Where each one leads
Nissan Pulsar
- Fewer Nissan Pulsar cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.6% against 5.8%).
Volkswagen Jetta
- Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Jetta comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 2% more often than average) than the Nissan Pulsar (passes 3% less often than average).
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
| Nissan Pulsar | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1982–1990 | 1981–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 123,665 (2014–2019) | 102,461 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 20,534 | 14,157 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 3,714 | 6,692 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,962 | 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
| Nissan Pulsar | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 76% | 65% |
| … against cars of the same age | −3% | +2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +21% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.6% | 5.8% |
| US owner complaints | 19 | 10,008 |
| Most complaints about | Fuel system, gasoline | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 1988 (6) | 2009 (889) |
| US recall campaigns | 3 | 79 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 40 | 16,883 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 8 | 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
| Nissan Pulsar | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Nissan Pulsar | 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 | 84 kW (113 hp) | 127 kW (170 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,292 kg | 1,438 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €25,906 | €29,228 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 121,000 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).