Volkswagen celebrates Auto Trader and J.D. Power wins

→ Golf named Best Car for New Drivers by Auto Trader
→ Results are based on the opinion of 63,000 real car owners
→ up! and Tiguan named most dependable in class by J.D. Power

Milton Keynes – The Volkswagen Golf has been awarded the accolade of Best Car for New Drivers in 2019 by Auto Trader, with a consumer vote taken by 63,000 car owners deciding the result for the publication’s New Car Awards this year. Meanwhile, the up! and Tiguan have been celebrated by J.D. Power for their dependability.

The Volkswagen Golf has continued on its campaign of success, with another award from the motoring media – the evergreen hatchback winning Auto Trader’s Best Car for New Drivers, as voted for by the public.

Auto Trader interviewed 63,000 car owners across numerous different channels, garnering broad representation of the UK population, all of whom were asked about their demographic and driving habits to sort everyone into award categories.

Consumers were asked to rate their cars across 16 different criteria, from reliability and performance to appearance and running costs. They were also asked about their overall satisfaction with their car and how likely they would be to recommend it to others. The Golf was a firm favourite among respondents.

Dale Piper, Product Manager for the Golf at Volkswagen UK, said: “The Golf’s story is 45 years in the making, so it’s little wonder that it has built such a reputation among drivers. That reputation filters down to new drivers too, with its long list of talents only adding to its familiarity and popularity with UK drivers.

“The fact that the voting public has voiced that the Golf is the top of the list for new drivers goes some way to explain why it is the UK’s second most popular car.”

The 2019 Auto Trader New Car Awards is the third-annual ceremony from the publication, which is the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace.

Speaking about the Golf’s win, Erin Baker, Editorial Director at Auto Trader, said: “The key areas that new drivers are focussed on include safety, ease of parking and how good the car looks, and the Volkswagen Golf ranked top in these areas. Owners were also impressed by its comfort, reliability and the quality of its features and accessories. And of course, the Golf’s iconic status stood out to new drivers too.”

Meanwhile in this year’s J.D. Power UK Vehicle Dependability Study Volkswagen walked away with trophies in two of the eight categories.

Every year J.D. Power asks more than 11,000 original owners of vehicles in the UK about their satisfaction after 12-36 months of ownership.

The Volkswagen up! Was named the most dependable City Car and the Tiguan – the third member of the five-strong Volkswagen SUV family – was crowned the most dependable compact SUV on the market in 2019.