Where each one leads
Nissan X-Trail
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Tiguan comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 5% more often than average) than the Nissan X-Trail (passes 4% less often than average).
- Fewer Volkswagen Tiguan cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.0% against 2.4%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan uses 8.5 l/100 km, the 2006 Nissan X-Trail 10.7.
- New Volkswagen Tiguan cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 145 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 149 for the Nissan X-Trail in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Volkswagen Tiguan uses 7.2 l/100 km on the road, the Nissan X-Trail 7.4.
Too close to call: real-world fuel use in Europe, petrol (l/100 km).
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 X-Trail | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | — | 2005–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 307,281 (2010–2022) | 2,083,956 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 110,318 | 347,496 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 8,893 | 94,315 |
| In traffic in Finland | 3,039 | 10,223 |
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 X-Trail | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 71% | 82% |
| … against cars of the same age | −4% | +5% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −3% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.4% | 2.0% |
| US owner complaints | — | 2,326 |
| Most complaints about | — | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | — | 2018 (287) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 39 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | — | 10,719 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 19 |
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 X-Trail | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Nissan X-Trail | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.7 l/100 km (2006) | 8.5 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.4 l/100 km | 7.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 8.1 l/100 km | 8.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 6.8 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 149 g/km | 145 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 117 kW (158 hp) | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,871 kg | 1,669 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €42,189 | €43,330 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 214,000 km | 181,000 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).