Used 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2016 e-Golf, so we've included reviews for other years of the e-Golf since its last redesign.
Super fun ride! You'll hate gas cars driving this
R. Sturtevant, 05/02/2017
2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL Premium 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
VW designed the eGolf to be nearly identical to the gas version of the car. It's not a cheap feeling, light vehicle that drives like a shopping cart as some e-Cars are. 0 to 30 mph it has greater acceleration than the GTI. That seems like an odd benchmark, but when you think of how many times you pull out of an intersection to oncoming traffic that quick burst of power gives you a great sense of driving confidence. Handling is superb. The entertainment system and driver controls are nicely configured. I get over 100 miles on a charge in warm weather going less than highway speeds. In cold weather with lots of highways this can drop considerably to say 70 miles per charge. It works great for me give my commute is less than 50 miles per day. I hear that the 2018 model will add about 30% to the range. That's good, but for me I find that most of my driving is well within the range of this car. Still I think VW will need to compete with other electrics that promise 200+ miles. Overall it's just a really fun car to drive and has given me no problems in 2 years. I'm thinking of buying it when the lease ends next year.
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Poor Man's Audi
Jacques, 04/26/2016
2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SE 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
I have never loved a car until this one. It's quiet, fast off the line, and does not compromise on utility. It's great to charge overnight and skip trips to gas stations.
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Great EV -- Extremely Pleased
teconnor, 05/13/2015
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Limited Edition 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
I Highly recommend this eGolf. An EV with range that feels like a solid, real car. I'm extremely impressed with how it drives and feels. It's 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, I'd 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.
Great Commuter, Must Adapt to EV Lifestyle
Dolore-Golf, 09/29/2021
2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SE 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I bought this car about a year and a half ago and have absolutely fallen in love with it. It handles incredibly well around corners. Acceleration is impressively fast giving tons of confidence making turns on busy roads. We have saved thousands of dollars using this car for all of our local trips. I can honestly say that driving any gas powered car is now a disappointment. A few points: 1) This car is a commuter car, it is not designed to do long journeys. We use it to commute into work every day, to run errands and for weekend fun around town. Think about it like a pair of comfortable everyday shoes: you can wear the same pair everyday, they are comfortable, they do their job, they are stylish, but you might not want to wear them for everything. Let them be your everyday shoes that you love, but don't get mad when you realize they don't work for running marathons or climbing mountains. Read on for more details. 2) You have to get used to the EV lifestyle. You need to get used to plugging in your car pretty much every night (depending on your commute) to make sure you have enough charge to go wherever you need to go. You'll save tons of pain by planning ahead. Know what you're doing the next day so you can map out how far you're going. What is the distance to and from? Does your destination have a charger? Should you throw your charger in the trunk to plug in? Did you plug in the distance into Google maps before heading out? Are there any fast chargers near my destination in case I need a little more juice? Little things like that have saved me a lot of trouble. And stopping for a quick charge really isn't a huge nuisance if you factor in all that time you don't spend at the gas pump anymore. I would say that 90% of my trips I don't even need to think about charging, I can go and come back without even thinking; I can go about 130-150km on a full charge. However, the reality is, once in a while, I'll need to plan ahead if I know I'm going a little further or want to take advantage of charging stations. I'll often pick my parking spots accordingly, or start to learn where I can plug in. Doing a few minutes of research the day before can save you hours. 3) Appreciate the car for what it is: an affordable EV. The biggest complaint I might have is that the range isn't as good as the Teslas or newer EV models coming out. However, this car was a fraction of the price of any other EV, so the minor inconveniences are worth the tens of thousands I might've spent on a more expensive EV. At the time I bought this car, it was about 60% cheaper than the cost of a used Tesla. 4) Make sure you have access to a gas powered car. This one seems backwards, but the reality is that by getting a more affordable EV, you are sacrificing range and the convenience of being able to fill up a gas tank and continue on. If you want to do a road trip, trade with someone (family, friend etc) who has a gas car. Or, if you're a family with more than one car, make sure one is gas powered. My wife has a gas Jetta and while we use the e-Golf as much as possible, once in a while, there will be a scenario where it makes more sense to use the Jetta. Stopping to charge is always an option, but sometimes the gas car can save a lot of time, which is the one thing money can't buy. 5) Car maintenance is next to none. The only things you really need to keep an eye on are: your tires, windshield wiper fluid, wipers, air filter and brakes. All of which are easily done by yourself (except maybe the brakes depending on your skill level, however, they last years longer than regular brakes because you're rarely using them, see section 6). No oil changes, engine troubles, break downs, etc. Again, this car saves you time and money in more ways than most people realize. There are routine inspections that you are supposed to do with a VW dealership every 10,000km, but for $200-300, it's still a fraction compared to the maintenance costs of any gas car (oil changes, brakes, belts, tubes, clips, fluids, anything else that breaks down, etc). 6) Regenerative Braking. While the reality of the regenerative braking system actually charging the battery is quite limited, it feels amazing. Once you get used to what VW calls "B Mode", which is the strongest version of this car's regenerative braking modes, you won't be able to go back. This car can stop/slow down much quicker than most cars which is not only safer, but makes driving a whole new experience. The second you take your foot off the accelerator, the car starts slowing down quite rapidly. I've actually driven a Tesla before and I like the e-golf version better, I find it less aggressive and more smooth. This has saved me from accidents and also just becomes a new, natural, smoother way to drive. No more head bobs from pressing the brake too soft or heavy. The fact that it absorbs the energy and puts it back into the battery is just a bonus. Overall, I love this car.
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Almost great except for one thing
Andrei, 02/21/2019
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Limited Edition 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I had been leasing and driving the 2015 e-Golf for three years. No problems, only joy. It has a real functional dashboard with analog gauges and mechanical tactile controls. No silly dashboard gimmicks, such as spinning /moving balls, no controls that are hidden in touch screens, which are found on most other EV models. The only thing that is supper annoying for the 2015 eGolf model and which VW refuses to address for me at the moment (already contacted VW Customer Care) is that to keep using the delayed/program charging feature an e-Golf 2015 owner is expected to subscribe to the full VW Car-Net service, which currently is $17.99 per month (this feature was free during the first 3-years).
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Gas free diet!
P Adl, 03/12/2016
updated 03/16/2022
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL Premium 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Review update after near 4 yrs. I still really like this car. Has been trouble free (except for the radio volume control issue) and an extremely versatile car for transport and even cargo. The 125 mile range model did not materialize until the 2019 models were released! I checked them out and they are nicer too with more bells and whistles, but decided it was not worth the expense since VW, at least the Norm Reeves dealership, was not interested in making me a deal I would consider acceptable. The Golf (2015 - on models, and generally all of them) are much larger than they look. My daughter got the new 2019 Leaf and comparing the two, the Golf is smaller on the outside, but larger on the inside. The new Leaf is a much better driving car than the previous Leaf model, but the Golf is still a much nicer driving car than even the new Leaf. Where the Golf loses is in the range. 83 miles for the Golf, 150 miles for the new Leaf. My daughter would have bought the Golf, but she drives to 60-70 miles away twice a week for work and the Golf would not make it, but the Leaf does it comfortably. Thankfully I don't need that range and when I do the 60-70 miles, it is usually for the whole weekend so I can get an overnight charge and comfortably make it home. It is an ideal car for around town and a 35 mile work commute range. Still zero maintenance costs! Review update after almost 3 yrs. Really like this car, but the real limitation is the range and it's slow charging. VW should have figured an update to existing 2015/16/17 car and they would be keepers. New ones have 125 m range and faster charge, and that is better, but to be useful for SoCal area, 200 m range is minimum for a successful electric car. Everything else is as previous review below. 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)! UPDATE: 14th March 2018 - Now have 6500 miles. Bad news is VW decided to shut down their charging access! Terrible customer relation move if you ask me. They claimed many were fighting over the charge spot, but I almost always found it available when I went. They could have made money charging non customers to use it, but they chose to just shut it down - VERY DISAPPOINTING! Anyway, I still like the car, especially since I work just a couple of miles from work and one charge lasts a couple of weeks. Well, I tried a run to San Diego, and in my earlier review, I lied! It would NOT let me drive to San Diego easily! I just barely made it. It was sniffing electrons to make a 75 mile trip. It told me I had '0' miles for the last 2.8 miles!! After an overnight and half a day charge, I drove home on eco mode (limited to 75 MPH with slower acceleration) with full regeneration settings and made it home with 3 miles to spare. The car still feels very tight, as it should with only 6500 miles on it. Has not needed any service other than a recall software update. Only problem I have has is the radio volume jumps up and down when I try to adjust it. Everything else feels and runs/works great. My 105 mile trip is still my record, but do not want to drive that slowly, for a trip again. After 2+ years, I am very happy with my decision to get this car, fun to drive, performs when I want it to and amazingly economical both for energy usage and maintenance! Update: 16th March 2022 - 6 years later - still very happy with my decision! Now with only16K miles, ate up the original Bridgestone eco tires which I just replaces with Michelin Defender tires - much smoother, more quiet, and actually handles better too! Only issue I had was the fuel cover door release solenoid stopped working and would not open. So I couldn't charge the car. Still had charge though, so drove it to the original dealership thinkin it is still under warranty within 3 years and NOPE, they wanted to charge a LOT! Part was out of stock too. A week later I bought the part, took it to German Car Garage and it was installed in one afternoon and working great for $100. No other issues, NONE! and I'm still really enjoying this very versatile, zippy, fast little hatchback with no gas price worries!
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Great little car!
Peter C., 10/15/2017
2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SE 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Drives great. Good handling. Gas saver. Most suitable for driving around town. Only complaint is that during braking, I hear some clicking noise. Not sure if that's normal or not.
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I'll never have to pull into a gas station again
Craig Heiman, 10/12/2015
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Limited Edition 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I went from a plugin Prius to the VW E Golf. I could be happier. It's 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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Really like it
sweetwagon, 07/03/2015
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL Premium 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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. I've got two kids. It's become the primary car for just going around town. Definitely a great experience with my first EV. Can't wait to see the next iteration of EVs.
An great electric car crippled by zombie software
HP, 02/05/2016
2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL Premium 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
52 of 74 people found this review helpful
The handling and acceleration of e-Golf is beyond my expectation. It is cute and agile on city road and highways. This is compared to the cars (Mercedes E350 and BMW X5) that I have. The perspective of paying $1.4 dollar for my daily commute of 45 miles is very promising. However, I will not recommend this model year to others because of the following pain points: (1) This car has a 3G module that communicates with VW server. It fails: The CarNet service on desktop browser or mobile App allows you to (a) lock/unlock the car, (b) activate A/C, (c) charging schedule manage. From day-1, the CarNet server is never able to communicate with my car. It renders the CarNet service useless. My e-Golf is completely off the grid. (2) Delay charging failure: If you search for "VW e-golf delay charging issue" on Google, you will find long list of complaints that it doesn't work. Yes, 2015 e-Golf delay charging problem continues to plague 2016 e-Golf. For people living in California, the low electric rate kicks in between 11pm-7am. This is a very fundamental software feature for utilize the discount rate, yet it fails to deliver. For those days that it fails to delay charge, I could wake up in the morning and only find out the battery is not charged. I had to drive my e-Golf with ECO+ mode in one morning commute because battery is low. With ECO+ mode that turns off AC/Heater, I was frozen with inside temperature 45F and thinking what I have trapped myself into. This is a horrible experience for a new car owner.
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