Used Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf is the benchmark family hatchback: well built, comfortable on the motorway and easy to sell on. It suits almost everyone, from a young driver to a family with one child. Used, you'll mostly find the Golf 7 (2012 to 2019, facelifted in 2017) and the Golf 8, launched in 2020. The Golf Variant estate adds a proper family-sized boot.

The range is huge: 1.0, 1.4 and 1.5 TSI petrol engines, 1.6 and 2.0 TDI diesels, the sporty GTI and GTD, the GTE and later eHybrid plug-in hybrids, and even a fully electric e-Golf in the Golf 7 range. Many have a DSG automatic gearbox, and some Golf 8 versions add mild-hybrid assistance.

Because the Golf is so common, there's plenty of choice, and quality varies a lot from one car to the next. A former company car serviced at the dealer can be a better buy than a lower-mileage Golf with no invoices. Depending on the year and version, a diesel can be Euro 5 or Euro 6, and in Brussels that difference is decisive.

Before you buy, check:

• the Euro standard on the Car-Pass, and any open recalls it lists;
• the DSG gearbox's service history and how it behaves on the test drive;
• the timing belt date on engines that have one;
• battery health on the Car-Pass for a GTE, eHybrid or e-Golf.

On Woto, every car has a story, and with a Golf it makes all the difference.