New 2024 Volkswagen Golf: Price, specs and release date

The new 2024 Volkswagen Golf is a thoroughly updated refresh of what is the UK’s favourite family car.

The new Volkswagen Golf arrives as the famous VW hatchback celebrates 50 years of sales success. Remarkably, more than 37 million have been sold since the first one was launched back in 1974 – and the firm wants to continue the success.

The refresh is subtle on the outside, with the new Volkswagen Golf sporting new colours, wheels and lights front and rear. The big news comes inside, where the infotainment system has been fully overhauled, boasting both new hardware and all-new software.

The new Volkswagen Golf has tweaked engines too, with the headline being a plug-in hybrid that’s now capable of travelling more than 62 miles in fully electric mode.

Already a top seller, the enhanced new Volkswagen Golf will be a formidable challenger to rivals that include the Ford Focus, Peugeot 308, Toyota Corolla and Vauxhall Astra.

The new Volkswagen Golf is also a challenge to more premium rivals such as the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

New 2024 Volkswagen Golf: price and release date

New Volkswagen Golf prices have not yet been announced. However, it is unlikely to stray too far from the current model, which costs from £26,945 in 1.0 TSI 110 Life guise.

The new Volkswagen Golf is set to be released in the first half of the year, and more details about priced and timings will be announced nearer to its release date.

The new Volkswagen Golf model line-up will include Life, Style and R-Line grades, plus sporty GTI and GTE versions. Even faster and more focused models will be released later. 

New 2024 Volkswagen Golf: exterior and interior

The new Volkswagen Golf has an evolutionary exterior look that further enhances the clean, modern lines of the current model, which is known as Golf 8.

The biggest changes are at the front of the new Volkswagen Golf. There are new LED headlights, which have a sportier look – and range-topping ID.Light LED Matrix headlights are available as an option, which give a huge main beam range of 500 metres.  

The new Volkswagen Golf features the latest VW logo at the front. In a fun touch, this is available with LED illumination, giving a distinctive identity at night. The new Volkswagen Golf also has new LED lights at the rear.

To further mark it out from earlier versions, the new Volkswagen Golf is available in 11 different paint colours, four of which are new: Crystal Ice Blue metallic, Anemone Blue metallic, Oyster Silver metallic and Grenadilla Black metallic. A contrast black roof is available on R-Line, GTE and GTI models, and there are new alloy wheel choices too.

The biggest changes come inside the new Volkswagen Golf. The central infotainment touchscreen has been completely updated with all-new hardware and software. The standard screen measures 10.4 inches and the top-spec Discover screen is now 12.9 inches.

The new Volkswagen Golf infotainment system has all-new graphics and a simpler menu structure that includes ‘fixed’ bars on the top and bottom of the screen. User-configurable favourites can be saved here. It also includes a futuristic ChatGPT voice assistant. 

The new Volkswagen Golf will be easier to use, as the touch sliders for temperature and volume control at the bottom of the touchscreen are now illuminated at night. The steering wheel buttons are also now proper buttons, rather than the fiddly touch-sensitive controllers of the previous Golf. 

The new Volkswagen Golf has an updated customisable digital instrument panel, called Digital Cockpit Pro – and the 10.2-inch display is now standard. A widescreen head-up display is optionally available.

With higher-quaity materials and a plusher finish, the new Volkswagen Golf will also offer all the excellent space, practicality and refinement of the current model. It is a family favourite for good reason, and this will only be enhanced with the updates in this new Volkswagen Golf version.

New 2024 Volkswagen Golf: engines and performance

The new Volkswagen Golf offers a full range of engines – regular turbo petrol and diesel choices, plus both mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines.

The most affordable new Volkswagen Golf will be the 1.5-litre TSI versions. This engine is offered with both 115PS and 150PS, with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Performance and economy figures for the new Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI will be announced nearer to its UK release. Clever ‘Active Cylinder Management’ (ACT) tech, which shuts down engine cylinders on the move to save fuel, should ensure they impress.  

New Volkswagen Golf diesel versions also offer a choice of either 115PS or 150PS, from the 2.0-litre TDI engine. The lower-power version has a manual gearbox and the 2.0 TDI 150 has a seven-speed DSG automatic.

New Volkswagen Golf eTSI mild hybrid motors come with a seven-speed DSG gearbox too – once again, pick from either 115PS or 150PS versions of the ‘self-charging’ 48V hybrid engine.

The new Volkswagen Golf is available in two plug-in hybrid variants. The regular eHybrid produces 204PS, and there’s also a sporty 272PS new Volkswagen Golf GTE. Both models use a new 1.5-litre TSI engine combined with a powerful electric motor.

These new Volkswagen Golf plug-in hybrid models have a larger 19.7kWh battery, which gives them an official pure electric range of more than 60 miles. Combine this with a full tank of petrol, and they have an overall driving range of more than 620 miles! What’s more, they are now able to use 50kW rapid chargers, for speedy recharges in public places.

At the top of the range, the new Volkswagen Golf GTI now has a power output of 265PS from its 2.0-litre TSI engine. A DSG automatic gearbox is now standard for the famous Volkswagen Golf hot hatch.

On the safety front, the new Volkswagen Golf has an enhanced Park Assist Plus and Park Assist Pro systems. These give it the party trick of being able to drive in and out of parking spaces using a smartphone. The 360-degree Area View camera is new, too.

Find a used Volkswagen Golf for sale

The current Volkswagen Golf was introduced back in 2020, and you can now get a used Volkswagen Golf from under £15,000. The 1.5 TSI engine is a great choice, and both Life and Style versions are available at this price point. It’s also worth looking out for high-spec versions of the previous-generation Volkswagen Golf – we have even spotted a Volkswagen e-Golf, the EV version, priced for under £15,000.  

• Find a used Volkswagen Golf for sale 

Looking for more new car news?

The Ford Kuga is a popular family SUV in the UK – and, fresh for 2024, there’s a new Ford Kuga offering updated looks and new infotainment to keep it competitive. The news of the new Volkswagen Tiguan is likely to have forced Ford to act – we have all the news, along with details of the interesting new Renault Scenic. In other news, the government is looking to clamp down on disruptive roadworks, and we also have all the latest petrol and diesel fuel prices. Be sure to check out the best car deals on heycar too – they are updated daily!