Volkswagen Passat - MPG, emissions & running costs

The Volkswagen Passat range begins with the 1.5 eTSI, which gets a combined fuel economy figure of 52.3mpg. The two plug-in hybrid models both have a combined figure of 706.2mph, but in our experience with plug-in hybrid cars, you’ll need to charge frequently and use the engine very sparingly, and even then, you’re still very unlikely to achieve the claimed economy figure.

It’s worth pointing out that the eTSI petrol has a larger 66-litre tank, while the eHybrid models have a smaller 50-litre tank. This means you’ll need to stop more often for fuel with a plug-in hybrid on longer trips if you cannot charge while away from home.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The VW Passat eHybrid plug-in hybrid has a 19.7kWh battery pack, providing up to 77 miles of range. That’s a lot more range than the previous plug-in Passat, plus the maximum charging speed has been increased from a slow 3.6kW to up to 50kW, with the potential to top up the battery from 10 to 80 percent (from roughly 8 to 62 miles of electric range) in 23 minutes.

Rapid charging would be an expensive way to run an eHybrid Passat, so most will probably utilise a 7.4kW wallbox charger at home. Official charging times are yet to be released due to the plug-in hybrid coming later in the year, but Volkswagen has suggested it’ll take four hours to refill an empty battery.

No warranty information has been given for the battery pack for the same reason, but we doubt it’ll be altered from the warranty of other eHybrid Volkswagen models, like the latest VW Tiguan. The policy for that car states that the battery should maintain above 70 per cent capacity over five years or 100,000 miles.

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Tax

Much like with other plug-in hybrid cars, either eHybrid version will be best suited to a company car driver, especially considering the much more affordable Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax bill compared with a regular petrol or diesel car. An equivalent electric car will still be a lot cheaper, though. Unfortunately, due to the cheapest plug-in hybrid model costing over £44,000, you’ll be clobbered by the additional road tax surcharge for cars costing over £40,000 when new, which applies from when the vehicle is taxed for a second time until it is six years old.

The 1.5-litre petrol's relatively low CO2 figure of 125g/km beats many of its similarly priced premium petrol rivals, such as the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3 Series Touring, and Mercedes C-Class estate.

Insurance groups

Insurance isn’t likely to be the cheapest around. The entry-level 1.5 eTSI Life is in group 30, while the plug-in hybrid starts in group 36, before rising to group 40 for the most powerful 272 eHybrid in Elegance trim. For context, a petrol Audi A4 Avant starts in group 24, while the plug-in hybrid BMW 3 Series Touring 330e is in group 34.

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Depreciation

According to our data experts, the Passat will retain between 46 to 49 per cent of its resale value over a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period. That’s on par with the Skoda Superb Estate, which is a shame considering that it costs slightly less than the Passat, model for model. 

It’s also worth noting that SUVs, which have helped to effectively kill-off the estate car market, are likely to be worth more than the Passat over time. Over the same ownership period, the Volkswagen Tiguan will maintain between 53 and 57 per cent of its resale value.

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