Is it safe to drive with the EPC light on?

Treat it as a drive-to-the-garage light, not a carry-on-commuting light. Volkswagen documentation classes it as a fault requiring action, and the car may reduce power. If power loss is severe or other warnings join it, stop somewhere safe.

A protective state where the engine management limits power after detecting a fault, keeping revs and throttle response low so you can reach help without damaging the engine. Reduced power with the EPC light is the system working as designed.

Can I just keep driving until it goes off?

The light reflects a stored fault; ignoring it risks worsening the underlying cause and leaves you driving with degraded throttle behaviour. Get the codes read promptly.

EPC Light: Is It Safe to Drive? The Cautious Verdict

Verdict: Plan ahead

Drive to a garage promptly. Stop now if power loss is severe or other warnings join in.

Volkswagen's owner documentation classes the yellow EPC light as a motor control fault where action is required Volkswagen⁠. It is not a finish-your-journey-and-forget-it lamp.

Why the car feels down on power

The Electronic Power Control system manages the throttle electronically. When it detects an implausible signal, the engine management deliberately limits output: low revs, muted throttle response, sometimes a fixed fast idle. Drivers call it limp mode. It is protective, not random: the car is capping the systems it no longer fully trusts so you can reach help without damage.

Drive-to-garage versus stop-now

Drive to the garage when the light is on but the car behaves: normal or mildly reduced power, no other warnings. Keep speed moderate, avoid motorways where a sudden power cap would be dangerous, and get the codes read OBD-Codes⁠.
Stop somewhere safe when power loss is severe, the engine stalls or surges, the brake lights are misbehaving (a failed brake light switch is a classic EPC cause, and following traffic cannot see you slow), or the EPC light is joined by red warnings. Recover rather than limp.

Then fix the actual fault

The light's cause list runs from a cheap switch to a throttle body: causes and codes narrows it, and repair cost explains the bill structure without inventing numbers. The hub page for this territory is the EPC light explained.