Volkswagen CC vs Volkswagen Touareg: which is more reliable?
The Volkswagen Touareg is ahead of the Volkswagen CC on the federal record, 82/100 against 76/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen CC
- 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 Touareg
- 6 model years scored
- 163 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 11 recall campaigns, 5 safety-critical
- best year 2011 (91/100) · worst 2016 (70/100)
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 Touareg
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 CC
- Air Bags — 279 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 119 complaints
- Engine — 119 complaints
Volkswagen Touareg
- Engine — 70 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 25 complaints
- Steering — 16 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the CC's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Touareg's in Engine. 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 CC — avoid: 2012.
Volkswagen Touareg: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.
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 Touareg at about $33,700 — the Volkswagen CC is roughly $11,900 less, and they return 25.0 against 19.0 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 Touareg more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Volkswagen Touareg scores 82/100 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 Touareg years should I avoid?
Volkswagen CC: 2012. Volkswagen Touareg: no year scores below 45. 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 Touareg?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen CC is Air Bags (279 complaints); on the Volkswagen Touareg it is Engine (70).
Is the Volkswagen CC or the Volkswagen Touareg cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen CC prices at about $21,800 and a Volkswagen Touareg at about $33,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.