Volkswagen Golf GTI - MPG, CO2 and running costs

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

The WLTP combined fuel economy figure of 39.8mpg should mean you’ll be able to travel in excess of 400 miles before needing to fill up. 

For those opting for the GTI Clubsport, it isn’t quite as economical as the regular GTI at 37.2mpg, but it isn’t that much thirstier that it couldn’t manage to cover a similar distance on a tank of fuel.

Tax 

Provided you avoid specifying some expensive options, the regular Golf GTI sneaks under the £40,000 threshold, which would result in an additional surcharge over the standard yearly VED tax rate. The GTI Clubsport falls foul of this, meaning you’ll need to pay an additional fee from the second year the vehicle is taxed, up until it is six years old.

Company car drivers are unlikely to choose either the GTI or GTI Clubsport as a company car due to high emissions. If you want a hot hatch as your company car but need something with lower emissions, then the Cupra Leon is available in plug-in hybrid form and will be much more affordable to run for those paying Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax.

Insurance groups

The Golf GTI is a desirable performance hatchback, but it sits in a reasonable group 31 for insurance. However, premiums have 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.  

The more affordable Ford Focus ST sits in group 27, while the bonkers-looking Honda Civic Type R is in group 43.

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 Mk8.5 versions should hold onto around 43 per cent of its original value after a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period. 

This figure is a little better than the Skoda Octavia vRS, which is predicted to only be worth 40 per cent over the same period, and on par with the Ford Focus ST (41 to 43 per cent), but lags behind the Honda Civic Type R which should retain around 57 per cent over the same period.

To get an accurate valuation for a specific model, check out our valuation tool...