It’s hard to believe that the Volkswagen Golf has now been on UK roads for over 50 years. The early Mk 1 models, which were only available as left-hand drive, went on sale in Blighty in 1974. We’d have to wait until 1979 for Golfs to arrive with the steering wheel on the right.

The car was largely designed with the idea of replacing the Beetle, with the engine shifted to the front of the car, and powering the front wheels. The boxy shape was an immediate hit because it provided reasonably spacious (if a tad basic) interiors and surprisingly decent road manners. The Beetle was always a bit tail-happy, but with power now going to the front wheels, the Golf cornered much more securely.

The Volkswagen designers quickly realised that this set-up could handle additional power, so in 1977, the Golf GTi (with tartan seats and a golf ball gear knob) was unveiled. An icon was born, and it still represents something of a hot-hatch benchmark.

PHEV power for the modern day

Power options have continued to develop, and one of the latest is the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

Aren’t sure about going fully electric? Here you get an excellent economy with an option to drive using battery power alone, but with the assurance of having a petrol engine to get you home when the battery is depleted.

To put it simply, the Golf eHybrid needs to be on your shopping list. It really is that good.

Which trim to choose?

Three versions are available — Match, Style and GTE — and all use a 1.5 litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine.

Match and Style have the same powertrains, while the GTE gets a bigger battery and bigger electric motor. For Match and Style, expect a potential battery-only range of around 88 miles, allowing speeds up to 50mph. Pretty impressive. Make full use of this, and your overall mpg, according to Volkswagen, will be 252mpg. Okay, you’re not going to get that, but what it does mean is this PHEV Golf is bloomin’ efficient. During the week in my company when the car was used for a couple of long-ish motorway blasts and plenty of urban roads, I regularly saw predicted fuel economy readouts of 120mpg.

Power & Price

Power, combined between the battery-driven motor and petrol-driven engine, equates to 201bhp, which means a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds and a potential top speed of 137mph.

As for price, the Match trim will set you back £36,485 and the Style £37,445 (Jan ’26), although both are similarly well-equipped.

The GTE is fully loaded, and you also get the additional power. This model starts at £40,140 (Jan ’26). Power climbs to 267bhp, which gives you 0-60 in 6.6 seconds and predicted economy of 212mpg. In other words, if you want a quicker VW Golf PHEV and have a few additional bells and whistles as standard, look no further.

Those prices work out at around 15-20 per cent more than you’d pay for a petrol Golf, which offers the same sort of performance, so you need to do your sums. If you can make full use of the power setup and intend to keep your Golf eHybrid for an extended period, I reckon you’ll easily recoup the difference.

As for everything else, there are no surprises for the simple reason that this is a Golf and every Golf is comfortable, decent to drive, and even in basic form (Match trim), you get all of the essentials.

Driving Experience

Out on the road, you have the option of hitting EV Mode or just letting the car sort things out as you go along. In EV mode, the engine is encouraged not to join the party unless you ask for maximum power. Consequently, if you have something like a 40-mile daily commute, you can complete your journey in electric mode. It feels exactly like any electric vehicle and you can even use a rapid charger. All eHybrid Golfs get independent rear suspension, which helps with roadholding and gives a cushy ride.

The 1.5-litre engine is nicely hushed, but it can get a bit raucous when you ask for some power. Everything goes via a 6-speed dual clutch (DSG) gearbox. It all adds up to extremely smooth motoring and is refined for most of the time. It also feels deceptively quick.

Standard Kit & Interior

As for what comes as standard with Match trim, VW throws in LED headlights, rear tinted windows, leather steering wheel, DAB radio, 12.9-inch central touchscreen, sat nav, customisable driver readout display, adaptive cruise control and a rear view camera. The touchscreen is VW’s latest offering, which gives you a row of icons such as the temperature sliders and air con. Obviously, it’s still not as good as proper buttons and knobs, but it’s still better than before.

Style trim is only a grand more, and I’d probably be encouraged to go for it, as you add powered mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, upgraded headlights, additional exterior lighting (an illuminated bar along the top of the front grille plus illuminated door mirrors), and you now even get sport seats.

Oh, and talking of seats, this is a proper 5-seater, which means plenty of room for any 6-footers in the back.

Concluding Thoughts

You think that, after all these years, Volkswagen would have run out of ways to develop the humble Golf, but they’ve done it with this eHybrid. This is no surprise because PHEVs are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, in 2025, PHEV sales in the UK outstripped conventional self-charging hybrids and fully electric battery-powered cars. They banish range anxiety but maintain terrific levels of economy. Yes, the eHybrid Golf is more expensive than other Golfs with similar power, but I reckon you’ll claw that back.

There’s life in the old dog yet, and it was a great way to start 2026.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Volkswagen

Volkswagen Golf eHybrid - After 50 years on our roads, there’s life in the old dog yet