Volkswagen e-Golf is well placed to fend off rivals

How much value do customers attach to Volkswagen’s oft-lauded build quality and dynamic polish? In the e-Golf’s case, the answer is likely to be delivered very soon as other volume brands start to enter the EV segment.

Hyundai’s £33,995 (excl. £4,500 Government grant) Kona EV features a 64kWh battery, which delivers 204PS and a claimed range of 300 miles. Despite the price, the range could see Hyundai steal a march on the Nissan Leaf’s 3,511 H1 registrations (9.1% down on 2017’s 3,863).

Volkswagen retailers’ trump card is that the e-Golf delivers on the brand’s familiar levels of interior quality and dynamic prowess. It features Normal, Eco and Eco+ modes which temper power to 95PS and 75PS – and top speed to 71mph and 56mph – and adjust the air conditioning to deliver maximum economy.

In ‘Normal’, the e-Golf is smooth and impressively swift. Volkswagen claims 9.3-second acceleration to 62mph and a 93mph top speed, the single-speed gearbox adding pace in an effortless surge. The e-Golf’s gear selector accesses five levels of on-the-go battery regeneration and accompanying ‘engine braking’ effect – D, D1, D2, D3 and B.

Narrow tyres with tall sidewalls make for a comfortable ride but suggestions that EVs might deliver aftersales potential to retailers through higher tyre wear may hold water. The e-Golf’s low centre of gravity and an absence of roll in corners accentuates the sense of its 1,615kg kerb weight leaning on those sidewalls.