Used Volkswagen Taigo for sale: everything you need to know

The ‘four-door coupe’ body style has made it down to the small SUV class with the Volkswagen Taigo - a car closely related to the Volkswagen T-Cross but with slightly sportier styling, and a little extra length to offset what might otherwise be a reduction in practicality compared with something boxier.

It’s a perfectly decent car too, with a range of frugal engines, a straightforward driving experience, and well-judged equipment levels. Whether the styling is enough to convince you of its merits over the VW T-Roc though is another matter.

While its attempt at a swoopy roofline is something of a token effort, to VW’s credit it’s something no rival has tried. But for genuine sportiness, the Ford Puma is probably the best pick in this class, while the Mazda CX-3, no longer on sale new but plentiful on the used market, is a bit of a looker too and also drives well.

Should you buy a Volkswagen Taigo?

The Taigo has no glaring flaws that should turn you away, but as something of a niche choice - picking the less practical body style of a small SUV designed mainly for practicality - the pragmatist’s choice would be to avoid the Taigo and simply buy a Volkswagen T-Cross instead.

Still, VW has done a good job avoiding some of the practical pitfalls that come with a lower roofline like this. Rear space is naturally a little more limited but the 440-litre boot is actually a useful size, bigger than that of a Nissan Juke or Peugeot 2008.

On the road the Taigo’s handling is safe and secure, if not necessarily possessing the fun factor the sportier styling might have you believe. It’s standard Volkswagen stuff, really - well-judged ride and handling (though models on larger alloys can get a bit knobbly), steering that responds naturally, and a solid feel at speed.

The all-petrol engine lineup does the trick too. The DSG automatic option feels a bit unhappy paired with the 1-litre, three-cylinder engine, but VW’s manual gearboxes are light and easy to use while the more powerful 1.5 makes better bedfellows with the DSG. All engines are in the 50mpg ballpark for economy too, on paper at least.

If you want a small SUV that’s actually sporty to drive rather than just to look at, then the Ford Puma is probably the best choice, though some models can ride pretty firmly. The discontinued Mazda CX-3 is another fine-driving small crossover and a good one to look at too, while if striking styling is your bag, then take your pick: the Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008, DS3 Crossback, Vauxhall Mokka, and Audi Q2 are all pretty eye-catching.

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What’s the best used Volkswagen Taigo model to buy?

All Taigos are broadly as frugal as each other so there’s no stand-out if you’re looking for economy, as there used to be when diesel was more widely offered. There’s a decent spread of performance figures, but even the entry-level 95PS TSI has eager performance, and we’ve found the three-cylinder engine pretty refined, if not ideally paired with the DSG automatic. If you don’t need the 1.5-litre’s extra shove though, the 1-litre units are more than up to the job.

Match trim seems like the sweet spot in the Taigo lineup, on account of its reversing camera (making up for the Taigo’s tiny rear screen), and the convenience of keyless entry and starting.

Used Volkswagen Taigo fuel economy and performance

• Volkswagen Taigo 1.0 TSI 95: With a 1-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine and 95PS, and a standard five-speed manual gearbox, the Taigo gets from 0-62mph in 11.1 seconds. Combined economy is up to 51.4mpg.
• Volkswagen Taigo 1.0 TSI 110/115: Launched with a 110PS variant of the same 1-litre engine the Taigo has since been uprated to 115PS, but the engine is broadly similar otherwise; 0-62mph takes 10.4 seconds with a six-speed manual gearbox and 10.9 seconds with a seven-speed DSG auto, and the manual’s a touch more efficient, at 52.2mpg to the DSG’s 48.7mpg.
• Volkswagen Taigo 1.5 TSI 150: The most powerful Taigo uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol with 150PS. It’s DSG auto only, and gets from 0-62mph in 8 seconds. Combined economy is similar to the 1-litre, at 50.4mpg.

What used Volkswagen Taigo trim levels are available?

The Taigo was launched with Life, Style, and R-Line trims, and VW has since introduced Match trim between the Life and Style. As you’d expect from a car launched relatively recently, specification is pretty decent even at the bottom of the range, with alloy wheels, air conditioning and LED headlights as standard.

• The Volkswagen Taigo Life gets 16-inch alloy wheels, an 8-inch driver display screen, central touchscreen, auto LED headlights, a leather-wrapped wheel, gearknob and handbrake handle, ambient lighting, and air conditioning.
• The Volkswagen Taigo Match adds 17-inch alloys, a rear view camera, keyless entry and starting, and 65% tinted privacy glass in the rear.
• The Volkswagen Taigo Style has a different 17-inch wheel design, built-in navigation, a larger 10.25-inch driver display, LED matrix headlights, two-zone climate control, ambient lighting, and front sports seats.
• The Volkswagen Taigo R-Line has yet another different 17-inch wheel design, and on top of Life spec adds two-zone climate control, 65% tinted glass, driver profile selection, R-Line bumpers, artificial velour trim, and built-in navigation.

Used Volkswagen Taigo dimensions and boot size

The Volkswagen Taigo’s dimensions are:

• Length: 4266mm
• Width: 1757mm (without mirrors)
• Height: 1518mm

The Volkswagen Taigo’s boot size is:

• 440 litres

Used Volkswagen Taigo road tax

Once the first year’s CO2-based VED is out of the way, the Taigo is subject to the same flat rate of tax as every other vehicle on the market. Since no models are EVs or hybrids, that currently means an annual bill of £180, subject to future changes.

How much is it to insure a Volkswagen Taigo?

Taigo insurance covers a spread from groups 13 to 23, with the 95PS TSI Life at the bottom of that band and a 1.5-litre R-Line at the top. That’s a touch more than a similar Ford Puma, which begins in group 11 for a 100PS Titanium and ignoring the full ST model, tops out at only group 14 for an ST-Line 155PS mild hybrid.

Read our full Volkswagen Taigo review