Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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)!

• 

  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

• 

  Great EV -- Extremely Pleased - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By teconnor - March 7 - 7:39 pm

  I Highly recommend this eGolf. An EV with range that feels like a solid, real car. Im extremely impressed with how it drives and feels. Its sporty, smooth, responsive, and more powerful than expected. It feels comparable to much pricier luxury compacts. Range is solid (100+ achievable under right conditions). The Car-Net (think OnStar by VW) bugs are a nuisance. If you need delayed charging, Id wait for VW to resolve this (keep an eye on myvwegolf.com). As of May 15, some report success with the VW updates/fixes. My opinion (as a non-delay charger) is that the flawed extra features do not distract from an otherwise solid vehicle and great EV.

• 

  No more ICE - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Minka vB - January 23 - 11:17 am

  Never go back to internal combustion engine(ICE)!! Electric is here to stay and will get better every year.

• 

  Love this car - never buy gas/oil/smog check again - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By mrmichaelwill - September 14 - 6:24 pm

  I bought this car January 2015 assuming it is going to be our secondary car. Turns out its so much fun to drive that its used as our primary car, and we use the Honday Oddysee only when we need the extended range going on vacation, need more than 5 seats or transport bikes, or when second adult commutes to near by train station. At the rate it is going we are putting about 12k miles per year on the car, so I am glad I did not lease it. Update: May 2016 we replaced our Honda Odyssey with a Tesla Model X, and now the VW eGolf is our secondary car again. Still we put 25,000 miles on the eGolf in the last two and a half years and it is still a lot of fun to drive. Gas cars are still revving up behind me at the light when the immediate electric torque propels me forward continuously accelerating. My only gripe is that Volkswagen sold me the car with three years of remote phone access car-net service included and then two years in their sales people started harassing me Comcast / SiriusXM style to start paying $15/month for it. They are lying and harder to get rid of than toilet paper stuck to your shoe. Since tesla Model 3 comes out this July and has more range and a more honest business model I will probably trade the car in for that.