Volkswagen Golf GTE hybrid to cost £28k

The Volkswagen Golf GTE hybrid is now available to order, costing £28,035 once the government’s £5,000 electric car grant has been deducted. The first cars will be delivered to customers in March.

Volkswagen says the naming of the Golf GTE reflects its position among the fun-to-drive models in the Golf range, such as the Golf GTD and Golf GTI. But unlike those cars, the GTE uses a petrol engine and an electric motor to produce 201bhp and can travel up to 31 miles on electricity alone at speeds of up to 81mph.

Volkswagen says the Golf GTE is capable of 166mpg fuel economy and has CO2 emissions of just 39g/km, making it exempt from both road tax and the London Congestion Charge. Despite this, the Golf GTE can accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and go on to a top speed of 138mph.

The VW Golf GTE can be charged in 3.75 hours from a standard household socket, or 2.25 hours from a special wall box charger.

Unlike the other electric vehicles in Volkswagen’s range – the e-up! and the e-Golf, which are only sold by 25 dealers – the Golf GTE will be sold by all of VW’s main dealers around the country.

The Golf GTE is available as a five-door hatchback only and comes in one trim level. Standard equipment includes sporty styling reminiscent of the e-Golf and Golf GTI, a touchscreen infotainment system with DAB digital radio and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity. The optional sat-nav includes charging-point locations and can identify destinations based on the car’s electric-only range.

Features such as scheduled charging and interior heating or cooling can be operated remotely using a smartphone app.