Volkswagen Taigo Review & Prices

The Taigo is one of Volkswagen’s smallest SUVs; a model range that feels like it’s expanding by the minute. It’s comfortable, easy to drive and easy to live with thanks to a practical interior but the Taigo’s generic looks and thrill-free driving experience might put you off.

It’s a classic case of middle-child syndrome, because the Volkswagen Taigo is neither as stylish as the T-Roc bigger brother, nor is it as interesting as the smaller T-Cross. In fact, it rather sits in both of their shadows.

And that’s a shame, because while it won’t turn many heads, the Taigo isn’t an ugly SUV. There’s a strong T-Cross resemblance at the front, with a pair of trapezium-shaped headlights joined up by a wide grille, chrome trim - and a lightbar at the top on posh versions. You get some chunky cladding around the wheel arches and lower edges of the Taigo, but it’s the sloping roofline that sets it apart from its alternatives at this size.

The interior is equally as plain, and it looks a little old-hat compared to the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and even the T-Cross. You get a digital driver’s display and 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display as standard, but they’re set into an unremarkable looking dashboard.

Base model cars come with manual climate control knobs, which work perfectly well but look dated, while upper-trim cars have automatic climate control - but with infuriating touch-sensitive controls.

There’s plenty of room in the front of the Taigo, but rear seat passengers will feel a bit cramped in both headroom and legroom as a result of the sloping roof. You get a 438-litre boot, larger than in a SEAT Arona and Toyota Yaris Cross, but the Ford Puma has it licked for cargo space.

You’ve got three engine choices in the Taigo, two 1.0-litre units with 95hp or 115hp and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes, or a larger 1.5-litre motor which is automatic-only. The entry-level model is a bit weedy, and having a five-speed gearbox means it’s not very quiet or efficient on a motorway journey.

It’s easy to drive around town, with light steering, good forward visibility and its small footprint making it easy to dart in and out of traffic, while the suspension soaks up battered roads. Motorways are just as comfortable, though top-spec cars have a bit of tyre roar from the larger wheels, but country lanes are best taken at a steady pace. It feels secure around fast bends, but the Taigo doesn’t have a sporty bone in its body.

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The Volkswagen Taigo Life starts at just under £25,000, but for that you get the lethargic 95hp engine and five-speed manual gearbox. It’s well equipped though, coming with active cruise control, 16-inch diamond-cut alloys, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto as standard.

It’s actually cheaper than the smaller Volkswagen T-Cross, though the T-Cross has a bigger boot and a bit more headroom inside. A base-model Ford Puma is around £1,000 more expensive than the Taigo, while an entry-level Peugeot 2008 sits in between the two.

Top-of-the-range Taigo R-Line models are around £8,000 more than the Life when equipped with the 150hp engine, and for that you get a sporty body kit, 17-inch wheels, automatic climate control and posher seat fabrics. That’s still cheaper than a similarly-specced Ford Puma, but the Ford is more fun to drive and more practical, too.

The Taigo is easy to drive in town and feels composed on winding roads, just don’t expect an exciting driving experience

In town

Thanks to its compact dimensions and good visibility, the Taigo feels perfectly at home zipping into gaps in the traffic. The firm suspension doesn’t harm the ride quality, with the Taigo taking most bumps and dips into its stride.

The small rear window can make it tricky to gauge the distance of obstacles during parking, but standard surround parking sensors and park assist will help you avoid any parking scrapes. You also get traffic jam assist and autonomous emergency braking on all trims, with hill start assist taking the stress out of pulling off on sharp inclines.

On the motorway

The Taigo is a consummate cruiser, offering a good view out for the driver and coming standard with adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and a driver fatigue alert system. There is also a semi-automated Travel Assist system which works in conjunction with a lane keeping system.

There’s not much wind or road noise, although the larger 18-inch wheels (optional on Style and R-Line trims) do transmit a bit of tyre noise into the cabin.

On a twisty road

The Taigo feels safe and planted around a twisty road. The firm suspension limits body roll, and there’s plenty of grip from the tyres around corners. But even in the sportiest R-Line trim, this  doesn’t translate into a particularly exciting driving experience. The Ford Puma and Peugeot 2008 offer a lot more driving enjoyment down a country road.

Passenger space is impressive considering the Volkswagen Taigo's small size, though that cool sloping rear roofline does impinge on rear headroom

The Taigo feels spacious in the front; the steering wheel and driver’s seat offer plenty of tweaking so you can get your driving position just right. Both front seats have height adjustment and lumbar support, and there’s a decent amount of storage space as well.

The door bins will take larger water bottles, and there’s space for two coffee cups in the centre console, although the movable armrest can block access to them in its forwardmost setting. A slot in the dashboard ahead of the gear lever offers wireless charging for your phone, and there’s a smallish glove box for items you would like to keep out of sight.

Space in the back seats

Space in the rear is decent if you aren’t particularly tall, but that sloping roofline will have loftier heads rubbing the headlining. The centre rear seat is also narrower than the outer two, with a pronounced bump in the footwell hindering leg room.

A couple of teenagers or shorter adults should fit fine, but there are more spacious small SUVs out there if you need to transport a trio of adults in the rear on a regular basis. Passengers in the back row get access to a set of USB ports to charge their devices and two small door bins as well as front seatback pockets for tablets or books.

Boot space

The Taigo may sacrifice a bit of space in the name of style, but it’s not as much as you’d think. Its 440 litres of boot space is actually quite competitive here. The more conventionally-styled VW T-Cross has just 15 litres more, and the T-Roc offers only five litres of additional luggage room.

It edges out the Peugeot 2008 (434 litres), Kia XCeed (426 litres) and the SEAT Arona (400 litres), and if you fold the seats down you get a flat load space. It's only beaten by the Ford Puma, which has 456 litres to offer thanks to an additional section under the floor. There’s no adjustable boot floor, but there’s only a very minimal load lip so it isn’t really missed.

The Taigo has a well laid-out interior, although it’s more functional than stylish and some trim could be of a higher quality

The VW Taigo is offered in Life, Style and R-Line trims; there are some variations in seat coverings but the majority of finishes are in black and dark grey, with a few silver flashes on the steering-wheel and door handles to lift the sombre mood.

All trims are offered with an 8.0-inch infotainment screen which comes with DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as sat nav on the top two trims. There are a few touch-sensitive shortcut buttons running along either side of the screen. It’s a responsive system, with clear graphics, although some functions can be hard to access while on the move.

The base Life model makes do with physical rotary controllers for the climate control, where higher trims get a touch-sensitive panel with a sliding touchbar that is actually more frustrating to use. The base trim also gets an 8.0-inch digital driver display, while the other versions get a larger 10.25-inch version. Both offer decent configurability and give the cabin an upmarket feel that helps to distract from the sections of hard and cheap-looking plastics dotted around the cabin. There is a brace of USB-C sockets in the front, allowing you to charge mobile devices while on the move.

The Taigo is offered with two petrol engines in three power outputs. The base offering is a 94hp 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol that is paired with a five-speed manual and is good for a claimed consumption figure of 51.4mpg and 123g/km of CO2 emissions. It is nippy enough around town and will get from 0-62mph in 11.1-seconds, matching the Peugeot 2008 as well as other VW Group products equipped with the same engine, such as the SEAT Arona and VW T-Cross.

The 109hp 1.0-litre engine is the sweet-spot in the range. It can be had with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and will deliver up to 52.3mpg in manual guise. It is a bit quicker to the 62mph mark, but its main appeal is that it feels stronger during overtaking and on the motorway. The automatic uses a bit more fuel at 47.9mpg but is worth it if you spend a lot of your commute in traffic. These figures once again match the Arona and T-Cross with the same engine, although the punchy 129hp 1.2-litre engine in the Peugeot 2008 is slightly quicker and more frugal.

The Style and R-Line trims can also be specified with the 148hp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Paired exclusively with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, it gets from 0-62mph in a quick 8.3 seconds, which is faster than the 153hp Ford Puma, although its 46.3mpg figure is marginally worse.

All models are front-wheel-drive here; VW’s T-Roc is available with all-wheel-drive but that trim costs significantly more than even the priciest Taigo. There aren’t any hybrid options in the Taigo range, although the lower initial cost and still decent fuel economy of the entry-level petrol engines should still result in affordable running costs.

The VW Taigo received a full five-star rating when it underwent Euro NCAP testing in 2022. It did very well in the adult occupant test, scoring 94%, as well as the child occupant test where it achieved 84%. These results put it among the safest small SUVs on sale today.

Standard equipment on all Taigo trims includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, park assist with surround parking sensors, lane change assist and travel assist – a semi-automated driving assistance system.

The VW Taigo comes with a rather average three-year/60,000-mile warranty, this can be extended from around £140 for the two smaller engine options. Volkswagen came a lowly 27th out of 31 manufacturers entered into the 2025 Driver Power survey for owner satisfaction, which isn’t a very confidence inspiring result.

Fixed and flexible service packages are available, with the fixed option suiting those that frequently do short journeys, and the flexible schedule more suitable for those that do longer distances at low engine loads.