• BlueMotion technology as standard
• Budget plenty for fuel, tyres and brakes
• Remember to keep the AdBlue topped up

What are the running costs?

This is a big, heavy box with limited aerodynamic properties – so while VW fits a number of fuel-saving BlueMotion features (including stop-start, low-rolling resistance tyres and brake energy regeneration), you should be prepared to pay for the privilege of taking your own hotel on holiday with you when it comes to diesel consumption.

Take the claimed figures, which in June 2024 range from 31.4mpg to 35.8mpg, with a reasonably substantial pinch of salt. There’s also a 13-litre AdBlue tank you need to keep topped-up – a requirement for the Euro 6 emissions regulations. If you get above 30mpg on a regular basis in the real world you’re doing well; the short-lived petrol versions will be substantially worse.

CO2 emissions aren’t great, being officially quoted at 206-237g/km for the 2024 diesel line-up.

Californias with the DSG transmission do have a ‘coasting’ function, which disengages the engine from the gearbox when rolling along at higher speeds – you’ll notice this in action when the revs drop down to idle levels while you’re driving. The engine reengages as soon as you press on the accelerator again or manually select a lower gear. This is relatively easy to adapt to, but we do always find ourselves wishing for greater engine braking in these.

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Look for specialist insurance

Weighing at least 2.3-tonnes means the California will be hard on its brakes and tyres, as well as generating plenty of CO2, in some instances making it more expensive to tax.

Counterbalancing the costs, you’ll find that there are specialist insurers for these kinds of vehicles, which can help keep your premiums down (look out for further reductions through owners’ clubs and forums), and VW offers a range of servicing packages to take the sting out of those bills as well.

The California meets Euro 6 emissions requirements – which means potentially harmful NOx emissions are significantly reduced. This is why it has an AdBlue tank.

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Reliability

While VW generally builds reliable vehicles, California owners’ groups have reported issues with knocking steering, blistering paint (especially on the front roof panel), recurring airbag warning lights and water ingress – including excessive windscreen condensation (though this hardly seems surprising if you’ve got four people sleeping inside) and leaks from the sliding side windows.

Some of these problems are more common on earlier T5 models than the T6 versions, however.

There have been just three official recalls on passenger versions of the T6 since it was introduced (which means the Caravelle as well as the California), for issues with water getting inside and into the electronics, cracking fuel hoses and front airbags – though the latter affected just 17 vehicles in the UK. Looking beyond the passenger versions, there have been a few other T6 and T6.1 recall issues but no glaring issues that go on for years of production, suggesting Volkswagen’s factory quality control is properly tight.

Recalls should all have been fixed by VW free of charge, but if you’re buying a used California it will be worth checking that any necessary work has actually been carried during the previous owner’s custodianship.