Volkswagen Golf GTI review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Running a powerful hot hatch certainly won’t deliver the low running costs of a small city car or supermini, although the Golf GTI offers enough of a balance between performance and efficiency to make things a little more financially palatable than some hot hatches. 

The GTI isn’t really designed for fleet users, so it’s perhaps best to ignore the fact that you’ll be paying the top 37 per cent Benefit-in-Kind tax rate if you do happen to convince your employer that the iconic hatch is just what you need to liven up the grind of the daily commute.

What’s more reassuring is the WLTP combined fuel economy figure of more than 40mpg for both the six-speed manual and DSG auto versions so, thankfully, you should be able to travel in excess of 400 miles before needing to fill up.

Adaptive cruise control is standard on the GTI, which will help maintain decent fuel economy on longer motorway trips, but if you’re looking for greater efficiency then VW also offers the GTE plug-in hybrid model which is able to travel up to 38 miles on electric power alone and emits 27g/km of CO2 - putting it in the 12 per cent BiK bracket.

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Insurance

The Golf GTI is a desirable performance hatchback, but it sits in a reasonable group 28 for insurance. However, premiums having been rising across the board over the last few years, so you may wish to look at an indicative quote before committing to a purchase. Other hot hatch rivals are in higher insurance groups: the more powerful Ford Focus ST sits in group 34, while the bonkers looking Civic Type R is in group 38.

Depreciation

Strong demand and the enduring smart sophistication of the Golf GTI brand means that residual values have generally stayed pretty strong. Our data predicts that all Mk8 versions should hold onto around 48 per cent of their original value after a typical three-year/36,000- mile ownership period. This figure is comparable with the Skoda Octavia vRS, and ahead of the Ford Focus ST (43 per cent), but lags a little behind the Honda Civic Type R which should retain around 57 per cent over the same period.