AUTONEWS

VW e-Golf: YouTuber tests battery degradation and range of 8-year-old Volkswagen EV with 125,000 miles

Even when it was brand-new from the factory, the electric Volkswagen Golf from the 2016 model year had a comparatively modest EPA range of just 80 miles per charge. As 2023 draws to an end, a well-known YouTuber illustrates how practical the almost 8-year-old VW e-Golf is today with a noticeably degraded EV battery.

It's definitely no secret that electric vehicles lose some of their battery capacity over time, which is the reason for many drivers to stick to their presumably longer-lasting internal combustion engines. But how usable is a high-mileage EV, such as an almost 8-year-old Volkswagen e-Golf?

Car enthusiast and content creator Kyle Conner, who runs the well-known Out of Spec YouTube channel, tries to answer this exact question in two of his latest videos. The EV specialist bought himself a suspiciously cheap 2016 VW e-Golf for $3,500, which is equipped with a small battery with a capacity of 24 kWh, 21 kWh of which were originally usable. Over the course of roughly eight years, the electric Volkswagen Golf accumulated about 125,000 miles and over 1,000 charging cycles.

After a somewhat complicated manual calculation of the remaining battery capacity, the YouTuber came to a result of approximately 14 kWh. This means that the Volkswagen EV has lost over 30 percent of its original capacity due to battery degradation. Accordingly, the e-Golf now has a maximum range of 40 miles, which can be sufficient for some city drivers who are mostly dealing with short distances. Considering the very low price and fast recharging time of 30 minutes, Conner does not regret buying the VW e-Golf, even though the EV came with various other technical and mechanical issues including a worn-out suspension.

For more details and impressions on the used 2016 VW e-Golf, we recommend watching his in-depth video which covers the purchase of the 8-year-old electric car. The watch-worthy video showing the real-world range and battery degradation test is also embedded below.

Reporter: Enrico Frahn