Which year to buy
Bar height: serious owner complaints to NHTSA for that year per car on the road, against this model's usual year.
2012GOOD BUYSerious complaints 1.4× usual, mostly air bags and steering Extended coverage
38 serious complaints of 65, the most about air bags (12) and steering (7); per car on the road, 1.4× this model's usual year. 7 recalls.
What owners report
“Takata recall. The contact's daughter owns a 2012 volkswagen beetle. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v785000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the air bags, Feb 2021
“While turning out of a driveway I heard a bang noise. It was night and at the time I did not see what went wrong until an inspection later removing the driver side front wheel. The top of the strut spring broke. The top of a mcpherson strut is a pivot for the steering. The car is a 2012 with 86,000 miles.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the steering, Mar 2020
Fixes and extended coverage
- Extended coverage VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP COMMUNICATION: Volkswagen announced a warranty extension program to cover the High Pressure Fuel Pump on 2009-2012 model year TDI Clean Diesel Engine vehicles (Dealer, Apr 2015)
- Extended coverage Warranty Information (Policies and Procedures Bulletin): Volkswagen has extended the warranty for the high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) under specific conditions to 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's original in-service date, for certain 2009 - 2012 Model Year (MY)… (VWP-15, Jun 2015)
- Extended coverage This document advises dealers regarding the Timing Chain/Timing Chain Tensioner Limited Warranty Extension (VWP-18, Aug 2018)
- Extended coverage The Vehicle Maintenance Declaration has been added back to WISE for the Timing Chain Warranty Extension. (Vehicle, Jan 2019)
- Extended coverage This Document informs dealers the warranty extension for the steering column lock housing has been revised to include 2014 and 2015 model year (VWP1802, Oct 2019)
- Extended coverage This supporting FAQ is for the Turbocharger Limited Warranty Extension Class Action Settlement. (Turbocharger, Sep 2025)
From the manufacturer's bulletins filed with NHTSA. A dealer can look up whether a car has had the work done or is still covered.
65 owner complaints · 7 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 24–25 mpg · NHTSA: 4 of 5 stars · 2012 trims and features
Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. Cars on the road from New York State registrations. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.
Trims and features
Engines: 2.0L 4-cyl turbo; 2.5L 5-cyl · Drive: FWD
2012 Beetle trims
| Beetle, Beetle Black Turbo, Beetle WhiteTurbo |
|---|
base price, seating and driver-assistance equipment from NHTSA's vehicle database (vPIC), as Volkswagen reports it. Tech and comfort features (CarPlay, heated seats, sunroof) for Volkswagen aren't in our data yet. "—": not verified in our sources. "Varies": standard on some versions of the trim.
Year by year
| Year | Engines | Drive | Fuel economy | Crash rating | Recalls | Owner complaints | Most-reported problem | CarPlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 174 hp | FWD | 29 mpg | Not rated | 4 | 14 | Electrical system (4) | — |
| 2018 | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 174 hp | FWD | 29 mpg | Not rated | 4 | 17 | Air bags (7) | — |
| 2017 | 1.8L 4-cyl turbo, 170 hp 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 210 hp | FWD | 26–28 mpg | 5 of 5 | 4 | 15 | Air bags (6) | — |
| 2016 | 1.8L 4-cyl turbo, 170 hp 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 150–210 hp manual available | FWD | 26–28 mpg | 5 of 5 | 4 | 59 | Air bags (46) | — |
| 2015 | 1.8L 4-cyl turbo 2.0L 4-cyl turbo 2.0L 4-cyl turbo diesel manual available | FWD | 25–34 mpg | 5 of 5 | 6 | 99 | Air bags (54) | — |
| 2014 | 1.8L 4-cyl turbo 2.0L 4-cyl turbo 2.0L 4-cyl turbo diesel 2.5L 5-cyl manual available | FWD | 23–32 mpg | 5 of 5 | 6 | 54 | Air bags (17) | — |
| 2013 | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo 2.0L 4-cyl turbo diesel 2.5L 5-cyl manual available | FWD | 23–32 mpg | 5 of 5 | 7 | 101 | Air bags (39) | — |
| 2012 | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo 2.5L 5-cyl manual available | FWD | 24–25 mpg | 4 of 5 | 7 | 65 | Visibility (13) | — |
Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.
Which years have…
Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints
| Year | Version | Stars | Forward collision warning | Lane departure warning | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 15 |
| 2019 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 14 |
| 2018 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 17 |
| 2018 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 17 |
| 2017 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 17 |
| 2017 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5 | No | No | 4 | 15 |
| 2016 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 59 |
| 2016 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5 | No | No | 4 | 59 |
| 2015 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 6 | 99 |
| 2015 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5 | No | No | 6 | 99 |
| 2014 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 6 | 54 |
| 2014 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5 | No | No | 6 | 54 |
| 2013 | Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 7 | 101 |
| 2013 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5 | No | No | 7 | 101 |
| 2012 | Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 4 | No | No | 7 | 65 |
Source: NHTSA.
Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg
| Year | EPA model | Engines | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Beetle | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2019 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2018 | Beetle | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2018 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2018 | Beetle Dune | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2018 | Beetle Dune Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo | 29 |
| 2017 | Beetle | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
26–28 |
| 2017 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo | 28 |
| 2017 | Beetle Dune | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo | 27 |
| 2017 | Beetle Dune Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo | 27 |
| 2016 | Beetle | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
26–28 |
| 2016 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
26–28 |
| 2016 | Beetle Dune | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo | 27 |
| 2016 | Beetle Dune Convertible | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo | 27 |
| 2015 | Beetle | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
26–34 |
| 2015 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
25–33 |
| 2014 | Beetle | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (S6), 5 cyl, 2.5 L Man 5-spd, 5 cyl, 2.5 L |
25–32 |
| 2014 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (S6), 5 cyl, 2.5 L |
23–31 |
| 2013 | Beetle | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (S6), 5 cyl, 2.5 L Man 5-spd, 5 cyl, 2.5 L Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
24–32 |
| 2013 | Beetle Convertible | Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (AM-S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (S6), 5 cyl, 2.5 L |
23–31 |
| 2012 | Beetle | Auto (S6), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (S6), 5 cyl, 2.5 L Man 5-spd, 5 cyl, 2.5 L Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo |
24–25 |
Source: fueleconomy.gov.