Volkswagen tends to be a brilliant box ticker. Its cars have historically appealed to buyers’ rational side, not their emotions. But upon the reveal of the T-Roc, critics lauded the small SUV’s style just as much as its substance.

The T-Roc has more road presence than any previous Volkswagen, with its bigger front air intakes, LED headlights as standard, and LED light bar on higher-spec models which runs the full width of the front grille.

Equipment, options and extras

Our favourite trim for the Volkswagen T-Roc is simply the entry-level Life, because it keeps costs low while including a raft of goodies as standard, like digital dials, 16in alloy wheels, automatic wipers, two-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Next up is Style, with bigger wheels, builtin satnav, upgraded seats, and larger infotainment screen and digital driver display. At the top end is the R-Line, with heated front seats, switchable driving profiles, and sports styling and suspension.

Costs, insurance groups, mpg and CO2

The Volkswagen T-Roc is predicted to have far stronger resale values than most of its competitors, including the Ford Puma, Audi Q2 and Hyundai KONA. We recommend sticking with the entry-level Life trim, if only because the top-end versions of the T-Roc like the 2.0 TDI 150 DSG R-Line are pricey and generally outperformed by other brands in the large family SUV class.

The T-Roc enjoys inexpensive running costs. The 1.0 TSI 110 achieves an impressive 45mpg, while also boasting decent CO2 emissions and reasonable P11D values, rendering it competitive for company car tax—although it would be remiss if we didn’t note that the T-Roc’s competitor the Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid 155 is even better in both areas.

Finally, the T-Roc is relatively pricey on a PCP finance deal. Its rivals the Puma, KIA Stonic, Škoda Kamiq and Yaris Cross all offer potentially lower monthly payments.

Safety and security

Every version of the Volkswagen T-Roc comes with automatic emergency braking as standard, as well as lane-keeping assistance. From the Style trim upward, you will also benefit from a driver tiredness monitoring system.

Reliability

The Volkswagen T-Roc comes with a 3-year warranty, limited to 60,000 miles. By way of comparison, competitors Hyundai and KIA provide respective warranties of 5 years–unlimited-mileage and 7 years–100,000 miles.

The Car Planet verdict

The Volkswagen T-Roc represents an eminently valuable purchase—especially if you avoid the pricier trims and engines which frankly we don’t think are necessary. The T-Roc is practical, refined and spacious—and easily one of the most comfortable and best-driving cars in its class.

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