Volkswagen Taigo Review 2025

Volkswagen isn't short of small crossover SUV offerings. It already has the impressive Volkswagen T-Cross as an entry point into the range, while the T-Roc is a slightly bigger and more stylish choice. Sitting slightly awkwardly in the middle is this, the Volkswagen Taigo.

Essentially a coupe-SUV version of the VW T-Cross, the Volkswagen Taigo is priced from around £25,000 and rivals the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Renault Arkana and Mazda CX-30. It's available with a range of petrol engines, but no diesel, or perhaps more significantly, hybrid power.

There's a range of trim levels available. There's no need to push the boat out too much with the Taigo; even the entry-level Life is comprehensively kitted out with the standard kit list including 16-inch alloy wheels, a digital cockpit instrument screen, front- and rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, adaptive cruise control, air-conditioning, and an infotainment display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

While you'd expect the Taigo to be a fair bit less practical than the functional T-Cross, it's 150mm longer than the baby VW. That means it's surprisingly spacious for a small style-led crossover, only losing 15 litres of boot space compared to the T-Cross.

The interior is probably not what you expect from a Volkswagen, with some decidedly unappealing interior plastics and some flimsy finishes. The Ford Puma isn't exactly the last word in plushness, though, and you have to remember that the Taigo sits at the more budget end of the Volkswagen SUV spectrum.

The Taigo is easy and inoffensive to drive, while there's an extensive list of safety and driver-assist tech on hand. We reckon the SEAT Arona feels slightly more agile but there's not a great deal in it, while the ride is nice and comfortable.

The 1.0-litre petrol engine is great (provided you opt for the more powerful 110PS - or later 115PS - version), although it is hampered slightly when paired with the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. We'd go for the manual gearbox with this engine, or stretch to the more powerful 1.5-litre unit if you really want an automatic.

While the Volkswagen Taigo might look sportier than the T-Cross, it's pretty vanilla to drive. The light steering is great around town but means it's not as fun to drive on an open road as the Ford Puma.

The Taigo's body doesn't roll about too much in the corners, while there's a reassuring amount of grip from the tyres, so it's capable and controlled. You can't buy a four-wheel-drive Taigo, which is no great shame because the fuel consumption penalty would be significant.

Importantly, the Taigo rides well enough, smoothing over most imperfections in the road surface with relative ease. The Skoda Kamiq is a wee bit more comfortable still, but you'd have to drive them back-to-back to notice any real difference.

The Volkswagen Taigo's engine line-up is pretty simple. You can choose between petrol and, er, well, that's about it.

The range kicks off with a 95PS 1.0-litre petrol engine that's probably worth avoiding unless you're on a strict budget. It can feel a little breathless when you've got passengers on board, and it's only available with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The 110PS version of this engine (later uprated to 115PS) is the bigger seller, and it's available with a six-speed transmission. It's a feisty unit that we rate highly thanks to its punchiness, flexibility and smoothness, and it's our pick of the range.

Beware, though: this engine is also available with a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and this hampers it slightly. The performance feels a little strangled and the automatic gearshifts can feel decidedly lumpen.

There's also the option of a 150PS 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is available exclusively with the seven-speed DSG gearbox. We haven't tried this yet but, with a healthy power advantage over the 1.0-litre engine, it should be more than up to the job of motorway driving.

Volkswagen hasn't skimped on standard safety equipment in the Taigo. Even the most basic Volkswagen Taigo Life comes with the brand's Front Assist (autonomous emergency braking), Travel Assist (including lane-keeping and traffic jam assist) and automatic headlights.

The Volkswagen Taigo was awarded a full five stars for safety when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2022. This includes an impressive 94 per cent score for adult occupants.

Go for the 95PS 1.0-litre engine, and you can tow a braked trailer of up to 1,000kg. Opt for the 110PS (or later 115PS) version, and that limit raises to 1,100kg. The best towcar of the bunch is the 150PS 1.5 petrol, with a permissible pulling weight of 1,200kg, but even that's pretty modest.

You might think that the Volkswagen Taigo's sloping roofline at the rear end means it's not as practical as other small SUVs, but you might be surprised. It can carry 440 litres of luggage in the boot, which is only 15 litres less than in a T-Cross, and that's still more than in a Volkswagen Golf hatchback.

There's loads of room in the front, although you don't sit particularly high, even with the seats cranked up to the max, which might irritate some SUV fans. There's plenty of storage for your odds and ends, though, including a big glove box and a fairly large cubby in the central armrest.

Even space in the rear isn't too shabby, with a reasonable amount of headroom for a coupe-SUV like this. You might want to look at bigger alternatives like the Skoda Karoq if you regularly carry tall adults in the back, but the seats will be roomy enough for most.

While Volkswagen generally produces well-finished interiors, the Taigo's isn't quite as upmarket as you might expect. The surfaces directly in your eyeline are fine for quality, but almost everywhere else, you'll find plastics that are harder, scratchier and generally less appealing. Several small SUV rivals feel posher, although we do suspect it'll stand the test of time pretty well.

All versions of the Taigo have an 8.0-inch central touchscreen set into the dashboard, along with a digital instrument cluster. In Life and Match trims, this digital instrument panel is also an 8.0-inch item, where in higher-spec trims, it's a larger 10.25-inch panel. The high-spec models also get built-in navigation on top of the standard-across-the-board Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB radio.

Either way, it's a pretty good system, and actually better than the ones you'll find in more recent Volkswagen products. The menus are more logically arranged generally, and the software is less glitchy. There's not quite such an over-reliance on touchscreen technology, either: indeed, stick with one of the lower-end trim levels, and you even get physical buttons and dials to control the air-con. The alternative touch-sensitive sliders in the other versions are more fiddly, but at least you don't have to go trawling through endless on-screen menus.

Prices currently start from around £25,000 for a Volkswagen Taigo Life with the 95PS 1.0-litre petrol engine, while the range-tops out at around £33,000 for a Taigo R-Line with the 1.5-litre engine and DSG gearbox.

You actually pay a small amount less than you do for the equivalent version of the Volkswagen T-Cross, which is essentially the same car underneath. That might surprise you given the Taigo's extra style, but you could also argue that the T-Cross delivers a shade more practicality.

Prices are generally in-line with competitors like the Ford Puma and SEAT Arona. Residual values look pretty strong, too, which should make monthly finance payments easier to stomach.

Despite those strong-ish residuals, the Taigo has been around long enough that there are some pretty tempting deals to be found on the used car market. Around £13,000 is enough to put you in an early 2022 car with the 110PS engine, probably in low-end Life trim, with around 40,000 miles on the clock.

Without any electrical assistance, the Volkswagen Taigo won't be as efficient as the hybrid Toyota Yaris Cross or even mild-hybrid alternatives like the Ford Puma. Even so, the Volkswagen Taigo isn't going to cost a fortune in fuel. The 1.0-litre petrol returns up to 52.3mpg in official WLTP fuel economy tests, while the automatic gearbox sees this drop to 47.9mpg. That figure's matched by the 1.5 DSG, which sounds like a small price to pay for the extra power on offer.

VED (road tax) will be a flat rate of £195 per year, with no fear of breaching the £40,000 price barrier that adds the steep luxury car surcharge to your annual road tax bill, while insurance costs ought to be fairly reasonable, too, with groupings sitting between 13 and 24 (of 50).

Initially, the Taigo range included three key trim levels including Life, Style and R-Line trims. Later on, the range was extended to include Life, Match, Style, R-Line and Black Edition specifications.

Event the entry-level Volkswagen Taigo Life comes with a decent amount of standard kit, including:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• automatic LD headlights and wipers
• cornering foglights
• touchscreen infotainment with DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 8.0-inch digital instrument panel
• six speakers
• wireless phone charging
• air-conditioning
• front- and rear electric windows
• adaptive cruise control
• front- and rear parking sensors

That's followed by the Volkswagen Taigo Match, which adds:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• keyless entry and start
• ambient lighting
• rear-view camera

Next up is the Volkswagen Taigo Style, which adds:

• LED Matrix headlights
• sports seats
• satellite navigation
• 10.25-inch digital instrument panel
• dual-zone climate control

 At the top of the regular range is the Volkswagen Taigo R-Line, which comes with:

• R-Line body styling with restyled bumpers
• privacy glass
• stainless steel pedals
• chrome interior highlights
• XDS electronic differential lock

The Volkswagen Taigo Black Edition is a popular special edition model that provides a wee bit more extra kit than the R-Line, but costs a wee bit less. That extra kit includes:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• various styling upgrades
• heated front seats