Volkswagen CC vs Volkswagen Eos: which is more reliable?

The Volkswagen Eos is ahead of the Volkswagen CC on the federal record, 81/100 against 76/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.

The record, side by side

Volkswagen CC

76/100 mean
  • 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)
Volkswagen Eos
Volkswagen Eos · Wikimedia Commons

Volkswagen Eos

81/100 mean
  • 6 model years scored
  • 185 owner complaints on record
  • about 2 complaints per year on the road
  • 17 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
  • best year 2016 (90/100) · worst 2012 (42/100)

Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.

Year by year: CC against Eos

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.

YearCCEos Gap
201789 BUY——
201683 BUY90 BUY-7
201585 BUY90 BUY-5
201471 BUY67 CAUTION+4
201352 CAUTION77 BUY-25
201236 AVOID42 AVOID-6
201176 BUY87 BUY-11

What owners actually complain about

Volkswagen CC

  • Air Bags — 279 complaints
  • Fuel/Propulsion System — 119 complaints
  • Engine — 119 complaints

Volkswagen Eos

  • Air Bags — 126 complaints
  • Electrical System — 21 complaints
  • Engine — 17 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

Volkswagen CC — avoid: 2012.

Volkswagen Eos — 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 Volkswagen CC prices at about $21,800 and a Volkswagen Eos at about $19,700 — the Volkswagen Eos is roughly $2,100 less, and they return 25.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.

Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.

FAQ

Is the Volkswagen CC or the Volkswagen Eos more reliable?

On the NHTSA record the Volkswagen Eos scores 81/100 against the Volkswagen CC's 76/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.

Which Volkswagen CC and Volkswagen Eos years should I avoid?

Volkswagen CC: 2012. Volkswagen Eos: 2012. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.

What goes wrong on the Volkswagen CC and the Volkswagen Eos?

The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen CC is Air Bags (279 complaints); on the Volkswagen Eos it is Air Bags (126).

Is the Volkswagen CC or the Volkswagen Eos cheaper to own?

A recent used Volkswagen CC prices at about $21,800 and a Volkswagen Eos at about $19,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.

More head-to-heads