Volkswagen Golf GTE Review

Electrifying.com score

7/10

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​The plug-in hybrid Golf is smart, efficient and fast, but it’s not the hot hatch experience that you might expect and other PHEV alternatives offer more for your money.


  • Battery size: 13 kWh
  • Company car tax: 7%
  • Emissions: 28 g/km
  • Range: 40 miles (electric)
  • Fuel economy: 156.9 MPG
  • Battery size: 13 kWh
  • Company car tax: 7%
  • Emissions: 28 g/km
  • Range: 40 miles (electric)
  • Fuel economy: 156.9 MPG
  • VW Golf GTE PHEV exterior front in countryside
  • VW Golf GTE PHEV exterior side parked
  • VW Golf GTE PHEV at bp pulse charging station
  • VW Golf GTE PHEV exterior rear
  • VW Golf GTE plug in hybrid interior dashboard and display
  • VW Golf GTE plug in hybrid charging port
  • VW Golf GTE PHEV exterior side driving in country

Ginny Says

“I love Golfs, and have actually owned four of them. But the GTE is one Golf I'd struggle to recommend as it's so expensive compared to rivals. The all-electric ID.3 makes it look pretty obsolete too.”

Tom Says

“The Golf GTE in its latest Mk8 generation plugs in (sorry) some more good stuff. It has a sturdy 240-ish bhp, and a claimed 40-miles on electric. It’s kind of an eco-friendly GTI. I can't get on with the touchscreen-with-no-buttons interior though.”


The Golf GTE will be cheap to run but that doesn’t make up for how expensive it is to buy compared to many rivals. 



  • Price:£36,700
  • Full charge cost (approx. – based on home charging):£2.13
  • Company car tax:6% (2020-1)
  • Insurance group:27
  • Vehicle warranty:3 years / 60,000 miles
  • Battery warranty:8 years / 100,000 miles
VW Golf GTE PHEV at bp pulse charging station
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Pricing 

The VW Golf GTE is an expensive option, even by the already fairly expensive standards of plug-in hybrids. At nearly £37,000, it’s some £5,000 more expensive than a Seat Leon e-Hybrid or Skoda Octavia iV, and some £3,000 more than a Mercedes A 250e. Finance options make for slightly more expensive monthly payments, too, so while the Golf is better equipped than these alternatives it still struggles to justify a high price point. It’s not even that far off the cost of the BMW 330e, and it’s in the same price range as excellent pure electric alternatives like the VW ID.3 and Peugeot e-2008, so while the Golf is a great all-rounder, it’s got a lot of competition. 

Still, the good news is that it’s cheap as a company car. With CO2 emissions of 28g/km, it’ll cost thousands less than one of the efficient petrol or diesel Golf models. 

Running costs

It’ll cost under £2 for a full battery top-up in the Golf on a standard domestic electricity tariff. Charging at off-peak times or shopping around for one of the many EV-specific tariffs on offer could halve that cost, so if you do a lot of electric mileage you could be paying under half the fuel costs of an efficient diesel car. 

Even with the petrol engine running in the GTE, you’ll still get some 45mpg or over with ease, making this an efficient and affordable car to run by any measure. Just be sure to plug in regularly, as that’s the only way to get the real money saving and environmental benefits from a plug-in hybrid. 

Do as much mileage as you can using the battery, and you’ll save plenty on fuel. Road tax is also cheap, costing £140 per year from the second year of ownership. Just be careful not to add so many options that you take the price of the Golf GTE over £40,000, as this tips it into the ‘premium tax’ class, which means that you’ll pay extra on your road fund licence.


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