What are the running costs?

• Purely petrol line-up is quite efficient
• No tax-busting hybrids or pure electric variants
• Sweet spot is 110hp petrol

There are four engine options in the VW Taigo and all of them are pure petrols – there’s no mild hybrid assistance or electrification of any kind to worry about, which some will see as a selling point due to the engine’s comparative simplicity.

Rival hybrids, though – particularly cars like the Toyota C-HR – have  genuine benefits in terms of running costs, and the VW’s lack of zeitgeisty tech could leave it an unattractive option in a few year’s time, or as a used buy.

The petrol engines offer good if not ground-breaking efficiency. The best economy comes courtesy of the mid-level 110hp 1.0-litre – it doesn’t have to work too hard to pull the relatively lightweight Taigo along. The DSG automatic is less efficient than the six-speed manual around town, but its longer top gear means motorway cruising is a couple of mpg better – choose your fighter accordingly, but expect an easy 45mpg pushing 50mpg on a long run.

The entry-level 95hp engine suffers due to its five-speed gearbox which leaves the engine spinning faster than you’d like a lot of the time, while the 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 150hp will be the thirstiest of the lot though with a corresponding bump in power. All models are front-wheel drive so there’ll be no driven rear wheels sapping power unnecessarily.

Servicing and warranty

Keeping your VW Taigo maintained will be a breeze, with over 200 dealers in the UK and a generally high level of customer service.

Taigo service intervals are flexible according to the in-car computer and can be as long as 18,600 miles or 24 months – though most drivers will see the light flashing up long before then. Volkswagen’s standard warranty is three years or 60,000 miles, which is a bit stingy compared to the up-to-10-years coverage of a Toyota C-HR.

Reliability

• VW no longer up there with the best
• Taigo is a very conventional car with little to go wrong
• Software glitches common with infotainment

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Volkswagen sits in a middling spot among car manufacturers for reliability, usually bested by Japanese or Korean brands but about on par with most European rivals. The Taigo uses a selection of well-proven technology, though, especially the basic non-hybrid engine lineup, so there shouldn’t be a great deal to go wrong from a mechanical standpoint.

The Taigo hasn’t been recalled though its sister car, the T-Cross, does have one recall out for a software fault in the instrument clusters. Software glitches are likely with current VW infotainment systems, so you can expect the Taigo to be similarly afflicted. Most glitches are little more than a temporary annoyance, though.