Models

GTE and e-Golf

The MK7 and MK7.5 Golf GTE plug-in hybrid and the MK7 e-Golf battery electric car: timeline and prices, the hybrid powertrain and DQ400E gearbox, the high-voltage battery and charging, diagnostic addresses and HV part numbers, known faults, warranty and recalls.

Overview

The GTE made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014. The name is GT plus "E for Electricity", alongside GTI and GTD.¹ In 2014 the GTE became the first plug-in hybrid Golf, and with the e-Golf it was the first series-production electrified Golf.² The 2014 Golf was the first car offered with five power sources: petrol, diesel, CNG (not in the UK), battery electric (e-Golf) and plug-in hybrid (GTE).¹

Engine: 1.4 TSI, 110 kW (150 PS), 250 Nm³
Electric motor: 75 kW (102 PS), 330 Nm³
System output: 150 kW (204 PS), 350 Nm³¹
Gearbox: 6-speed DSG 0DD (DQ400E)³
HV battery: 8.8 kWh gross, 96 cells, 345 V, 120 kg, liquid cooled³
Electric range: Up to 50 km NEDC, 40 km (25 miles) WLTP³⁴

Electronics

Every control module and its diagnostic address.

Faults

Common faults across the range.

Servicing

Service items and intervals.

GTI

The petrol performance Golf for comparison.

Timeline and markets

Date	Event	Source
Jan 2014	e-Golf launched in the UK.	[1]
Mar 2014	GTE debut at Geneva. VW's "40 Years of Golf" text says it will be launched in the autumn, with 1.5 l/100 km and 50 km electric range.	[1] [23]
Aug 2014	First German GTE registrations Unverified	[5]
2015	GTE is Europe's second-best-selling plug-in hybrid (17,282) Unverified	[5]
Sept 2016	UK trims: GTE and GTE Nav.	[1]
14 Feb 2017	Facelift GTE and GTE Advance listed at "TBA", not yet open to order, factory orders to open later in 2017.	[7]
Mar 2017	e-Golf production starts at Dresden.	[21]
27 Feb 2020	MK8 successor (Golf GTE, GTI, GTD) press kit.	[24]
1 May 2020	UK GTE and GTE Advance marked as possibly no longer available to order, or only from stock.	[4]
Summer 2020	e-Golf production ends at Wolfsburg.	[21]
23 Dec 2020	Last e-Golf built, at Dresden.	[21]

The GTE was never sold in the US. The e-Golf was, from November 2014. Unverified⁵
In the UK, the e-Golf and GTE were sold only through VW's EV and PHEV specialist retailers. There were 24 e-Golf specialists in 2017.⁴⁶
The facelift trims were GTE and GTE Advance.⁷

UK prices and grant

Date	Model	Basic	Retail (incl. VAT)	Total OTR	P11D	BIK	Insurance	Source
1 May 2020	GTE	£26,241.67	£31,490.00	£32,180.00	£32,125.00	12%	19E	[4]
1 May 2020	GTE Advance	£27,741.67	£33,290.00	£33,980.00	£33,925.00	12%	19E	[4]

The 2020 GTE price includes £5,248.33 VAT and £690 on-the-road costs.⁴

The February 2017 list says the GTE and GTE Advance qualify for the Government Plug-in Car Grant, deducted at registration. It gives no amount.⁷
The May 2020 list claims the grant only for the e-Golf and says nothing about a GTE grant.⁴
UK GTE prices for 2014–2019 and the grant amount in any year could not be found, because the VW UK price lists for those years are not archived. Unverified

Powertrain

Petrol engine

1.4 TSI, 110 kW (150 PS), 250 Nm, from the EA211 family adapted for the plug-in hybrid, with Bosch MED 17.1.21 engine management. It was the first EA211 with a thermal management system.³
The engine control unit J623 is also the hybrid manager and the "high-voltage coordinator". It monitors every HV component and gives start authorisation and permission to charge.³

Engine code	Seen on	J623 hardware	Source
CUKB	2016–2018 GTEs (model years G, H, J), "1.4l TFSI hy"	04E 907 309 F	[10] [9] [25] [8]
DGEA	2020 (model year L) MK7.5 GTE	04E 907 309 CG, SW 04E 906 024 E	[8]

CUKB is confirmed but late MK7.5 cars used DGEA. When the change happened is not known. Unverified⁸

Electric motor

Motor V141, inside the three-phase drive VX54: permanent-magnet synchronous, 75 kW (102 PS), 330 Nm, maximum 7,000 rpm. The electric drive weighs 34 kg. It sits between the engine and gearbox and also works as the starter and alternator.³
Temperature sender G712 (NTC): power is restricted above about 150 °C and the motor is not driven above 180 °C. Rotor position sender G713 has 30 coils and an 8-lobe wheel.³
Combined system output is 150 kW (204 PS) and 350 Nm.³¹
The GTE shares its basic powertrain hardware with the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron. Unverified⁵

Gearbox: 0DD (DQ400E)

A new 6-speed DSG, first used in the Golf GTE, with the whole hybrid module inside the gearbox. VAG calls it DQ400E and scans show "GSG DQ400E".³⁹ VW covers it in Self-study Programme 538, "The 6-speed Dual Clutch Gearbox 0DD".³

Gears: 6 forward, 1 reverse³
Maximum torque: 400 Nm³
Weight: 93 kg with oil; hybrid module 34 kg³
Oil first fill: 8.1 litres³
Ratio spread: 6.83³
Clutches: Three wet clutches: K0 (engine disconnect), K1 and K2. V141 starts the engine through K0.³

Fuel system

The tank is sealed gas-tight, with shut-off valve N288 and tank pressure sensor G400. A release button depressurises the tank first (0.5–7 seconds) and the car then stays ready to refuel for up to 17 minutes. It cannot be prepared above 14 km/h.³ Tank capacity is 40 litres.³

Driving modes

Mode (SSP name)	What it does	Source
E-MODE	Default at start-up. Electric driving up to 130 km/h. Button E656, beside the selector lever.	[3]
Hybrid Auto	Named in SSP 537.	[3]
Battery Hold	Named in SSP 537. Wikipedia says it was only on older cars. Unverified	[3] [5]
Battery Charge	Named in SSP 537.	[3]
GTE	Button E541. Firmer DCC, less steering assistance, sport engine and gearbox maps, more dynamic ACC, belt pre-tensioning off, synthetic engine sound, sport map for the electric brake servo.	[3]

UK marketing names are e-mode, Hybrid mode, Battery charge mode and "GTE" mode.¹⁷ Kick-down in D or B uses both the engine and motor in any mode.³

High-voltage battery

Item	Value	Source
Name	AX2, lithium-ion	[3]
Cells	96 (96s1p), 3.6 V per cell	[3]
Nominal voltage	345 V	[3]
Energy	8.8 kWh gross (Wikipedia: 8.7 kWh in its infobox, 8.8 kWh in its text) Sources differ	[3] [5]
Weight	120 kg	[3]
Cooling	Liquid cooled, a first for VW	[3]
Operating range	-28 to 60 °C	[3]
Protection	IP66 / IP67 / IP6K9K	[3]
Position	Under the floor in front of the rear axle, protected by side bars and underbody guards. The floor, tank position and rear side members were changed to fit it.	[3]

SSP 537 says the GTE uses the same lithium-ion cells as the e-up! and e-Golf.³ The GTE's cell supplier was not found. Unverified
No VW document gives a kWh figure for the MK7.5 GTE. Every scan from 2016 to 2020 shows the same J840 hardware, 5Q0 915 182 C, which suggests the pack did not change. Unverified¹⁰⁸

Battery management

J840 battery regulation control unit (the master), SX6 switching unit (contactors, current sensor, insulation monitoring, crash signal) and J497 module monitor (cell voltages, temperatures, balancing).³
The GTE networking legend lists battery modules 0–26 (J991–J1002, J1068, J1077–J1085). That is 27 modules, which matches the e-Golf pack and may be carried over. The GTE's module count is Unverified.³
VCDS shows some battery "health" values that Ross-Tech staff say may not be reliable.¹¹

Cooling and power electronics

A dedicated HV coolant circuit serves the charger, power electronics and battery: pumps V508 and V590, valves N632 and N688, a low-temperature radiator, and chiller VX63 fed from the air conditioning through valve N542.³
Power and control electronics JX1 (containing J841) sits on the left of the engine bay: 250–430 V, maximum 450 A, 12 V DC/DC output 120 A, 9–10 kHz, 10.5 kg. It also charges the 12 V battery, which is under a bolted cover in the boot floor.³

Charging

Charger: AX4 (J1050 with integrated J966): 3.6 kW, AC in 100–240 V 16 A, DC out 220–240 V 12 A, 93% efficient, 5.8 kg. It also powers the HV heater Z115 and electric A/C compressor V470 while charging.³
Socket: UX4, behind the VW badge in the grille, with immediate-charge button E766, charge-profile button E808, LED L263, lock actuator F498 and temperature sender G853.³
Cables (UK 2017): Two supplied: a 16 A AC cable for wallboxes and public points (mode 3) and a 10 A mains cable (mode 2).⁷

Supply	Time (SSP, Europe)	Source
Mains cable	about 3 h 45 min	[3]
Home charging station	about 2 h 15 min	[3]
Public charging cable	about 2 h 15 min	[3]

One owner reports 2 hours at a maximum of 3.5 kW.¹² The 2017 UK list describes the socket as "AC type 2 (DC charge)", but no DC charging rate appears in any source, so the GTE should be treated as AC only. Unverified⁷

Range and consumption

Figure	Value	Source
Electric range, NEDC	up to 50 km	[3] [23]
Electric range, WLTP (UK 2020), combined	25 miles / 40 km	[4]
Electric range, WLTP city	29 mi / 46 km (GTE), 28 mi / 45 km (GTE Advance)	[4]
Electric efficiency, WLTP	4.60 mi/kWh (GTE), 4.54 mi/kWh (GTE Advance)	[4]
Top speed on electric	130 km/h (SSP) or 81 mph (UK 2016)	[3] [1]
Total range	up to 939 km (SSP 2014) or around 580 miles (UK 2016)	[3] [1]
NEDC	166 mpg, 39 g/km CO2	[1]
WLTP (UK 2020)	141.2 mpg / 2.0 l/100 km, 45–48 g/km CO2	[4]

The column labels in the 2020 WLTP data are garbled in the source, so match the WLTP figures to a trim with care. Unverified⁴

Performance, dimensions and weights

Item	Value	Source
0–62 mph	7.6 s	[1]
Top speed	138 mph (Wikipedia gives both 222 and 215 km/h) Sources differ	[1] [5]
Length	4,270 mm	[3]
Width	1,799 mm (2,027 mm including mirrors)	[3]
Height	1,457 mm	[3]
Wheelbase	2,631 mm	[3]
Track front / rear	1,543 / 1,513 mm	[3]
Turning circle	10.9 m	[3]
Drag coefficient	0.299	[3]
Kerb weight (DIN)	1,524 kg	[3]
Gross vehicle weight	2,020 kg	[3]
Braked trailer	1,500 kg	[3]
Roof load	75 kg	[3]
Fuel tank	40 litres	[3]
Boot	272 litres, 1,162 litres rear seat folded	[3]

SSP dimensions are for a car on 205/55 R16 tyres.³

Chassis and wheels

2016 GTE: sports suspension lowered about 15 mm, XDS+ and progressive steering standard, DCC optional.¹
2016 GTE: 18 in "Marseille" wheels.¹
2017 facelift GTE: 7.5J x 17 "Rio de Janeiro" with 225/45 R17. GTE Advance: 7.5J x 18 "Marseille" with 225/40 R18.⁷

Styling and equipment

SSP 537 lists LED headlights with a blue stripe, LED daytime running lights, the charging socket behind the grille badge, a GTE-logo steering wheel with blue stitching, GTE seat covers and a GTE tailgate badge.³
Blue highlights replace the GTI's red, including a blue stripe in the tartan sports seats. Unverified⁵
UK 2017 GTE over the GT: GTE styling pack (unique bumpers, rear roof spoiler, sills), C-shaped LED daytime running lights in place of front fog lights, GTE grille with blue stripe, blue brake calipers, tinted LED rear lights with sweeping indicators, black diffuser with chrome twin tailpipe, black rooflining, "Honeycomb Black" inserts, "Jacara Grey" cloth, 12.3 in Active Info Display, 8.0 in Composition Media, two-zone climate and three years of Car-Net e-Remote.⁷
UK 2017 GTE Advance adds: 18 in Marseille wheels, Discover Navigation (8.0 in), heated front seats, rear privacy glass, headlight washers and "e-sound", an exterior sound generator for e-mode.⁷
The GTE could not have the panoramic sunroof (2016) and was excluded from several other options.¹
The instrument cluster has a power meter in place of the rev counter on the left, showing "READY", boost range and an HV reserve warning. The infotainment adds e-manager (timed charging and climate), zero-emission statistics and, on Discover Pro, a 360-degree range map.³
Stationary climate: the electric A/C compressor V470 and HV PTC heater Z115/J848 run on a timer or from the Car-Net app. The optional Webasto Thermo Top Evo auxiliary heater is diagnosed at address 18 and must be put into diagnosis mode first.³

Diagnostic addresses and HV modules

From real VCDS scans of 2016 and 2017 cars (5QE gateway) and 2018 and 2020 cars (3Q0 gateway). Chassis type shows as "AU-VW37 (5QE)" on 2016–2017 cars and "AU-VW37 (3Q0)" on 2018–2020 cars.¹³⁸ See Electronics for the rest of the car.

Address	Module	Part numbers seen	Source
01	Engine J623 ("1.4l TFSI hy")	CUKB: HW 04E 907 309 F. DGEA: HW 04E 907 309 CG, SW 04E 906 024 E	[9] [8]
02	Auto Trans J743, "GSG DQ400E"	SW 0DD 300 040 C (2016–17), 0DD 300 046 / 0DD 300 046 F (2018), 0DD 300 046 C (2020). HW 0DD 927 770 C throughout	[13] [9] [8]
18	Auxiliary heater (optional Thermo Top Evo)	n/a	[3]
19	CAN Gateway J533, "GW MQB EV"	5QE 907 530 D / F (2016–17), 3Q0 907 530 H / M / AD (2018–20)	[10] [8]
23	Brake Booster J539, "EBKV" (electromechanical brake servo)	5QE 909 059 D / E / G / H	[16]
51	Electric Drive J841 (inside JX1)	SW 5G0 907 080 D "VW370P3815010" (2016–17), 5G0 907 080 E "LE Gen 3.3" (2018–20)	[13] [17]
8C	HV Battery / Hybrid Battery J840, "BECM"	HW 5Q0 915 182 C, SW C, D or E	[8] [9]
A9	Structure-borne sound J869, "SAS-GEN 2" (interior engine sound)	5G0 907 159 C	[16]
C0	Actuator for exterior noise, "E_SOUND_SG"	5QE 035 335	[16]
C6	Battery charger J1050, "OBC KOSTAL"	5QE 915 682 AA (2016–17), AF (2018), BG (2020)	[10] [8]

VCDS labels address 8C "HV Battery" or "Hybrid Battery" depending on its version.⁸⁹
Address BD (J966) does not appear in GTE scans. That fits SSP 537: on the GTE, J966 is built into the charger AX4, while the e-Golf shows J966 at BD.³¹⁴

Component protection

The DQ400E mechatronic is component-protected. A used unit had to be matched online (forum report; check adaptations IKA and GFA).¹⁵
Whether J840, J841 and J1050 are component-protected is not known. Unverified

High-voltage safety

The GTE and e-Golf carry a dangerous high-voltage system. Work on any high-voltage component, cable or connector must only be done by trained, qualified people. Follow VW's de-energising procedure for the car in full before any work near the HV system.

VW treats anything above 25 V AC or 60 V DC as dangerous, and only qualified staff may work on it.³
VW's procedure is: de-energise, secure against reactivation, then verify. The car's own "verify de-energised" diagnostic never replaces the manual check with tester VAS 6558A.³
Emergency cut-out: a tagged 10 A fuse in fuse holder SC (bottom left of the passenger compartment, with J519) cuts terminal 30c to J840.³
Owners report a plug under the bonnet that opens the 12 V high-voltage interlock (HVIL) loop, which is how the HV system is made safe. Its location in the service manual is Unverified.¹⁶⁸
J840 checks the crash signal. After a front crash one car stored "26623/26624 Crash Shut-Down Activated P1609" in 8C and would not start. The owner tried login 20103 and the "reversible crash signal" basic setting without success (forum, unresolved).³¹⁷

Common faults

Fault	Symptoms and findings	Car	Source
DQ400E basic settings fail	"146 - Disengaging clutch responding incorrect", gearbox locked, at under 54k miles. A forum post claims a specialist refuses these boxes and VW lists only a new unit, 0DD 300 040 C 001, at GBP 9,146.10 Unverified.	GTE	[13]
DQ400E P0867	"Transmission Fluid Pressure, function restriction due to low pressure". Fixed with a new mechatronic. A TPI suggests gearbox replacement (TPI number Unverified).	2016 GTE	[15]
26638 High Voltage System Interlock P0A0A open circuit	"Hybrid system malfunction / unable to restart - do not open bonnet". Clears on an ignition cycle.	2017 GTE	[16]
26645 High Voltage Service Disconnect	No start, "Error Hybrid System. Stop vehicle!". A technician found a corroded HVIL loop wire under the rear of the car, 1–2 cm from the HV battery plug.	2020 GTE	[8]
12 V battery not charging	"Error: 12V battery not charging. Stop vehicle safely!" after remote pre-climatisation. P0562 system voltage low, gateway P1B01 generator and U1406 quiescent current. The 12 V battery was suspected (unresolved).	2018 GTE	[25]
Crash shut-down	See High-voltage safety.	GTE	[17]

An HV battery replacement is claimed on a forum at GBP 12,870. Unverified¹³ See also Faults and Servicing.

Warranty and recalls

Battery warranty (UK)

The February 2017 list gives 8 years or 99,360 miles (160,000 km), whichever comes first, for the e-Golf and GTE battery. Gradual capacity loss is not a defect unless it exceeds the value set for the vehicle. Misuse can void the cover, for example "not charging on the CSS (Rapid charge) function 3 times in a row".⁷
The 2017 e-Golf pack states 8 years or 160,000 km ("c.100,000 mile") and elsewhere 8 years or 100,000 miles. Sources differ⁶

Recalls

No GTE, e-Golf or HV-specific UK recall appears on an aggregated list of VW Golf recalls.¹⁸
UK recall R/2021/320: the pull rod between the electromechanical brake servo and the pedal may loosen (Golf built 13 Jan 2019 to 20 May 2021, 145 cars). Whether it covers the e-Golf and GTE, which use that servo, or only the MK8 is Unverified.¹⁹
US e-Golf recall 16V138000 (VW 93B4): oversensitive HV battery management diagnostics could wrongly detect a surge and shut down the drive motor. MY2015–2016 cars built 21 May 2014 to 1 Mar 2016. Fixed with a battery management software update.²⁰

e-Golf

The e-Golf is the battery electric MK7 on the same MQB platform. It shares many HV topics with the GTE. VW covers it in Self-study Programme 530, "The e-Golf".³

Item	2014 e-Golf	2017 e-Golf	Source
Motor	85 kW / 115 PS, 270 Nm	100 kW / 136 PS, 290 Nm	[1] [6]
Battery energy	24.2 kWh	35.8 kWh (up to 31.5 kWh net)	[1] [6] [2]
Cells	264	264 prismatic, in 27 modules of 6 or 12, co-developed with Panasonic	[1] [6]
Voltage	323 V	264–369 V (power electronics range)	[1] [6]
Battery weight	318 kg	n/a	[1]
Battery cooling	None active Unverified	None active	[5] [6]
0–62 mph	10.4 s	9.6 s	[1] [6]
Top speed	87 mph	93 mph	[1] [6]
Range	up to 118 miles	up to 186 miles NEDC; 144 miles WLTP (UK 2020)	[1] [6] [4]
Consumption	n/a	12.7 kWh/100 km	[6]
Gearbox	Single-speed	EQ 270, 12,000 rpm motor, made in Kassel	[1] [6]
Mains charging	2.3 kW, 13 h	2.3 kW, about 17 h	[1] [6]
Wallbox	3.6 kW, 8 h	7.2 kW, under 6 h (summary) or 3.6 kW, 10 h 50 min (charging section) Sources differ	[1] [6]
DC rapid (CCS)	up to 40 kW, 80% in 30 min	40 kW, 80% in 45 min	[1] [6]

2017 e-Golf details

Drag coefficient 0.27, or 0.281 elsewhere in the same press pack. Sources differ⁶
Boot 341 litres, 1,231 litres seats folded. Optional heat pump. Regeneration levels D, D1–D3 and B. Built in Wolfsburg (UK pack).⁶

Production and prices

145,561 e-Golfs were built in total, 50,401 of them in Dresden from March 2017.²¹
UK orders opened on 11 March 2014 at GBP 25,845. Unverified⁵
UK 1 May 2020: 136 PS, basic GBP 25,320.83, retail GBP 30,385, total OTR GBP 31,075, or GBP 28,075 after the GBP 3,000 Plug-in Car Grant. P11D GBP 31,020, BIK 0%, insurance group 26E. The grant fell from GBP 3,500 to GBP 3,000 on 1 April 2020.⁴

e-Golf modules

Address	Module	Part numbers seen	Source
01	J623 "E-Vehicle"	J623-EAGA (2015–16), J623-EAZA (2019)	[14] [26] [22] [27]
19	Gateway, "GW MQB EV"	n/a	[14] [26] [22] [27]
23	EBKV brake servo	n/a	[14] [26] [22] [27]
51	Electric Drive J841	5QE 907 080 C / D "VW370E26150x0" (early), 5QE 907 080 L "LE Gen 3.3" (2019)	[14] [26] [22] [27]
8C	HV Battery J840, "K8C"	5QE 915 227 H / M (24.2 kWh cars), 5GE 915 225 B (2019)	[14] [26] [22] [27]
BD	Hi Volt. Batt. Charg. J966, "LMSG"	5QE 915 022	[14] [26] [22] [27]
C5	Thermal management J1024, "TME-Min" (some cars)	5GE 907 458	[14] [26] [22] [27]
C6	Battery charger J1050	"OBC KOSTAL" 12E 915 682 or "OBC Delta-ES" 5QE 915 681 B	[14] [26] [22] [27]

The link between EAGA (85 kW) and EAZA (100 kW) and the model year is inferred from scan dates only. Unverified²²

e-Golf faults

DC/DC converter faults in address 51 (P33CB internal malfunction, P33CC), with gateway P1B01 "Generator" and 8C isolation and current-sensor faults (2015 car).¹⁴
A 2019 car would not charge on a Level 2 charger: "No communications with battery charger" U019B in 01 and 8C, U1139 in the gateway, and address C6 missing from the scan.²²
US recall 16V138000 for battery management software is listed under Warranty and recalls.²⁰

Not yet found

UK GTE prices 2014–2019 and the grant amount per year.
MK7.5 GTE battery capacity, the 2017 facelift GTE press release, the GTE cell supplier, component protection status of the HV modules, and the location and part number of the HVIL service connector.
SSP 530 (e-Golf) and SSP 538 (0DD) have not been read.