Where each one leads
Lexus IS
- Against cars of the same age, the Lexus IS comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 14% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Passat (passes 3% more often than average).
Volkswagen Passat
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2022 Volkswagen Passat uses 8.3 l/100 km, the 2017 Lexus IS 9.1.
- New Volkswagen Passat cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 122 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 138 for the Lexus IS in 2021.
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
| Lexus IS | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1998–2026 | 1988–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 17,968 (2010–2021) | 1,972,396 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 8,266 | 178,867 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 61,953 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 50,018 |
| Generations on record | — | 6 |
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
| Lexus IS | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | 71% |
| … against cars of the same age | +14% | +3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.3% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +12% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 3.8% |
| US owner complaints | 597 | 7,707 |
| Most complaints about | Structure | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (143) | 2013 (749) |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | 54 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 762 | 14,721 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 79 |
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
| Lexus IS | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 4★ (2022) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Lexus IS | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.1 l/100 km (2017) | 8.3 l/100 km (2022) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 7.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 6.4 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 138 g/km | 122 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 169 kW (226 hp) | 117 kW (157 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,682 kg | 1,606 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €44,330 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 238,000 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).