piece of soft-touch plastic anywhere. This is a bit of a shock, since most of the T-Roc’s rivals manage to provide even just a sliver of yielding plastic. There is plenty of equipment, though. Every T-Roc has an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, 16in alloy wheels, automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assistance.

If you're interested in finding a used <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/volkswagen/t-roc?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">T-Roc</a>, or any of the other small SUVs 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.

Page 1 of 5

Used Volkswagen T-Roc 2018-present review

Ownership cost

What used Volkswagen T-Roc hatchback will I get for my budget?