Consumer Reports Says This Popular Small Car Is Not Reliable

Although comfort features, engine power, and even color are important considerations for people who are buying a car, reliability is often the most important factor. Buyers are interested in avoiding frequent repairs and limiting maintenance costs. Some of the most reliable cars also have the best depreciation rates, helping them maintain a high resale value, which is another important consideration for new car buyers.

Consumer Reports recently released a list of the most reliable new cars. Although it's helpful to know what these vehicles are, it's also advantageous to look at the opposite end of the list for the least reliable vehicle, so that you know which model to avoid. Among the 20 small sedans on the Consumer Reports list, the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta received the lowest reliability score — more than 25% lower than the next-lowest model on the list. The low reliability score was particularly notable, since Jetta is the most popular Volkswagen sedan, with almost 55,000 units sold in the U.S. in 2025, per Car Sales Statistics. 

When looking for advice on various products, including cars, Consumer Reports is a go-to source for many people. The non-profit organization surveys its more than 6 million members to obtain answers regarding satisfaction and reliability for products they regularly use. When determining reliability and consumer satisfaction, Consumer Reports relies on customer surveys. The organization collected information about roughly 380,000 vehicles when creating its most recent list of reliable vehicles.

In determining the predicted reliability score for the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta (starting MSRP of $23,995), Consumer Reports relied on the historical brand score for Volkswagen, along with data members reported in their surveys on the 2023 through 2025 model years. Those older model years had notably poor reliability scores in areas of in-car electronics, electrical accessories, and braking systems. The climate system received a poor score for the 2024 model year, but the 2025 model year had flipped the metric to a get a higher ranking.

Just over half of current Volkswagen Jetta owners reported that they would buy the car again, placing the model near the bottom of the list for small sedans. That said, when asked the question, the respondents were asked to consider all aspects of owning the vehicle, not just projected reliability.

In the Consumer Reports road test ratings, Jetta received a good score that ranked it high among other small sedans. However, because of poor projected reliability and some dissatisfied owners, Consumer Reports also placed the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta on its list of popular small cars to avoid. Instead, the organization says the better choice among small sedans and hatchbacks is the 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid (starting MSRP of $29,295).

Volkswagen had a difficult 2025 from a financial perspective, reporting a 53.5% reduction in annual operating profits during its March 2026 analyst and investor conference. After similarly reporting poor profits in the first half of 2025, the German car brand blamed tariffs for most of the difficulties, and it continued to blame tariffs in March 2026.

However, part of Volkswagen's recent problems may also relate to reliability struggles across the brand. Consumer Reports ranked Volkswagen 16th among 26 car brands in terms of reliability of new cars. Likewise, after surveying its members, the organization ranked Volkswagen 25th out of 26 brands in owner satisfaction scores. The Jetta has had below-average predicted reliability scores from Consumer Reports in eight of the 10 model years from 2016 through 2025. It also experienced several recalls. For example, some vehicles from the 2019 and 2020 model years were recalled due to a fuel system problem and potential ignition switch failures, while 2020 and 2021 model year Jettas had air bag control module installation issues.

Volkswagen models beyond the Jetta have also struggled with reliability ratings in recent years. The 2026 Taos SUV received the lowest reliability score among 15 SUVs on a Consumer Reports list. Meanwhile, the Volkswagen ID4 electric vehicle was ranked as one of the least reliable vehicles because of battery issues — the manufacturer had to recall more than 43,000 ID4s because of defective batteries.