New Renault Megane RS vs Honda Civic Type R vs Volkswagen Golf R

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

We’ll keep this bit short, because it isn’t that complicated: the Mégane is the cheapest option and the Golf, by some margin, the most expensive. That’s true no matter whether you’re paying cash, signing up to a PCP finance deal or a company car driver – and it remains the case after you’ve factored in all the bills you’re likely to face over three years.

There isn’t much in it for luxuries, although the Mégane is the only one of our trio without standard adaptive cruise control to automatically maintain a set distance from the car in front. Meanwhile, the Golf is the only one with heated front seats but also the only one without standard keyless entry.

It’s very disappointing that Renault doesn’t fit any modern safety kit as standard, though. The Civic and Golf both come with automatic emergency braking as standard, while the latter also has lane-keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition.