Volkswagen Touareg running costs and reliability

2018 onwards (change model)

Running costs rating: 3.1 out of 53.1

Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Published: 16 November 2023 Updated: 16 November 2023

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	2.6 - 4.0 mpp
Diesel engines	3.0 - 4.5 mpp
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	N/A

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	17.7 - 27.2 mpg
Diesel engines	23.5 - 35.3 mpg
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	N/A

View mpg & specs for any version

It’s not cheap to service or maintain…
But then, you shouldn’t expect it be
Best fuel consumption from the eHybrid

The 3.0-litre diesel V6 delivers the best claimed combined economy of the regular ICE engines regardless of power output – you can expect 33.4mpg and 215g/km of CO2, on the WLTP ‘real world’ Combined test. This means a reasonably stout first-year VED car tax for private owners.

All cars come with an eight-speed automatic transmission with an Eco mode, and in gentle driving it improves fuel consumption markedly. Overall though this engine delivers lots of punch without working too hard, so you won’t need to resort to hypermiling to get decent fuel consumption out of it.

The petrol V6 performs less well here, as you’d expect, with 25.7mpg and 251g/km of CO2. While it’s the faster car overall, it doesn’t have anywhere near as much torque as either diesel, and therefore feels a bit less flexible on the road. In other words you have to work it harder, which will have an effect on economy.

The PHEVs give the best on paper efficiency, with 128.4mpg for the eHybrid and 122.8mpg for the R. However, CO2 emissions for both are over 50g/km and the EV range is only 31 miles. This makes it one of the pricier plug-in hybrids for company car tax.

Servicing and warranty

The Touareg gets a typical three year or 60,000 mile warranty, some way off Lexus’s 10 year/100,000 mile cover. Servicing is likely to be pricey, so it’s handy you can pay up front or spread the cost.

Reliability

Based on hardware proven elsewhere
Performance of all-new engine will be interesting
Historically, Touaregs are reliable and well-liked

The Volkswagen Touareg uses a number of major components that have been tried and tested across the Volkswagen Group, so reliability in that respect should be good.

The good news is that the pre-facelift Touareg has a good overall reputation for quality, and that Parkers’ readers rate it highly, with an overall score of 4.6 in the owners’ reviews section. Volkswagen will be keen to continue this good performance.