With all the sprightliness and most of the practicality of the regular Golf, the 2019 VW e-Golf is Volkswagen’s electric car, and provides all-electric motoring in a handsome little package. An electric motor puts out 134 horsepower and draws energy from a 35.8-kWh battery pack.
Exterior styling that doesn’t immediately identify it as an EV might make it appealing to introverted drivers.
A large trunk and the e-Golf’s cabin make it perfectly suitable for four adults who can easily ride in comfort for much longer than the e-Golf’s battery can last. All of these factors make the 2019 Volkswagen e-Golf the best electric vehicle in the compact class, and earned it a 10Best award for 2019.
Powertrain, Charging, and Performance
The e-Golf can charge at either a 120-volt or a 240-volt outlet. A full charge requires roughly 26 hours on standard 120-volt house current but less than six hours on 240 volts. DC fast charging is a standard feature in both the SE and SEL Premium trims. That system allows the e-Golf to reach an 80-percent charge in just one hour at a DC fast-charging station. The roughly six-hour charge time is workable, but we’d happily trade longer charge times for more range. The e-Golf feels zippy but in our testing it delivered a zero-to-60-mph time of 8.5 seconds, which is slower than the Bolt EV by two whole seconds.
The Golf family has long included some of the most competent, fun-to-drive entrants in the compact class, and the e-Golf doesn’t stray an inch from that path. It is nimble and responsive, with light, accurate steering and predictable responses to driver inputs.
Driving Range and Real-World MPGe
As with most electric vehicles, the e-Golf is very efficient in an absolute sense, promising more than 110 MPGe in daily driving. For most (or perhaps even all) EV buyers, overall driving range is as important or more important than efficiency. Able to go for 125 miles on a single charge, the e-Golf falls far short of the Bolt EV (238 miles total range), the Kona Electric (258 miles total range), and the Model 3 Mid Range (264 miles total range).
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