Used Volkswagen Jetta and Passat: the years the record favours

The Jetta and the Passat sold in the United States from 2011 were built for the American market — larger, simpler and cheaper than their European namesakes — and the first years of both showed it. The record on this site improves steadily through the decade until the 2018 Jetta scores 87, and then a new generation resets it. The diesel versions of both cars sit inside this record with a history of their own.

The sixth-generation Jetta, 2011 to 2018

The 2011 Jetta launched with a 2.0-litre eight-valve engine that dated from the 1990s, a torsion-beam rear axle in place of the previous car's independent suspension, and an interior that reviewers criticised on sight. Owners' complaints in the record are more concrete: the 2.0 and the 2.5-litre five-cylinder engines' ignition coils and coolant leaks, the automatic transmission's harsh shifting, the electrical system, and on cars with the 1.4 and 1.8-litre turbo engines introduced in 2014, water-pump and thermostat-housing leaks. The 2011 to 2013 cars score between 28 and 40. From 2014 the complaints fall year on year — 386, 194, 160, 159 — and the 2015 to 2018 cars score between 69 and 87. A 2016 to 2018 Jetta with the 1.4-litre turbo is a well-regarded compact saloon with the early faults engineered out.

The seventh generation, 2019 onward

The 2019 Jetta moved to the MQB platform with a 1.4-litre turbo and an eight-speed automatic, and its first year carries 545 complaints and a score of 26 — the transmission, the infotainment, and a set of electrical faults. By 2020 the count is 51 and the score 80; the 2021 to 2024 cars score between 83 and 91.

The Passat, 2012 to 2022

The American Passat launched for 2012 with the same 2.5-litre five-cylinder and 2.0 TDI diesel as the Jetta, and a 3.6-litre V6. Its record follows the Jetta's: a rough first two years on ignition coils, coolant leaks and the DSG dual-clutch on the diesel, improving from 2015 with the 1.8-litre turbo, and scoring well through the 2016 to 2019 facelift years before production ended in 2022. The V6 cars have a cleaner record than the four-cylinders in every year.

The diesels

The 2009 to 2015 Jetta TDI and the 2012 to 2015 Passat TDI are the cars at the centre of the 2015 emissions scandal. Volkswagen bought back or modified nearly every one under the 2016 settlement; the cars that were modified received new emissions software and, on the earlier engines, new hardware, and an extended warranty on the emissions system. A modified TDI in the record today is a diesel with a warranty that has probably expired and a high-pressure fuel pump — the CP4 pump — that is known to fail and contaminate the fuel system, a repair that can cost several thousand dollars. They are economical and long-lived when they work; they are not a bargain when they do not. Confirm the modification was done (the settlement required it before resale) and look for the emissions-warranty paperwork.

What to check

Any 2011 to 2013 Jetta or 2012 to 2013 Passat: the coolant level and any pink residue at the water pump, the ignition coils (a misfire under load), and the transmission from cold. Any 1.8 or 2.0 TSI from 2014 to 2018: the same water-pump check, and oil consumption on the 1.8. Any TDI: the settlement modification and the fuel-pump history.

Summary

Buy: Jetta 2015 to 2018 and 2020 onward, Passat 2016 to 2022, V6 preferred. Avoid: Jetta 2011 to 2013 and 2019, Passat 2012 to 2013, and any TDI without settlement paperwork.