Where each one leads
Volkswagen Jetta
- Fewer Volkswagen Jetta cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (5.8% against 11.0%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volkswagen Jetta uses 7.2 l/100 km, the 1995 Volvo 940 12.1.
Volvo 940
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
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
| Volkswagen Jetta | Volvo 940 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1981–2026 | 1990–1998 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 102,461 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 14,157 | 2,016 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 6,692 | 3,677 |
| In traffic in Finland | 8,442 | 1,463 |
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
| Volkswagen Jetta | Volvo 940 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 65% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +2% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.2% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | +21% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.8% | 11.0% |
| US owner complaints | 10,008 | 122 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2009 (889) | 1994 (41) |
| US recall campaigns | 79 | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 16,883 | 375 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 91 | 7 |
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
| Volkswagen Jetta | Volvo 940 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Volkswagen Jetta | Volvo 940 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.2 l/100 km (2026) | 12.1 l/100 km (1995) |
| 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 | €35,558 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 222,000 km | 365,000 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).