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Volkswagen Beetle Hatchback (1999-2010) running costs and reliability

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Running costs rating: 3.5 out of 53.5

Written by David Ross Published: 6 June 2019

Miles per pound (mpp)

Reliable fuel consumption data for comparison purposes is not available for this model.

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Fuel economy

A more stringent standard for fuel economy (WLTP) was introduced from September 2017, and this model was not required to undergo that test. Its fuel economy measured under the previous test system was 29 - 53 mpg. However these figures are less likely to be achievable in real world driving and so should never be compared to another car's mpg which was measured under the newer, more realistic WLTP system.

View mpg & specs for any version

The engines in the Beetle range are all fairly economical and even the 2.3-litre V5 will average a useful 32mpg. Volkswagen servicing and parts aren’t the cheapest around, but that aside, the Beetle has reasonable running costs with insurance ratings starting at group 5 for the 1.4-litre models. The popular 2.0-litre version is group 8.

The Beetle performs reasonably on the eco front, but there is no low emissions Bluemotion model and compared to newer engines, the CO2 output of the range looks high. The 1.9 TDI is the greenest model with emissions of 143g/km of CO2 and average economy of 52mpg.

The 1997 Golf that it’s based on wasn’t the most reliable of Volkswagen so you might find some niggling problems, but on the whole it’s a well-built and dependable car, as long as it gets the servicing it needs.