Volkswagen Golf Estate Review & Prices

The Volkswagen Golf Estate is a more practical version of the regular Golf hatchback. With a bigger boot and slightly more rear passenger space, it’s ideally suited for people who want to carry large loads but don’t want a massive car to do it in - and it retains most of the positives of the hatchback model.

Think of the Golf Estate like putting an extension on the back of your Victorian terraced house - the rest of the building is as authentic as ever, but now you’ve got that third bedroom and a bigger kitchen for your growing family.

Small estate cars aren’t too common these days, with most car manufacturers putting their effort into small SUVs instead, but the Golf Estate can still consider its alternatives in the Skoda Octavia Estate, the Kia Ceed SW, Peugeot 308 SW and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. At the same time, you might be cross-shopping the Golf Estate with jacked-up crossovers - such as Volkswagen’s own T-Roc or T-Cross, the Ford Puma, or the Renault Captur.

The Golf range, including the estate, received an update in 2024 to address some customer criticism from the launch back in 2020. Styling tweaks were minimal, but all Golf Estate models now get full LED headlights and slightly updated taillights. Some models also get a full-width lightbar at the front and even an illuminated VW badge. It’s definitely not going to stand out from the crowd, but it’s smart and inoffensive.

Inside, the changes are a bit more noticeable, with a redesigned dash accommodating a large, 12.9-inch infotainment display. Part of the feedback Volkswagen addressed in the 2024 update was to simplify the touchscreen interface, which it’s done - there are more shortcut buttons, a user-friendly interface and some touch-sensitive buttons under the screen for key functions - which are now illuminated so you can see them at night.

The steering wheel also gets a full set of proper physical buttons, replacing the touch-sensitive ones on the pre-facelift model which received many complaints. What hasn’t changed is the trademark Volkswagen feeling of solidity and sophistication - though the Golf’s interior isn’t exciting, it feels very well screwed-together and the materials are a cut above most alternatives in quality and plushness.

In terms of space, you get slightly more room for rear passengers thanks to a higher roof line. The biggest change is to be found out back, though, where you get a vast 611-litre boot instead of the hatchback’s 380-litre space. If you like to take the kitchen sink away with you, then you’ll enjoy the Golf Estate - it’s certainly more space than you get on any SUV for the same price, though the Skoda Octavia Estate has slightly more room still.

The Golf Estate range is a bit more limited than the regular Golf. There are just three trim levels and four engines - plus the standalone R performance model at the top. So while you get a choice of petrol or diesel in various power outputs as well as with auto or manual gearboxes, there’s sadly no plug-in hybrid model, nor is there a GTI estate.

Whichever you choose, though, you’re pretty much guaranteed a comfortable drive. The Golf is solid, really refined at high speeds and very easy to drive. It’s not as much fun to drive as a Ford Focus Estate - but it’s more comfortable than most alternatives, and being low to the ground it’s better in the corners than any compact SUV.

There’s pretty much a Golf for everyone - so check out our best Volkswagen Golf Estate deals, or find a great deal when you lease a Volkswagen Golf Estate. You can check out our other best Volkswagen deals, or find a used Volkswagen for sale. And remember you can even sell your car through Carwow, too.

The Golf Estate range starts at just a snip below £30,000 - about £1,300 more than the Golf hatchback. Basic ‘Life’ cars get all the essentials, including all-round LED lights, climate control, wireless smartphone connectivity with a wireless charger and adaptive cruise control. The good-value ‘Match’ trim available on the hatch can’t be specced on the Estate, so the next model up is ‘Style’, with bigger alloy wheels, chrome trims, sports seats, three-zone climate control, a rear-view camera and extra safety equipment.

The range-topping R-Line gets a sportier body kit with lowered suspension to give it a more purposeful look, plus sports seats, decorative inserts on the dashboard and different upholstery. We’ve reviewed the range-topping R Estate separately.

The Golf sits in the middle of alternatives in terms of price. The larger but cheaper Skoda Octavia Estate shares its engines and other mechanicals with the Golf, while the Kia Ceed Sportswagon saves you about £5,000. On the flip side, the plush Peugeot 308 SW and hybrid-only Toyota Corolla Touring Sports all have higher starting prices.

The Golf Estate is comfortable on the motorway and easy to drive in town - it’s just not much fun

In town

The Golf Estate is almost as easy to drive in town as the regular Golf hatchback. It’s slightly longer, of course, so it’s a bit less wieldy to park in tight spaces, but all-round visibility is good and all cars get rear parking sensors, with a reversing camera on Style and R-Line models.

All of the controls are nice and light, and the clutch and gearshift on manual models is well-modulated to make it really easy to drive in traffic. If you prefer an automatic, there’s one available on the mid-level 150hp petrol or diesel versions - it’s a seven-speed that can be a little hesitant at junctions, but is otherwise quite smooth and responsive.

On the motorway

Long motorway drives are a pleasure in the Golf Estate, thanks to its comfortable suspension and superb refinement. Whichever engine you opt for, it’s quiet, and wind and road noise is really well contained too.

The diesels are the best option here as they have fantastic fuel economy which means as much as 700 miles between fuel stops. But the petrol models are also pretty efficient too.

All trim levels get adaptive cruise control which works well, but as an option you can have VW’s more sophisticated ‘Travel Assist’ pack, which gives assisted driving at speeds up to 130mph - perfect for the autobahn, if a bit excessive for the M25.

On a twisty road

The Golf feels a bit staid and solid when you get onto a nice twisty road. It’s not bad - it grips well in the corners and the steering is light and accurate - but it doesn’t encourage you to press on in the way that a Ford Focus Estate or even a Toyota Corolla Touring Sports does.

R-Line models have sports suspension which keeps the Golf a little flatter in the corners than the regular models, but it’s not worth specifying the adjustable suspension on any model. It costs nearly £1,000 and while it allows you to tailor the dampers to your liking, the default without it is a pretty much ideal balance already.

A huge boot, but the Skoda Octavia Estate is a better bet if you regularly carry backseat passengers

The Volkswagen Golf Estate is identical to the hatchback in the front - except for the view in the rear-view mirror! That means you get comfortable seats with loads of adjustment, especially rearwards for very tall drivers. The steering wheel moves a long way, too, and even on the sportier R-Line model the seats don’t feel too narrow and restrictive.

Storage is good too, with large door bins capable of holding big bottles - and they’re felt-lined so things don’t rattle around. The glovebox is a good size and there’s space for wallets and things under the centre armrest. The cupholders can also grip drinks of all sizes, and there’s a wireless phone charging pad on every model so you don’t have to have wires trailing around.

Space in the back seats

The rear seats of the Golf Estate are pretty similar to the hatch too, but with marginally better headroom thanks to a squarer roofline. That means that there’s space for a six-footer to sit comfortably behind a driver of a similar size, but you don’t get the palatial room to stretch out like you do in a Skoda Octavia. It’s much better than the cramped Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, though.

Wedge three people into the back and the middle passenger will be squished, but it’s no worse than it is on any car of this size. There are ISOFIX points in both outer rear seats - clearly marked for ease of installation - plus one in the front passenger seat. And all the doors open nice and wide, too.

Boot space

With 611 litres of space the Volkswagen Golf Estate has a much larger boot than many cars from the class above - the BMW 5 Series Touring only has 570 litres of space, for example. It’s not quite as big as the 625 litres of the Kia Ceed SW, nor the 640 litres of the Skoda Octavia Estate, but it beats the 598-litre Toyota Corolla Touring Sports and embarrasses any compact SUV you care to name.

The boot is also a nice square shape, and you get hooks to hold your shopping, handles to fold the rear seats down without having to walk around to the side doors, and a ski hatch to help you load long, thin items. There’s a little space under the adjustable boot floor, too, and when the rear seats are folded they lie totally flat with no annoying lip to lift items over. It’s a really practical boot, this.

High-quality interior and a much-improved touchscreen, though a more straightforward interface would make things even better

The Golf has always been a byword for interior quality and solidity, and it’s certainly the case here. It’s the little touches, like the felt lining in the storage compartments or the luxuriously damped glovebox lid, that make all the difference.

Material quality is good in all the places you touch, and it’s a cut above most alternatives. It’s a shame that it’s so dark in most models, though, with black upholstery and black plastic punctuated by just a little silver trim. The standard ambient lighting helps at night, but can look a bit tacky.

The dashboard is dominated by a massive 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system which sits proud of the surface. It’s the main area of the Golf that was updated in the 2024 facelift and we’re happy to report that it works much better - functions are more intuitive, and there are customisable shortcut bars at the top to allow easy access to key features. You’ll want to keep one permanently mapped to the driving assistance settings, where it allows you to toggle things like the annoying speed limit warning on and off really easily.

You also get physical buttons on the steering wheel to replace the haptic touch-sensitive ones of the old car - a big improvement - but climate controls are still done through the touchscreen and two touch-sensitive bars underneath it.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a wireless phone charger, so you can easily bypass VW’s own interface if you wish. There’s also a built-in voice assistant, named IDA, who has access to ChatGPT to answer questions that she doesn’t already know the answer to.

The Golf Estate is available with several petrol or diesel engine options. At the bottom there are two 115hp variants - a 1.5-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel, both with manual gearboxes.

You can step up to 150hp versions of those same engines, and this time there’s an optional automatic gearbox - which adds a mild hybrid function to the petrol. At the top, there’s a 204hp 2.0-litre petrol with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.

It’s a shame that the Golf hatchback’s superb eHybrid plug-in hybrid isn’t available as an option, as it makes for a fantastically affordable company car.

The 150hp engines are the sweet spot for most drivers - opt for the petrol if you do lots of shorter journeys, but don’t discount the diesel if you spend loads of time on the motorway - with fuel economy of more than 60mpg, you could see close to 700 miles from one tank of fuel. The petrol isn’t as frugal, but does manage an easy 45mpg.

Road tax costs are reasonable for all models but none of the Golf Estate’s engines make for particularly outstanding company cars - you’re better off with a plug-in hybrid hatchback or SUV for that. All comfortably sit underneath the £40,000 threshold for the expensive car tax supplement, though.

Safety organisation Euro NCAP scored the Golf hatch five stars when it tested it back in 2019, and that rating applies to the Estate too. All versions get eight airbags and a glut of safety equipment, though you’ll need the mid-spec car for useful extras such as blind-spot monitoring or a rear camera.

Volkswagens aren’t known to be the most reliable of cars - the brand came 29th out of 32 in the 2024 Driver Power survey, which is a poor showing. Pre-facelift, the Golf suffered from lots of bugs in the software and nonfunctional touchscreens, though mechanical maladies were less common due to the well-proven underpinnings. Warranty cover is an industry-standard three years and 60,000 miles, rather stingy next to the Kia Ceed SW’s seven years or the Toyota Corolla Touring Sport’s full decade of coverage.