Where each one leads
BMW 1 Series
- Fewer BMW 1 Series cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.1% against 10.6%).
Volkswagen New Beetle
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW 1 Series | Volkswagen New Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2000–2012 | 1998–2010 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 1,543,810 (2010–2022) | 4,549 (2010–2017) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 399,896 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 70,649 | 5,012 |
| In traffic in Finland | 9,945 | 1,099 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW 1 Series | Volkswagen New Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 76% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.1% | 10.6% |
| US owner complaints | 98 | 191 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2011 (33) | 2000 (40) |
| US recall campaigns | 3 | 5 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 544 | 191 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW 1 Series | Volkswagen New Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 10.1 l/100 km (2010) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.5 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.8 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 5.7 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 133 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 106 kW (142 hp) | 75 kW (101 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,441 kg | 1,414 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €35,136 | €33,923 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 179,000 km | 208,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).