Volkswagen T-Cross review - Reliability & safety

Volkswagen has a fairly unique position in the UK, being seen as a premium badge despite being a mainstream manufacturer. Its reputation has been bolstered by predominantly reliable cars, a big dealership network and many satisfied customers. Even high-mileage cars typically hold their value better than rivals in the classifieds.

The brand is also perceived as a builder of safe cars. All models come with a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and there is plenty of standard safety technology that would be optional extras on some other SUVs.

Volkswagen T-Cross reliability

VW tends to post reasonable results in owner satisfaction surveys but this slipped somewhat in recent years. Nevertheless, the T-Cross itself came 21st out of the top 75 models in our latest survey. However, VW managed a poor 27th out of 32 manufacturers in our 2023 Driver Power survey.

Safety

Euro NCAP has given the T-Cross a full five-star score. It scored 97% for adult occupant safety, 86% for child safety, 81% in the pedestrians and other vulnerable road users category and 80% for on-board safety tech. The T-Cross features a range of passive and active safety systems to protect its occupants and pedestrians.

These include pedestrian and cyclist protection, automatic emergency braking, front assist and a speed limiter. More expensive trim levels add features like adaptive cruise control, hill start assist and blind-spot monitoring, which help the T-Cross achieve a maximum rating.