Running Costs: Volkswagen ranked by model
Running Costs: Volkswagen ranked by model
By Martin Pretorius
Apart from the purchase price, the main determining factor in a car's affordability is its running costs: how much does it cost to service, how much fuel does it consume, and in the event of a breakdown or maintenance, how expensive are its parts? Insurance premiums also comes into play, but for this is roughly proportional to the purchase price and dependent on numerous risk factors, so let's ignore this aspect for the purpose of this comparison. Ranked from cheapest to most expensive, and using data from the 2017 Kinsey Report, here's a summary of the running costs of Volkswagen's model range.
The smallest, lightest Volkswagen, with the smallest engine uses the least fuel of them all. And, because it’s little 3-cylinder engine, is very simple, servicing will be easy and cheap as well.
Fairly old-technology running gear and sheer ubiquity means that the Vivo scores highly on service- and repair costs, because it's simple and the parts are freely available. They're also very fuel-efficient, and with 15 000 km service intervals, they won't need attention very often.
Modern engines may need more frequent maintenance, but the Polo still scores highly in this regard, because its tiny 3-cylinder engines need less oil and fewer spark plugs. Exceptional fuel efficiency also helps make the Polo one of the cheapest cars to run.
It's a firm favourite with fleet operators, because it shares much with the cheaper Vivo as far the mechanical bits go. However, its taller profile means that it's not quite as fuel-efficient, and the diesel variants are sure to have higher long-term maintenance costs than the basic 1.6-litre version.
With similar engines to the Polo (as well as larger 4-cylinder options), the Golf is bumped down to the third position mainly because it isn't quite as frugal on fuel as the smaller, lighter Polo. Its imported status may also have a negative effect on parts prices, and the larger-engined versions aren't nearly as parsimonious as the 3-cylinder variants, as well as more maintenance-intensive due to their increased power outputs.
Because it uses Golf running gear, general servicing will cost about the same. But, because of its relative rarity, Tiguan-specific components will be more expensive, and because it's bigger and heavier, it will use more fuel than the equivalent Golf.
As with the Tiguan, the Passat draws heavily on the Golf parts bin, so normal servicing should cost about the same. But, because it's a bigger, heavier and more complex car, fuel consumption and general maintenance will cost a bit more – roughly in line with the Tiguan.
This is a specialised vehicle, which means that maintenance will be quite costly. It's also hugely complex, which will have a negative impact on labour charges, and due to its sheer size and heft, it isn't exactly light on fuel in real terms. That said, it's unlikely that Touareg buyers are too concerned about running costs of a vehicle which can easily top the R1-million mark...