Where each one leads
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Against cars of the same year, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 38% less often than average) than the Volkswagen Passat (fails 12% more often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class at 5 of 5 stars, the 2022 Volkswagen Passat at 4.
- New Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 116 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 122 for the Volkswagen Passat in 2022.
Volkswagen Passat
- Fewer Volkswagen Passat cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.8% against 4.5%).
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Volkswagen Passat uses 6.4 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class 8.5.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel Volkswagen Passat uses 6.0 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class 6.3.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Volkswagen Passat uses 7.3 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class 10.9.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
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 C-Class | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1991–2012 | 1988–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 1,573,424 (2010–2022) | 1,972,396 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 342,811 | 178,867 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 78,492 | 61,953 |
| In traffic in Finland | 49,488 | 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
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 80% | 71% |
| … against cars of the same age | +1% | +3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.1% | 2.3% |
| … against cars of the same year | −38% | +12% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| US owner complaints | 192 | 7,707 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 1995 (49) | 2013 (749) |
| US recall campaigns | 6 | 54 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 73 | 14,721 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 11 | 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
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | 4★ (2022) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 8.3 l/100 km (2022) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.0 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 8.5 l/100 km | 6.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.3 l/100 km | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 10.9 l/100 km | 7.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 116 g/km | 122 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 152 kW (203 hp) | 117 kW (157 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,818 kg | 1,606 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €54,166 | €44,330 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 248,000 km | 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).