Volkswagen T-Cross Review 2024

Given the breadth of Volkswagen’s range, the T-Cross was a late arrival into the small SUV sector in 2018. Up against the likes of the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur, the T-Cross mixes style with practicality in a package based on the Polo’s mechanical bits. Running costs are gentle on the bank balance and the T-Cross can save you further by acting as a family’s sole transport, which not many compact crossovers could claim to manage.

The T-Cross is Volkswagen's answer to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Peugeot 2008 - a small SUV that's designed to be practical, good to drive and have a dash of style too. 

Of course there's no shortage of small crossovers on the market, but the VW T-Cross makes a strong case for itself as the best around with a practical interior, excellent refinement and a great 1.0-litre engine. It's even reasonably priced against the competition, with prices starting at around £17,000.

Think of the VW T-Cross as a crossover version of the Polo and you get the idea of its size. Its compact dimensions (it measures 4235mm long and 1782mm wide) disguise a surprisingly spacious interior though. While its small size makes it great in supermarket car parks, it's big enough inside to make this a viable family car with space for kids in the back and a decent sized boot too - larger than a Ford Focus in fact.

While the interior is solid and well built, there's quite a lot of hard plastic which is a little disappointing given the 'premium' image. There are a few other small things like the exposed bolts for the base of the back seats.

Thankfully, driving the Volkswagen T-Cross is an easy experience. It's safe and feels very reassuring at motorway speeds where it happily cruises along with little road or wind noise. But what makes the T-Cross stand out is the excellent 1.0 TSI engine - available in two versions. 

The three-cylinder unit gives the VW T-Cross some much needed character and has a surprising turn of pace for such a small engine. That combined with a slick manual gearbox means the Volkswagen T-Cross can actually good fun if you go for the more powerful engine. There is also a 1.6 TDI but unless you're doing mammoth mileages, but it's not particularly refined with lots of noise and vibration making its way into the cabin. We'd recommend sticking with the petrol, as the diesel feels like an afterthought. 

Thanks to the entry-level S model, the Volkswagen T-Cross has a competitive starting price against its rivals. Indeed, the T-Cross will tick a lot of boxes for buyers who want a vehicle that is comfortable, practical and enjoyable to drive but still compact in size. It makes an ideal family motor and is cheap to run too. We think one of it's the best small crossovers on the market right now.  

Looking for a second opinon? Why not read heycar's Volkswagen T-Cross review. 

The Volkswagen T-Cross makes a fair stab at giving you the sense of being in an SUV thanks to its driving position. There is height adjustment for the driver’s seat and the steering wheel moves for angle and depth, so finding the ideal seating position is easy.

It’s a little more elevated than a Nissan Juke, helped by the more upright seating position in the VW. This means you sit with hips and knees more at right-angles, which is good for comfort and helps create plenty of legroom for those in the back. There’s also lumbar support on all T-Cross models to further add to its comfort quotient.

The boot floor lies flush with the opening and helps provide the VW T-Cross with 455-litres of boot space. That means that there's enough space to cope with things like a child’s pushchair. Tip the 60/40 split and fold rear seat down and it frees up a maximum of 1281-litres of capacity.

Volkswagen’s reputation for classy interiors doesn’t take a hit with the T-Cross, but it’s not quite up to the standards set by the Golf. There is some evidence of cost-cutting such as the cheap-feeling, hard plastics used for the door panels and around the seat bases. They should last, but they just don’t look or feel as sturdy as they should.

The sense of being surrounded by a herd of bland plastic is most prevalent in the S and SE models that do without the more pleasant dash and door inserts of the SEL and R Line versions. However, you can spritz up the cabin with optional trim packs.

An 8-inch colour touchscreen is standard in all Volkswagen T-Cross models. There’s a twin USB connector for your smart devices, plus Bluetooth and DAB radio. Every model also has Volkswagen Connect access smartphone apps via the car’s screen.

With all but the base S model, you get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to use your phones sat-nav and music. The SEL and R-Line trims come with satellite navigation included, though it’s hard to justify paying the extra for this nowadays when phones are just as adept at providing directions. You can also pay extra for an upgraded stereo with the Beats Soundpack. 

A 1.0 TSI Volkswagen T-Cross from about a year old will cost from around £16,500 for a 1.0 TSI model in SE trim. This will be a car from a franchised dealer and with between 5000 and 10,000 miles on the clock.

If you’d prefer something newer still, a pre-registered or nearly new car with only a handful of miles under its wheels will cost around £20,800. This represents a £1000 saving on the new list price and you can drive away in the car straight away.

Moving up to the R-Line model brings a premium and you can expect to pay £24,000 for a pre-registered model. This is a saving of £700 on the list price with no need to haggle.

For those who would prefer to have a brand new VW T-Cross to collect from the dealer, the list prices are a shade higher than most of the Volkswagen’s rivals. This makes it a little more taxing on your savings if you buy outright, but the VW T-Cross should repay you with strong residual values when you come to sell.

More people who want a new Volkswagen T-Cross will use finance to drive off in the car. Volkswagen’s own finance offers hire purchase, contract hire and the firm’s own Solutions personal contract plan. The Solutions deals tend to require quite a substantial initial deposit from the customer, though this does then mean relatively affordable monthly payments over the duration of the deal. Volkswagen regularly offers deposit contributions to make these deals more tempting.

The most frugal Volkswagen T-Cross models use the 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine. It offers up to 54.3mpg. However, most T-Cross buyers will opt for a petrol and the most efficient is the 95PS 1.0 TSI in the S and SE trims with five-speed manual gearbox that delivers up to 47.9mpg.

The cheapest Volkswagen T-Cross to insure is the base model S, which sits in group 8. It’s a welcome surprise to find the SE with the same 95PS 1.0 TSI engine sits in the same insurance band, and so do the turbodiesel-powered SE models.

A 115PS 1.0 TSI in SE trim resides in group 10, while the SEL version sits two bands higher. A 1.5 TSI Evo in this trim is group 16, while the diesel-engined models are in group 10. Go for the R-Line trim and they all sit one insurance band higher than the SEL models.

All of the petrol-powered Volkswagen T-Cross models come with a first-year Vehicle Excise Duty rate of £215 as they sit in band H. The diesel models are hit with a heftier first-year road tax bill of £540 as they do not meet the Real Driving Emissions 2 standard for nitrogen oxide emissions. All T-Cross models will pay £150 for road tax in subsequent years at current rates.

The T-Cross feels very assured and stable at motorway speeds, happily keeping up with fast flowing traffic. Here it's very quiet and relaxed, adding to the feel that it’s a compact crossover capable of being used as your only family car and on longer trips without it leaving you worn out.

Models with larger 18-inch wheels do not have their ride quality undermined by the bigger rims. Even so, we prefer the extra comfort provided by the 17-inch wheels used on the SE and SEL models. 

Overall, the T-Cross is better controlled than a Kia Stonic, so it deals well through undulations and over crests. There's also plenty of grip in corners to make it decent fun when you want it to be, and the steering has a satisfying weight to it. As for the brakes, they work reassuringly strongly with a firm, measured pedal action.

There are 95- and 115PS versions of the 1.0 TSI and the more powerful unit has a six-speed gearbox rather than a five-speeder. The five speed has a slightly better shift, but both are rewardingly positive. There is also the optional seven-speed DSG which flicks through the gears smoothly.

Both TSI engines work keenly through the rev range and have enough low-rev pull to make you feel they are stronger than their modest capacity would suggest. Another petrol option is the 150PS 1.5 TSI engine, which is only offered in the SEL and R-Line models.

While a 1.6 TDI was added to the range shortly after launch, unless you're doing big mileages, we'd opt for the 1.0 TSI. It's a far nicer engine all round and gives the T-Cross some much need character. The 1.6 TDI on the other hand is noisy and lethargic.

The Volkswagen T-Cross scored a 97 per cent result for adult occupancy safety and a very fine 86 per cent for child passenger safety. This contributed to an overall five-star rating.

All T-Cross models have twin front, side and curtain airbags, as well as a front passenger airbag cut-off switch to allow a rear-facing child seat to be placed here. This can be attached with an Isofix mount and there are a further two Isofix points on the outer rear seats.

Autonomous emergency braking wards off potential collisions, along with Lane Assist. There is also an e-call system to contact the emergency services in the event of a collision.

Volkswagen offers four T-Cross trims, starting with the S that has 16-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjusted and heated door mirrors, LED rear lights and automatic headlights. You also get a sliding rear bench seat, air conditioning, electric windows all-round, and the 8-inch Composition Media infotainment touchscreen with Bluetooth and DAB radio.

The VW T-Cross SE gains 17-inch alloys, black-painted roof rails, and front foglights with cornering function. Inside, there’s a leather-bound steering wheel with remote controls for the stereo and infotainment, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue warning, and Car-Net App-Connect. In addition to this, the T-Cross SEL has rear privacy glass, silver roof rails, front and rear parking sensors, and LED front lights. Front sports seats are fitted, along with climate control, Discover Navigation, and Car-Net Guide and Inform with a three-year subscription included. The VW T-Cross R-Line features 18-inch alloy wheels, unique body styling pack, and R-Line badges. A black headlining is used inside, as well as aluminium foot pedals, Carbon Flag seat cloth, and a 10.25-inch Active Info screen.