Last updated on April 8th, 2020 at 08:00 pm
The Volkswagen e-Golf was unveiled back in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Back then, the hatchback had a limited driving range, a somewhat throttled power delivery and a comparatively small battery pack. In 2019, the German manufacturer improved its all-electric vehicle on all fronts. The EV can now be considered – to some – as a daily driver.
The question is: does the new VW e-Golf serve a purpose in the current climate? With other manufacturers ramping up production for EVs, and long-standing rivals such as the BMW and Nissan offering compelling packages, the e-Golf has a lot of competition.
WhichEV takes a look at Volkswagen's 2019 iteration of its all-electric hatchback.
VW e-Golf review: Price and options
The base price of the VW e-Golf sits at £31,075. If you factor in the Government's Plug-In grant it takes the total down to £27,575. This makes it cheaper than the 2019 BMW i3 120Ah that'll set you back £31,850, and a tad more expensive than the Nissan Leaf Acenta, which costs £26,345.
The model on review had a few options included: Heat Pump, Winter Pack, Active Info Display, Keyless Entry, Carpet Mats, LED Headlights With Dynamic Curve Lighting, Rear Tinted Glass and a Pure White colour and a Titan Black upholstery – you can see what each of these do through VW's configurator. These options add an additional £3,230 to the total cost, which takes the tally up to £30,805.
The equivalent BMW i3 120Ah (with the auxiliary cabin heating system option) would set you back £32,380, while the Nissan Leaf N-Connecta (one up from the basic Acenta trim), will cost £27,645, instead.
VW e-Golf review: Exterior aesthetics
No matter which configuration you choose, the exterior of the vehicle remains similar. The e-Golf comes with 16″ ‘Tileve' (205/55) five-spoke alloy wheels as standard. The diamond-turned 17″ rims are a £615 option.
As for the colour of the car, you've got eight to choose from; Unano Grey comes at no additional cost, while Pure White (pictured) will set you back an additional £370. Five metallic/pearl paint options are available at £620, while a ‘Premium Paint' option named ‘Oryx White Mother-of-Pearl' is also available for £995.
Aesthetics are always subjective, but I find the e-Golf stays true to its name – it's near-identical to its petrol-led sibling, where the all-electric model preserves that distinctive design. Its soft curves along the front are met with L-shaped headlights, where at the rear the vehicle's taillights retain that distinctive horizontal LED pattern. It's an attractive every-day car.
Given it's a five-door hatchback, there are four doors, meaning it's easy to jump in or out of the rear seats. The same couldn't be said about the BMW i3's rear doors, which require the vehicle's front doors to be opened first, making it awkward for your rear passengers to leave.
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VW e-Golf review: Interior and features
Inside the vehicle, it's much of the same – it's practical: a rubbery material stretches all around the vehicle's dashboard, and the e-Golf's interior plastic trim is finished in a brushed aluminium design. It might feel as premium as the BMW i3 but it certainly is more child-friendly.
There's a large number of physical buttons dotted around the vehicle's cabin: on the driver's side, you'll find wing mirror controls, a means to lock and unlock all the doors, and of crouse, lower all four windows. A physical headlight switch control resides near the driver side door and underneath, by your feet, you'll find a latch that opens the front boot. Unlike the BMW i3, there's no additional storage space in the ‘frunk'.
Located on the steering wheel, a plethora of buttons make it easy to control your media and the vehicle's digital instrument cluster. Unfortunately, there's no play/pause button to be seen – you'll have to resort to using the 8″ touchscreen display, instead. As for the steering wheel itself, it has a good weight and thickness to it; it doesn't feel too small/sporty nor is it chunky making it hard to perform complex manoeuvres.
More physical buttons can be found dotted around the dashboard and by the centre console: those of us who prefer physical climate controls will be pleased to see VW has kept them in place. The same couldn't be said about most modern-day EVs or the company's latest petrol-led VW Golf MK8, which does away with physical buttons.
Right under these buttons, you'll find a small compartment for your smartphone (or other) and a USB Type-A port to charge your phone or connect up to the infotainment system – more on that, below.
By the gear selector, there are more physical buttons: a start/stop button; another that enables/disables park assist; a button that toggles through the car's three driving modes (Normal, Eco and Eco+) and finally a fourth that allows you to disable the e-Golf's electronic engine sound. The latter is always on by default, whereby after disabling the feature that replicates ‘fake' engine noise to pedestrians, turning off the vehicle will reset the option and move it back to its default state (on). I find this rather frustrating as there are no two ways around it. The same issue also occurs when selecting a driving mode – the e-Golf refuses to remember your ‘last used' profile.
While these two options might not seem pivotal in terms of day-to-day driving, the car's inability to remember which regenerative braking method will leave you frustrated. These modes can be accessed through the gear selector – moving the stick down to Drive (D), then moving the lever to the right or left will filter through the regenerative methods: D1, D2 and D3. The higher the number the more aggressive the feature is on the brakes. Shift the gear selector down to B-mode, however, and the car goes a step further in recuperating energy back into the 35.8 kWh battery pack.
B-mode is still no match for the overly aggressive nature that can be felt on the BMW i3 – where unlike its German counterpart, the VW e-Golf gives you the option to fully disable it, and drivers like myself will appreciate that; regenerative braking isn't for everyone, though once you get used to it, recouping energy does get quite addictive (and sometimes even a geeky challenge).
I asked an owner about his thoughts on the feature, and he said: “Every time I get in, I've gotten into the habit of putting it in D twice – to get to B-mode. I only drive in B-mode. At first, I thought it was way too aggressive, but then after modifying my driving habits, I found that after I went into my wife's (petrol) car, I found it really annoying that the car wasn't recouping energy when I lift my foot off the throttle”.
Moving on from the gear lever, you'll find two cup holder spaces, a small compartment to pop in your loose change, a 12V cigarette lighter, a latch that activates the car's e-brake and an Auto Hold function, which prevents the car from rolling backwards. The armrest console opens up to reveal a small storage unit, which can hold a small 250ml water bottle or your sunglasses. Unfortunately, there are no additional charging ports in here; I'd have liked to see another USB port.
As for the armrest itself, it can be adjusted – via a ratchet mechanism – to your desired height. This makes it more comfortable on longer drives for taller-sized individuals.
VW e-Golf review: Comfort and storage space
If you are tall, you'll find the seats within the e-Golf rather comfortable. They're made out of a mesh-style fabric, whereby they'll accommodate most body types and even absorb a degree of sweat; that includes the rear passenger seats – they're not at an odd angle and will be suitable for both adults and children.
At just under 6ft (180cm), I had plenty of room sitting in every seat; there are five in total – if you count the middle rear seat. As for storage, every door – four in total – has a compartment where you can store a 500ml water bottle, plus more.
As for the rear boot, there's 341 litres of storage capacity – 40 less than its petrol-led sibling. That's due to the batteries lined across the vehicle's floor and under the rear seats. Despite its shortcomings, the VW e-Golf will easily accommodate a large suitcase and a rucksack in the rear boot. Pop the rear seats down and you'll get 1,231 litres of space; this translates to around four (2×2) large suitcases.
That's pretty good considering the BMW i3 has 260 and 1,110 litres, respectively. The Nissan Leaf, however, offers up to 435 litres with the seats up – far more for your weekly shop.
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VW e-Golf review: Infotainment system
Technology is very much at the forefront of every modern-day vehicle and it's great to see a comprehensive infotainment system that doesn't require you to be a computer wizard to understand. There are capacitative buttons on each side of the 8″ touchscreen display, where each of these gives you quick access to that sub-menu. A physical knob also sits on either side, where one allows you to flick through menus, while the other adjusts the volume of the audio system.
If you'd like to know more about the sound system, read our in-depth review of it, here.
I am pleased to see Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Mirror Link all supported – you'll need a compatible smartphone to access these features and will need to plug in your phone into the USB socket under the physical temperature controls.
If you prefer not to use these in-car systems, you can pair your phone over Bluetooth – the process is extremely simple and allows you to import SIM contacts, too.
Elsewhere, the VW e-Golf features voice control, although, from my tests, I found it redundant. Despite speaking clearly and in a quiet environment the car struggled to register my address input; I had to resort to using the touchscreen, instead.
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VW e-Golf review: Performance
As I mentioned earlier, the VW e-Golf has three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Eco+; these not only determine the car's driving range but also affect its performance and other characteristics.
In Normal mode, the car is untainted: the e-Golf has a top speed of 93mph, where its electric motor delivers 100 kW of power (134 hp) and dispatches 0-62mph in 9.6s. On a single charge, the car has a theoretical driving range of 124 miles – the WLTP figure is 143 miles; I'll comment on this further down, below.
In Eco mode, top speed is limited to 72mph and the vehicle's power is capped at 94 hp; to add to its power constraints, the air-con and heating controls are limited – you can't have them running at full pelt. As a result, the vehicle's range is optimised and gets you closer to that 124-mile figure.
In Eco+ mode, the car's performance is seriously hampered: top speed is limited to 56mph and the motor only outputs 74 hp of power. As for the air-con and heating controls, these are entirely disabled – if you had them on in Normal or Eco mode, they'll automatically switch off as soon as you enter Eco+. Here, the range is further optimised and you'll get the most out of that 35.8 kWh battery pack.
During my time with the car, I found myself choosing Eco mode, while driving around the streets of London – I barely opted for Eco+ mode, as I needed to stay warm during the cold weeks of December. As soon as I hit the motorway, I immediately reverted back to Normal mode – the car's increased throttle response and ‘uncapped' top speed gave me the performance I wanted for those overtakes.
On the whole, the car's performance is somewhat expected from a family-orientated vehicle. It's not as nippy or as fun to drive as the BMW i3, but yet provides better handling characteristics over the equivalent Nissan Leaf. Given the car's 1,615 kg weight, I enjoyed being at the back of the wheel along country roads. The car's low centre of gravity and relatively good weight distribution meant the car felt stable around hairpins.
There is, however, a degree of body roll, where the car's soft-like suspension can't be tightened; there's no Sport mode. On the plus side, the car was a breeze to drive over speed bumps, which isn't the same that could be said about the BMW i3, which has a much stiffer suspension and thinner 19″ wheels – 155/70 front and 175/70 rear, as opposed to the VW's 18″ 205/55s. Ride comfort is definitely the e-Golf's forte – from the somewhat soft suspension to the interior cabin.
What the car doesn't excel in, however, is driving range. At around 124 miles (in my tests I found it to last around 112 miles), the car is severely limited to inner-city commutes. I drove to Milton Keynes from London (around 62 miles) and found that on the return leg, I had to stop along the way to top up the car's batteries. By comparison, the BMW i3 offers up 182 miles on a single charge, while the Nissan Leaf will give you 168 miles and can extend to 239 miles with the e+ Tekna model. That's a marked difference.
To charge the e-Golf, you've got the choice of a fast Type 2 AC and a rapid CCS DC connector. The former will charge the car's empty battery to full in approximately 5hrs 20mins (7.2 kW), while the latter takes one hour or 45mins to 80% (40 kW). Yet again, the VW's is outclassed in this domain, as both the BMW and Nissan take less time to charge – as they support a 50 kW DC input, instead.
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VW e-Golf review: Verdict
While the car's performance characteristics aren't tailored to a boy/girl racer, and its somewhat limited driving range might put you off purchasing the VW e-Golf, the German-made hatchback is truly perfect for inner-city driving.
The car is a lot more practical than the equivalent BMW i3, and it's cheaper too; while in comparison to the Nissan Leaf, it's far more aesthetically pleasing and provides a better driver's feel. Overall, it's a great all-rounder and is the filler between the BMW i3 and the Nissan Leaf – it has its place in the market.
I'd be curious to see what VW has in store for us with its upcoming hatchback, the ID.3; the car promises a much longer driving range and seems to bring out most of the characteristics that defined the Golf product range – this includes the e-Golf.