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Volkswagen Passat Estate running costs and reliability

2015 - 2024 (change model)

Running costs rating: 3.8 out of 53.8

VW Passat GTE rear vents, heated seats 2019

Written by Keith Adams Published: 7 March 2024 Updated: 7 March 2024

Miles per pound (mpp) ⓘ

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only, and typical current fuel or electricity costs.

Petrol engines	4.8 - 7.7 mpp
Diesel engines	4.6 - 7.7 mpp
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	6.0 - 6.7 mpp

* Fuel economy of the engine when operating without assistance from the electric motor and battery.

What is miles per pound?

Fuel economy ⓘ

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only.

Petrol engines	32.8 - 52.3 mpg
Diesel engines	36.2 - 60.1 mpg
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	40.9 - 45.6 mpg

* Fuel economy of the engine when operating without assistance from the electric motor and battery.

View mpg & specs for any version

Petrol and diesels economical
Affordable PCP finance costs
No more plug-in hybrid version

What are the running costs?

Overall Volkswagen Passat Estate running costs are pretty low for a car of this size. The petrol and diesel versions offer the prospect of surprisingly reasonable fuel economy, while finance costs are set to be good value, too. With relatively low-emission petrol and diesel engines available, emissions are relatively low across the board. The popular GTE plug-in hybrid model was dropped in early 2023.

Opt for the 1.5-litre petrol and it claims to reach between 39.2-45.6mpg (WLTP real-world testing) depending on spec and transmission, and we’ve had no problems beating 45mpg on longer motorway runs during testing.

Head down the diesel route and more than 50mpg is on the cards. Official figures for the 2.0-litre TDI 150 are 51.4-57.6mpg, and in mixed traffic you’ll see mid-to-high 40s over a mixed range of roads without trying. On a gentle motorway cruise, this went up to an indicated 52mpg, which is excellent, and also result in a range of up to 650-miles.

Both petrol and diesel Passats should be easy on the pocket.

Servicing and warranty

The Polo comes with a standard three-year warranty from Volkswagen in case anything goes wrong with the car. Customer service is rated highly, although the firm’s reliability record can’t quite match sister brand Skoda’s.

Volkswagen offers Service and Maintenance Plans which will offset the cost of future servicing against an upfront payment or an additional amount on a monthly payment. The advantage of these is that they will protect you against any future increase in servicing costs, and all work carried out comes with two years’ warranty.

Reliability

Interior feels built to last
Very high quality materials used
Engines and gearboxes used widely

Volkswagen Passat Estate reliability shouldn’t keep you awake at night. It’s certainly a solid-feeling machine, with the switchgear and driving controls nicely weighted to exude quality. Furthermore, all engines and gearboxes are used widely across other VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda models, meaning they should be well proven with easy-to-source parts.

Two recalls were issued for the Passat in 2019, with one relating to the welding of the rear seat bench and the other relating to the engine providing too little torque at low speeds. The former affected a relatively small number of 54 models sold, but it’s worth checking the history at the dealership to make sure if yours is one of them and if this had been done.