The 2015 Volkswagen Golf is the latest car range to be offered with an electric powertrain as well as internal-combustion engines.
Now, the EPA range and efficiency ratings have been released for the 2015 VW e-Golf, and they put it somewhere in the middle of the current crop of electric cars.
The EPA rates the range of the e-Golf at 83 miles, and its combined efficiency is 116 MPGe.
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That's the Miles Per Gallon Equivalent, or the distance an electric car can travel electrically on the same amount of energy that's contained in 1 gallon of gasoline.
The ratings put the e-Golf somewhat behind the 93-mile 2015 Kia Soul EV--which has the greatest range of any electric car without a Tesla powertrain--and just behind the best-selling Nissan Leaf, which has a rated range of 84 miles.
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
The Volkswagen does narrowly best the 81-mile BMW i3, but it can't match the BMW's 124 MPGe combined efficiency rating--the highest of any electric car currently on sale.
The Chevrolet Spark EV compliance car also beats the e-Golf, with a rated 119 MPGe.
Still, the e-Golf's 116 MPGe exceeds the notable 100-MPGe mark, and puts it far ahead of the Tesla Model S--which is, of course, much larger and far more powerful.
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The Leaf also falls slightly behind the e-Golf at 114 MPGe, as does the Soul EV and the low-volume Ford Focus Electric, which are both rated at 105 MPGe.
There are other electric cars on sale, but they're generally much smaller than the e-Golf, and are only available in certain parts of the country.
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
Pricing will start at $36,265 before the $7,500 Federal tax credit and any state or local incentives.
The e-Golf will only be offered in the top SEL Premium trim level, with a long list of standard features that are optional on less-expensive gasoline and diesel Golf models.
The e-Golf is part of the redesigned seventh-generation Golf range that is arriving in the U.S. for 2015 after some time on sale in Europe, and is a nominee for Green Car Reports' 2015 Best Car To Buy award.
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