Last September, Volkswagen Group unveiled its plan to launch more than 80 electrified models, 50 of them pure EVs, by 2025. As part of that plan, the e-Golf was delivered to VW showrooms earlier this year and now joins AM’s long-term test fleet.

In the first five months of 2018, VW has registered fewer than 300 e-Golfs, behind Nissan’s Leaf (3,029) and Renault’s Zoe (683). Performance on both rivals is also ahead of the e-Golf, on paper at least, with the new 41kWh Leaf claiming a 235-mile range and the Zoe 250 miles, under the NEDC test regime. The e-Golf claims an NEDC-tested range of 186 miles (VW estimates 124 ‘real-world’ miles).

Both rivals are also more affordable than the e-Golf – the Leaf starts at £27,290, the Zoe at £18,170 (plus battery lease). The Golf starts at £32,075 in basic trim (more than £37,000 as tested here).

Despite that, the e-Golf may prove to be the car to tip some drivers into an EV. It banishes the notion that embracing the EV trend (Chargemaster, which installed a Polar home charging point to accompany the e-Golf’s arrival, estimates one in six UK vehicles will be EVs by 2027) means driving something quirky and left-field.

Quality soft-touch plastics, the sector’s most intuitive touchscreen infotainment system, adaptive cruise control, heated windscreen and front and rear parking sensors are standard. The e-Golf was also the first VW to be offered with full LED headlights.