Volkswagen Jetta vs Dodge Dart: which is more reliable?
The Volkswagen Jetta and the Dodge Dart are level on the federal record — 70/100 against 71/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen Jetta
- 15 model years scored
- 3,439 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 76 recall campaigns, 42 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (91/100) · worst 2019 (26/100)
Dodge Dart
- 4 model years scored
- 2,315 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 16 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (84/100) · worst 2013 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Jetta against Dart
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 Jetta
- Electrical System — 920 complaints
- Engine — 714 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 587 complaints
Dodge Dart
- Power Train — 907 complaints
- Engine — 483 complaints
- Service Brakes — 446 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Jetta's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Dart's in Power Train. 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 Jetta — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019.
Dodge Dart — avoid: 2013.
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 Jetta prices at about $26,000 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800 — the Dodge Dart is roughly $15,200 less, and they return 33.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Volkswagen Jetta or the Dodge Dart more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Dart scores 71/100 against the Volkswagen Jetta's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Volkswagen Jetta and Dodge Dart years should I avoid?
Volkswagen Jetta: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019. Dodge Dart: 2013. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Volkswagen Jetta and the Dodge Dart?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen Jetta is Electrical System (920 complaints); on the Dodge Dart it is Power Train (907).
Is the Volkswagen Jetta or the Dodge Dart cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen Jetta prices at about $26,000 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.