Volkswagen Tiguan vs Nissan Murano: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is ahead of the Volkswagen Tiguan on the federal record, 79/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen Tiguan
- 15 model years scored
- 1,977 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (89/100) · worst 2022 (40/100)
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: Tiguan 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.
| Year | Tiguan | Murano | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 CAUTION | 64 CAUTION | -8 |
| 2024 | 72 BUY | 91 BUY | -19 |
| 2023 | 83 BUY | 92 BUY | -9 |
| 2022 | 40 AVOID | 93 BUY | -53 |
| 2021 | 73 BUY | 94 BUY | -21 |
| 2020 | 78 BUY | 83 BUY | -5 |
| 2019 | 72 BUY | 89 BUY | -17 |
| 2018 | 48 AVOID | 92 BUY | -44 |
| 2017 | 86 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +21 |
| 2016 | 89 BUY | 63 CAUTION | +26 |
| 2015 | 87 BUY | 37 AVOID | +50 |
| 2014 | 87 BUY | 70 BUY | +17 |
| 2013 | 86 BUY | 89 BUY | -3 |
| 2012 | 86 BUY | 80 BUY | +6 |
| 2011 | 84 BUY | 80 BUY | +4 |
What owners actually complain about
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Engine — 548 complaints
- Electrical System — 457 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 364 complaints
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Tiguan's complaints concentrate in Engine, 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 Tiguan — avoid: 2018, 2022.
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 Tiguan prices at about $30,400 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800 — the Volkswagen Tiguan is roughly $10,400 less, and they return 28.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Volkswagen Tiguan or the Nissan Murano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Volkswagen Tiguan'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 Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan Murano years should I avoid?
Volkswagen Tiguan: 2018, 2022. 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 Tiguan and the Nissan Murano?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen Tiguan is Engine (548 complaints); on the Nissan Murano it is Unknown Or Other (214).
Is the Volkswagen Tiguan or the Nissan Murano cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen Tiguan prices at about $30,400 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.