2027 Volkswagen Golf previewed

Price from £33,000 (est) On sale 2027

Some cars come to define the segments they exist in, even if they don’t lead them in any one area. So, while you might not know many examples of family cars, we’d bet that you’ve heard of the Volkswagen Golf. Through almost 50 years of being on sale and nine generations, it’s been featured in everything from books to films, and has counted both royalty and film stars among its owners.

That means that whenever a new Volkswagen Golf is on the horizon, the car world takes notice. And while the current Golf is due to receive a mid-life facelift to see it through to 2027, the journey of the all-new ninth-generation Golf has already begun. 

Taking the proposed ‘ID Golf’ name, the new car will sit neatly in-between the upcoming VW ID.2, which is due on sale in 2025, and the larger VW ID.3. While some have suggested that the new Golf would replace the ID 3, Volkswagen officials say the latter, being larger than the new Golf, will act as a kind of ‘Golf Plus’ aimed at larger families.

In this story, we’ll take you through everything we know about the new Golf, and answer your questions around the new model.

New Volkswagen Golf power and range

Given that the new Volkswagen Golf is expected to arrive in 2027, just three years before the proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, it won’t surprise you to know that the new model will be a fully electric car from the outset.

While the technical details of the new model are under wraps, we know that the new Golf will receive brand new underpinnings which are scalable and adaptable. This is a similar approach to today’s car, and means the Golf’s components can be widely used across a huge selection of cars – not just from Volkswagen, but also in cars from its sister brands Audi, Cupra and Skoda. It’s expected that Seat, which is due to pivot away from being a mainstream car maker and instead focus on electric mobility, will not benefit from those underpinnings. 

The key advantage of its new underpinnings will be a new 800V architecture, allowing the new Golf to charge at speeds far beyond the 175kW maximum rate of Volkswagen’s current electric cars. Indeed, Volkswagen has said that the new model could charge from 10-80% in just 12 minutes, if you use the fastest charging points.

The new Golf should come with a variety of battery and motor options, allowing drivers to prioritise electric range or performance. The entry-level option should at least match the figures of today’s range-topping ID 3, which means a 77kWh battery offering an official range of at least 347 miles. Thanks to advances in battery technology due before the new Golf arrives, it’s possible that some versions of the Golf could manage 400 miles between charges – enough to get from London to Manchester and back on a single charge.

Buyers hoping for a radical VW Golf GTI and VW Golf R hot hatch will be heartened to learn that those models will continue to live on, albeit with electric rather than petrol power. The GTI will be front-wheel drive, while range-topping R models will feature two electric motors, allowing for four-wheel drive.

Volkswagen had originally intended to have hot versions of all of its electric cars badged as ‘GTX’ models, but now appears to be stepping back from that approach. Indeed, recent patent filings made in Germany have revealed a new GTI badge where the ‘i’ is replaced by a lightning bolt.

The brand recently unveiled a hot version of the smaller ID 2, dubbed the VW ID.2 GTI, which is expected to receive as much as 300bhp from its electric motor, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 6.0sec. 

Rivals for hot versions of the new Golf will include the Abarth 500e, the Alpine A290, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and MG 4 X Power. Rivals for the regular Golf, meanwhile, extend from our current reigning family car champion, the Honda Civic, through five-star electric cars like the MG 4, and all the way towards a brand new, all-electric Audi A3 that's due to go on sale in late 2027.

New Volkswagen Golf design

If you’re expecting the new Golf to look revolutionary, you might be disappointed. While the new model will take some influence from the smaller ID 2, most notable adopting that car’s full-width front and rear lights, it will still look in inherently like a Golf. That means a hatchback shape, a prominent Volkswagen badge on its bonnet, and chunky styling on sportier models to mark them out against more conservative options in the range. 

Being a fully electric car, the new Golf’s front grille is expected to be smaller than today’s car, since it won’t need to channel air to help cool the car’s engine. There will still be a small grille flowing air to cool the battery, however.

Expect a full suite of colour options to be available – on the current Golf, those options include Atlantic Blue, Dolphin Grey and Lime Yellow metallic colours, as well as premium and solid paints, the latter being standard-fit.

New Volkswagen Golf interior and features

Like its exterior, the new Golf should take inspiration from the ID 2 for its interior, likely offering the same 10.9in digital instrument cluster in combination with a large 12.9in infotainment screen.

In a boost for usability, however, Volkswagen is expected to pivot away from the touch-sensitive control areas of today’s ID cars back to traditional dials and buttons. Bosses say this move is designed to make the brand’s mainstream models as usable as possible, and reduce distractions while driving. Indeed, one of our issues with the current ID 3 is that not only are some of its controls purely touch-sensitive, but they also don’t light up at night, meaning they can be hard to use in the dark.

The new Golf will be one of the smartest family cars when it goes on sale, accommodating the systems needed for level four autonomous driving. This means the car will be able to drive without you needing to keep your hands on the steering wheel on roads where it is safe and legal to do so. By the time the Golf arrives in dealerships, it’s expected that this technology will be legal on much of the motorway network – potentially reducing stress on long journeys.

It's expected that the new Golf will have space for five adults inside, and each person should enjoy more head and leg room than in today's car, thanks to there not being the need to package a gearbox tunnel or other mechanical components which might eat into your space. As for the boot, expect it to at least match today's Golf, which swallowed five carry-on suitcases in our tests.

New Volkswagen Golf price

Thanks to its scalable new underpinnings, and the fact that Volkswagen aims to produce its own batteries for the Golf, the new car should cost up to 30% less to produced than today’s ID-badged electric cars. That means that despite being Volkswagen’s most advanced electric car when it goes on sale, the Golf shouldn’t be much more expensive than today’s ID 3. Indeed, with a starting price of around £33,000, the new Golf would fit neatly in-between the ID 2 and ID 3.

Your Volkswagen Golf questions answered

Will Volkswagen stop making the Golf?

There was a time when the future of the Golf badge was in jeopardy, because Volkswagen instead planned to badge all of its cars as ID models. However, officials have since said that the brand’s most popular names, including Golf and Tiguan, as well as the GTI badge, will live on. Therefore, it’s likely that the next Golf will be called the ID Golf, allowing for the best of both worlds.

Which other new Volkswagens are coming soon?

By the time the next Golf goes on sale in 2027, it will slot neatly into Volkswagen’s electric car line-up between the ID 2 and ID 3. Above the Golf will be the ID Tiguan, which may replace today’s ID 4, and the ID 5 and ID 6 SUVs. There will also be the ID 7 executive car and the ID 7 Tourer estate, plus the ID Buzz people carrier.

Will the new Golf be electric?

Yes, the new Golf will be fully electric from the outset. It’s expected to have a battery in excess of 77kWh, allowing range-topping versions to have an official range of around 400 miles between charges. Multiple power outputs will be offered, but most options will feature a single electric motor driving the front wheels. Range-topping R models, meanwhile, will feature a second motor for the rear wheels, giving the Golf four-wheel drive.

Read more: All the new cars coming soon

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