Volkswagen Atlas vs Nissan Murano: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is clearly ahead of the Volkswagen Atlas on the federal record: 79/100 against 64/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen Atlas
- 8 model years scored
- 1,939 owner complaints on record
- about 55 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (87/100) · worst 2021 (42/100)
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Atlas against Murano
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
Volkswagen Atlas
- Electrical System — 472 complaints
- Air Bags — 363 complaints
- Engine — 357 complaints
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Atlas's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Murano's in Unknown Or Other. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Volkswagen Atlas — avoid: 2021.
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
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 Volkswagen Atlas prices at about $44,100 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800 — the Nissan Murano is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 22.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Volkswagen Atlas or the Nissan Murano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Volkswagen Atlas's 64/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Nissan Murano carries about 8 complaints per year on the road against 55 for the Volkswagen Atlas.
Which Volkswagen Atlas and Nissan Murano years should I avoid?
Volkswagen Atlas: 2021. Nissan Murano: 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Volkswagen Atlas and the Nissan Murano?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen Atlas is Electrical System (472 complaints); on the Nissan Murano it is Unknown Or Other (214).
Is the Volkswagen Atlas or the Nissan Murano cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen Atlas prices at about $44,100 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.