Dodge Avenger vs Volkswagen CC: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Avenger and the Volkswagen CC are level on the federal record — 74/100 against 76/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Dodge Avenger
- 4 model years scored
- 1,515 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (89/100) · worst 2013 (60/100)
Volkswagen CC
- 7 model years scored
- 604 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 33 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (89/100) · worst 2012 (36/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Avenger against CC
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Dodge Avenger
- Air Bags — 367 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 341 complaints
- Engine — 286 complaints
Volkswagen CC
- Air Bags — 279 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 119 complaints
- Engine — 119 complaints
Both nameplates have Air Bags as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Avenger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014.
Volkswagen CC — avoid: 2012.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Volkswagen CC at about $21,800 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $6,400 less, and they return 24.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Volkswagen CC more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Volkswagen CC scores 76/100 against the Dodge Avenger's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Avenger and Volkswagen CC years should I avoid?
Dodge Avenger: no year scores below 45. Volkswagen CC: 2012. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Avenger and the Volkswagen CC?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Avenger is Air Bags (367 complaints); on the Volkswagen CC it is Air Bags (279).
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Volkswagen CC cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Volkswagen CC at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.