Volkswagen e-UP! Review

Electrifying.com score

7/10

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Price: £25,585 

Once a cracking small car bargain isn't quite the great deal it was. But if you need small and effiicient. the e-up! is still a fine package


  • Battery size: 32.3kWh
  • Miles per kWh: 5.23
  • E-Rating™: A+

    Click here to find out more about our electric car Efficiency Rating.​

  • Max charge rate: 40 kW
  • Range: 159 miles
  • Battery size: 32.3kWh
  • Miles per kWh: 5.23
  • E-Rating™: A+

    Click here to find out more about our electric car Efficiency Rating.​

  • Max charge rate: 40 kW
  • Range: 159 miles
  • Volkswagen e-up interior
  • Volkswagen e-up charging at charging station
  • Volkswagen e-up parked in car park
  • Electrifying.com E-Rating A+

Nicki Says

“We love the sheer usability of the Up and it's SEAT sister. It might not have the latest tech, but it is fun to drive and has just enough range to take you on longer journeys when needed. Get one on a salary sacrifice scheme and it could cost less per month that your current petrol bill!”

Ginny Says

“The Up is a great little car, but I wish VW would make up its mind about whether it wants to sell it or not. The Skoda and SEAT versions has been and gone and supply of the Volkswagen version is sporadic too. You might have to call a few dealers to find one.”

With a WLTP range of 159 miles and rapid charging at 40kW, the spec of the e-up! feels a little old-fashioned, but it still makes sense if your journeys are short and often.  

  • Range:159 miles (WLTP Standard)
  • Battery::32.3kW
  • Home/Public charger (7kW):8hrs
  • Fast charging 20-80% (50kW):60 mins
  • Ultra Fast Charging (Supercharging) 20-80% (150kW):60 mins
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Range   

The official range of the e-UP! is 159 miles, which is enough to get you from London to Brighton and back, or from London to Leeds one way without needing to stop. Perhaps more usefully, it could also equal a week’s worth of 30 mile commutes with no need to plug in. That could make it a practical proposition for drivers who don’t have off-street parking. Just top up once a week when you go shopping or to the gym.

Bear in mind though that this range will be affected by all sorts of factors and will be significantly shorter in cold weather or if you are driving quickly on motorways. 

Battery 

The e-up!'s battery is 32.3kWh, which a big improvement over earlier cars that had just 18kWh. It can't quite match the capacities of the recently arrived Vauxhall Corsa-e and Peugeot e208 (both have 45kWh usable batteries), but it will be big enough for most. 

Charging

The e-up! can be DC rapid charged at a maximum of 40kW. That would have been okay-ish a few years back when all rapid chargers were 50kW, but considering the up!'s rivals can mostly charge at 100kW speeds. that speed is disappointing. 

Slow charging via a home wallbox or post is also surprisingly slow. For cost reasons, Volkswagen has only equipped with e-up! with a 2.3kW AC charger. In mainland Europe where three-phase domestic electric supplies are common, this means the e-up! can charge at 7kW. However, in the UK, where almost all domestic supplies are 3.6kW, e-up! owners will only be able to charge at a much lower rate. As a result, the e-up! will take around 16 hours to charge. 




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