Volkswagen T-Roc - Reliability and safety

The Volkswagen T-Roc gets a welcome list of standard safety kit, while you can really go to town with some safety options that used to be the preserve of bigger, far more expensive models.  

Autonomous emergency braking features, as does adaptive cruise control, speed limit recognition and a driver fatigue warning. These are fitted as standard across the UK line-up, while lane keep assist is included by default, too. 

Loads of other safety and assistance features are found on the options list. A rear-view camera, blind spot monitoring with a lane changing system, semi-autonomous traffic jam assist, self parking assist, and automatic high beam headlights are also available. 

The T-Roc was tested by Euro NCAP in 2017, and earned a five-star safety rating. However, the tests have become much more stringent over the years, and so that old score is no longer valid, which is a shame considering the more affordable SEAT Arona was put through the updated 2022 test, and has managed to keep its five-star rating.

In our latest 2024 Driver Power survey, Volkswagen has once again slipped down the rankings, from 27th place (out of 32) in 2023, to 29th out of 32 manufacturers in 2024. The T-Roc came in 29th spot on a 50-car list in the best cars to own poll, coming ahead of the Vauxhall Mokka, but well behind the 10th place Ford Puma.

Warranty

As with the rest of the VW range, the T-Roc has a warranty that lasts for three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. That’s pretty average by industry standards. An extended warranty is offered at additional cost, which can take cover up to five years and 90,000 miles.

There’s also a three-year paintwork warranty and 12 years of cover against corrosion from the inside out.

Servicing

Buyers can choose between Volkswagen’s fixed or flexible service packages. The former is an annual service or every 9,300 miles that’s recommended for lower-mileage cars. Those using their T-Roc for daily trips of over 25 miles will need the flexible service package because it extends the service intervals up to 18,600 miles or every two years.

Fixed-price servicing is available from Volkswagen dealers, but the firm doesn’t have a reputation for offering the sort of low-cost, all-in service package that many rival manufacturers do, so costs here could be higher than for some competitors.