Where each one leads
Mercedes-Benz 190E
- Against cars of the same age, the Mercedes-Benz 190E comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 5% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Jetta (passes 2% more often than average).
Volkswagen Jetta
- Fewer Volkswagen Jetta cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (5.8% against 17.9%).
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
| Mercedes-Benz 190E | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1984–1993 | 1981–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 102,461 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 14,157 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 3,001 | 6,692 |
| In traffic in Finland | 426 | 8,442 |
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
| Mercedes-Benz 190E | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 73% | 65% |
| … against cars of the same age | +5% | +2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +21% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 17.9% | 5.8% |
| US owner complaints | 20 | 10,008 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 1991 (10) | 2009 (889) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 79 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 17 | 16,883 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 91 |
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
| Mercedes-Benz 190E | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mercedes-Benz 190E | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 7.2 l/100 km (2026) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 191 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 127 kW (170 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,438 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €29,228 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 286,000 km | 222,000 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).