Volkswagen Golf GTI - Reliability and safety

According to the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction, the Volkswagen Golf came last in the best cars to own category, while the VW brand was down in 29th place out of 32 manufacturers - only one place above Ford in 30th place. A number of the issues owners had surrounded the infotainment system, so hopefully the improvements made as part of its mid-life facelift will result in an uplift in future surveys. 

Euro NCAP reassessed the Golf in 2022 under more rigorous criteria than its previous 2019 result to check if its five-star rating still applied. The independent safety organisation has ruled that the Golf (along with the GTI variant) still has a maximum five-star rating, although the Honda Civic that was tested under the same criteria in 2022 did better in the adult, vulnerable road user and safety assistance categories.

Safety kit onboard the Golf GTI is excellent. In the unfortunate event of a collision, there are front, side and curtain airbag systems in place to help prevent injury, while VW’s automatic post-collision braking function brings the vehicle to a stop to try and avert a secondary impact.

Other driver assistance features include driver fatigue detection and Lane Assist with Road Edge Recognition, along with a Travel Assist system, which utilises camera and radar sensors to allow partially assisted driving, as long as the driver keeps their hands in contact with the steering wheel. The Side Assist and Rear traffic alert use radar technology to monitor approaching vehicles.

The Emergency Assist function intervenes if it detects no driver input: if the driver has no contact with the capacitive touch-sensitive steering wheel for 10 seconds, then the system activates visual and audible warnings along with a braking jolt. If there is still no response, the hazard lights are activated and the vehicle is automatically slowed and steered into the left-hand lane, bringing it to a controlled stop - traffic behind permitting.

Warranty

Volkswagen offers the Golf with an industry standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty, with an option to extend the cover at extra cost. VW does offer extended cover for extra cost, though.

Servicing

Customers are offered a choice of how their Golf GTI is maintained, with fixed and flexible servicing options available. These relate to mileage covered, driving style and whether the vehicle is regularly producing high engine loading due to activities such as frequent hill climbs, driving with the vehicle fully loaded or towing.