Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Ill never have to pull into a gas station again - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Craig Heiman - November 14 - 2:21 am

  I went from a plugin Prius to the VW E Golf. I could be happier. Its quick its fun and I can fit my sufboard in the car which is 7 10". Most importantly I dont have to ever stop at a gas station again.

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  E-Golf - Be Ware It is A Newly Introduced Car - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By het3 - March 3 - 4:54 am

  BUYER BEWARE. We recently purchased an e-golf that stopped driving. Car was charged and electrical system worked but it would not drive while in gear. It was towed to dealer (Capital VW in San Jose, CA). Service department reported that diagnostic showed power button was pressed, which was not the case, even so it should not stop functioning. After couple days we were told that firmware is updated and that car can be picked up. No explanation of actually what had gone wrong. We were told to open a case with VW service. VW response was that car now works and is under warranty, take action outside of VW if you like. Be ware that this is a newly introduced car with potential bugs.

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  e-Golf is a fraud. - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By angel bou - April 11 - 4:16 pm

  - Customer service wont help unless your attorney calls. - My e-Golf broke the 4th day and its been being repaired for a month now. Still waiting. They dont even know whats wrong... - No loaner provided. No compensation. But yeah, I keep paying the lease despite not driving my car for a month - Buy a Volt, a Leaf or a Tesla. Dont even think on a e-Golf. Dont ever consider a Volkswagen.

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  Time Delayed Charging Feature-Forced to Use CARNET - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Marc Hartranft - June 14 - 12:54 am

  The ONLY gripe with this car is VWs insistence that one must use CARNET software interface to enable time delayed charging feature@!! Talk about greedy!! Once the free use period runs out, they will begin to charge to use this web interface. Why would VW set up the car to not be able to support Level II chargers which support time delayed charge start times?? The dealer was "uninformed" or unwilling to disclose the limitation.

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  One more limitation of VW - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Adrenalin*1 - June 10 - 6:38 pm

  Dont get VW e-golf in the USA since they do not offer a free loaner like all the other companies. The beauty of getting electric with a free loaner is that you can truly save money with the free loaner if you want to go somewhere longer than the limitation of the electric vehicle. I do not know why VW is not providing the free loaner every year like Fiat or Ford or even like VW in Europe but thats another limitation to VW e-golf. I am giving a one star since all other electric vehicle purchase programs in USA offer much more.

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  9 months of ownership and still smiling - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Ben - May 7 - 2:59 am

  I was a little nervous purchasing the e-Golf given some of the issues others have reported. I test drove one and was surprised to see the range INCREASE as I drove, and I liked it a lot better than the Leaf, Fiat, or SmartTwo. I cant say I got the best deal but with the incentives, I am driving this for $200/month lease and 8¢/kWh. Basically, it costs me $1.90 to "fill the tank" and go 90-100 miles. And, yes, with mixed driving I realistically achieve that range in warm weather. Its simple math really - the battery provides about 22 kWh of use, and if you can average 4 kWh youll get 88 miles. I average between 4.5-5 kWh. While I am conscientious of the way in which I drive, Im moving along with traffic. At 75+mph, you will watch the battery drain quickly. Likewise, as soon as the temps begin to dip, youll notice range decrease by as much as 20-30%, so be prepared for that change, in part due to the impact of temps on the battery and also for the heating system. I gain about 10% of that differential back through driving in Eco+ mode with the heat off and seat warmer on. The fit, finish, drivability, and sportiness of this car puts it well above the other electrics I looked at. In fact, it looks like a normal car on the road. The only change I would make is that I wouldve opted now for the regular car with the better headlights, fake leather interior, alloy rims, and better heating system. While the LE is fine, it wouldve been worth the small amount of extra money for those items. To get the best out of this car, I highly recommend installing a Level 2 charger - it makes a huge difference for those days when you drain the battery and want to recharge and use the car again.

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  Do NOT Buy This Car - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Steve Burnett - March 15 - 8:44 am

  I am a big fan of the electric car, I own a 2002 RAV 4 EV and love it. If possible, I will never buy a gas car again. I bought the e-Golf and regret it. Of the first 64 days I owned it, it was in the shop 19 days. Still less than 3,000 miles and new problems are cropping up (charging issues, wont lock). The dealer promised that delayed charging was possible using the infotainment system, then after I bought it informed me that it was only available through car-net at $199 per year fee. And it doesnt work. They promised a fix in six weeks, then they say it will be another 3 weeks. Avoid headaches, do NOT buy this car.

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  Gas free diet! - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By P Adl - January 3 - 7:03 am

  Range is not that great, but everything else is! I test drove most of the smaller EVs, the Fiat, the Smart car, the Leaf, the BMW, etc. The best handling/driving one was the e-Golf. So I got it and have been driving it now for a year and three months and enjoying it more every day. I work very close to home and one charge can keep me going for around two weeks with a few excursions, i.e. driving to shops and running errands (all close). I did manage just over 105 miles with level 3 regeneration, and max limited power but it was slow going. VW has free charging at their locations and I use them since one is close to my home and if one is on my way, I stop, charge and catch up with emails using their WiFi. I find it to be the most practical of all the smaller lower cost EVs out there because it is roomy, comfortable, reasonable luggage capacity, with all the bells and whistles I could want. The 2017 has better range, 120 Miles is what I was told. That would let me drive to San Diego easily (if I spend the night to recharge)!

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  City Stealthmobile BEV - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Randy - December 24 - 1:38 pm

  This is a 2nd car for me, for driving around in the city. The car does have limited range, I can get 5.5-5.8 miles per kwh, but I am retired and I do drive at or under the speed limit at all times, with most consumer devices turned off. What I like most about the e-golf is that it is just another Golf. It does not draw attention to itself. It does not say "hey, look at me, Im a hybrid or electric car". Its low key, its quiet, its stealthy, and most importantly, it drives, due to its heritage, like a german engineered car. Not like a japanese electric or hybrid econobox. It is purposeful, its a city car, pure and simple. If I need to do a long distance trip, or get out of town and do some major driving, the TDI I have is for long distance trips. Its hard to put into words how a german car drives, compared to a japanese car... but you know it was designed to drive on Autobahns, and in the German, Swiss, and French alps too, in the twisties. And for all the mountains and canyons I drive in, I demand the way a german car drives, and gladly pay the premium for it. Update after 6 months: Still a nice car for the city and short trips. Key is to charge it at home, overnight, where filling up isnt so burdensome, and the cost of electricity is reasonable at $0.16 per kw, instead of using public infrastructure for recharging, which is quite a bit more expensive and time consuming, 2.5 to 3.25 hours each session. Forget about mooching electrons for free if you need a recharge, its a business model doomed to failure. Provide your own infrastructure to charge, and youll do fine Update after 1 year of use: Battery life has dropped to about a 7% loss in maximum range. I am averaging 6.0 miles per kwh with careful driving, over the last 2000 miles. My route remains a constant. What was 129 miles of range on a charge when new has dropped off to 120 miles now. Loss first started in the warm weather of May, and continues to drop in the heat of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, CA. Odometer now reads 7750 on 10/19/16

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  Really like it - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By sweetwagon - September 17 - 6:03 pm

  I wanted to try out an EV. After over a month with the car, happy I chose this one. Best interior and looks out of all the budget EVs. So far this car is great. Ive got two kids. Its become the primary car for just going around town. Definitely a great experience with my first EV. Cant wait to see the next iteration of EVs.