Where each one leads
BMW Z3
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW Z3 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 10% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Beetle (passes 8% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW Z3 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 43% less often than average) than the Volkswagen Beetle (fails 17% less often than average).
Volkswagen Beetle
- Fewer Volkswagen Beetle cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.8% against 13.9%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2019 Volkswagen Beetle uses 8.1 l/100 km, the 2002 BMW Z3 11.0.
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 Z3 | Volkswagen Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1996–2004 | 1998–2019 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 178,641 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 6,697 | 39,933 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,422 | 5,221 |
| In traffic in Finland | 417 | 1,348 |
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 Z3 | Volkswagen Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 68% | 58% |
| … against cars of the same age | +10% | −8% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | −43% | −17% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 13.9% | 4.8% |
| US owner complaints | 207 | 2,588 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 1997 (47) | 2004 (349) |
| US recall campaigns | 3 | 24 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 90 | 10,891 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 15 |
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).
Safety
| BMW Z3 | Volkswagen Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2017) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW Z3 | Volkswagen Beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 11.0 l/100 km (2002) | 8.1 l/100 km (2019) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 152 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 162 kW (217 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,276 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €41,176 | €33,573 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 164,000 km | 135,000 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).