As the dealers begin accepting orders for the new electric version of the Golf in the UK, Volkswagen confirms the pricing and specification of the car in the British market. The zero-emission Volkswagen e-Golf starts from £30,845, but it’s eligible for a £5,000 Government grant. So the on the road price is £25,845.

Volkswagen e-Golf is based on the standard Golf which is, has been, and will always be the best hatchback in the world. Despite this, it is hard justifying the asking price, considering that it buys you not just a hatchback, but a whole lot of inconvenience.

For starters, the e-Golf has a range of 118 miles. It is not bad by EV standards, but that means you have to charge it often, and that is a major pain in the backside. Charging the e-Golf using a standard UK 230-Volt, 2.3 kW supply takes 13 hours! There is an optional wallbox for home that does the job in 8 hours, and a fast-charging system that replenish the battery to 80 per cent capacity in just 35 minutes. But both those options cost a lot of money, making the whole thing a less attractive proposition.

Still, if you are willing to take the hit and go green with the Volkswagen e-Golf, you can at least take solace in the fact that it is not the slowest electric vehicle in the market. With an 85 kW / 115 PS and 270 Nm electric motor providing the go-juice, the e-Golf can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds. Top speed is 87 mph, but if you travel at anything remotely close to that speed, it’ll have a catastrophic effect on the range.

The e-Golf launches in UK with only one trim level based on the Gold SE, featuring 2Zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, e-specific ‘Tilleves’ alloy wheels and Discover Pro satellite navigation, with an eight-inch colour touchscreen.