As of 2025, Volkswagen had produced eight generations of the Golf.
The first Golf, known as the Mk1, launched in 1974 as the successor to the Volkswagen Beetle. It established the company’s compact front-wheel-drive hatchback formula and began a model line that would become one of Europe’s best-selling cars.
The generations are commonly identified as Mk1 through Mk8. The Mk2 arrived in 1983, followed by the Mk3 in 1991, Mk4 in 1997, Mk5 in 2003, Mk6 in 2008, Mk7 in 2012, and Mk8 in 2019. The exact launch and retirement years varied by market and body style, so model-year tables can overlap.
The 2024 facelift is often called the Golf Mk8.5, but it is not a ninth generation. It is a refreshed version of the eighth-generation Golf, which is why the correct generation count in 2025 remained eight.