What is the best year for a Volkswagen Tiguan?

The 2025 Tiguan (31 complaints, 10/10 safety, 1 severe) is the best on record. The 2023-2025 window shows meaningful improvement. Avoid 2018 (274 complaints) and 2022 (234 complaints), which coincide with generation transitions. For used buying, 2023 or newer is the safest range.

How much does Volkswagen Tiguan insurance cost?

Tiguan insurance averages around $2,004/year — about $167/month. Competitive for the compact class, despite significantly higher maintenance costs.

Is the Volkswagen Tiguan or Honda CR-V cheaper to maintain?

The CR-V is cheaper to maintain by $323/year — $407 versus $730 for the Tiguan, roughly $1,615 in savings over five years. The CR-V also has a significantly higher reliability score (9 vs. 6) and a repair frequency of 30% versus 92%. The maintenance cost gap between these two is among the largest in the compact class.

Should I buy an extended warranty for a Volkswagen Tiguan?

A repair frequency of 92% — the highest of any compact SUV — combined with a reliability score of 6 makes extended warranty coverage a strong recommendation, particularly for used models. The probability of an unscheduled repair in any given year is nearly a statistical certainty; warranty coverage helps control what those visits cost.

Is the Mazda CX-5 expensive to maintain?

The CX-5 averages $447/year in maintenance — $74 below the compact segment average of $521. Its 9/10 reliability score is above the class average, major repair probability of 8% is well below the 11% norm, and repair frequency of 28% is below the 30% class average. One of the strongest ownership-cost profiles in the compact class.

What is the best year for a Mazda CX-5?

From available data, 2024 (38 complaints, 10/10 safety, 4 severe) and 2025 (22 complaints, 10/10 safety, 5 severe) are the cleanest years on record. Complaint data for 2015-2022 isn't available in our dataset, so those years can't be assessed directly. Early years 2013-2014 had higher complaint counts and are best avoided.

How much does Mazda CX-5 insurance cost?

CX-5 insurance averages about $1,947/year — roughly $162/month — the most affordable among compact SUVs with full data.

Is the Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4 cheaper to maintain?

The RAV4 is $18/year cheaper — $429 versus $447 for the CX-5. The CX-5 has higher reliability (9 vs. 8) and a lower major repair probability (8% vs. 10%). The RAV4 costs slightly less per year; the CX-5 carries a better long-term reliability profile.

Should I buy an extended warranty for a Mazda CX-5?

Major repair probability of 8% — well below the class average of 11% — and a 9/10 reliability score make extended warranty unnecessary for most buyers. Self-insuring is the better financial decision.

Volkswagen Tiguan vs Mazda CX-5

Two compact SUVs compared on the numbers that matter — maintenance cost, reliability, and insurance.

// VERDICT

Our verdict

Buy the Volkswagen Tiguan if its specific features or size suit your needs better.

Buy the Mazda CX-5 — lower 5-year cost and better reliability.

// COST HEAD TO HEAD

Maintenance and ownership cost

	Volkswagen Tiguan	Mazda CX-5
Annual maintenance	$730	$447winner
5-year total cost	$3,650	$2,235winner
Reliability score	6 / 10	9 / 10winner
Major repair risk (5yr)	12%	8%winner
Cargo space	—	—
Starting price (new)	$32,200	$29,990winner
Best years to buy	2010	—

// RELIABILITY

Which is more reliable?

	Volkswagen Tiguan	Mazda CX-5
RepairPal score	6 / 10	9 / 10winner
NHTSA complaints / 100k	183.9	106.6winner
Years to avoid	2018, 2022	2014, 2025
Value retained · 3 yr	71.9%	78.5%winner
Value retained · 5 yr	55.8%	62.1%winner
Value retained · 7 yr	43.6%	53.2%winner

// COMMON PROBLEMS

What breaks — and what it costs

	Volkswagen Tiguan	Mazda CX-5
Engine	29.0%	12.8%winner
Electrical	10.6%winner	23.1%
ADAS	12.5%	8.5%winner
Brakes	3.8%winner	7.6%
Steering	3.6%	2.0%winner
Fuel system	3.6%	1.6%winner
Tires/Wheels	—winner	1.3%
Glass/Windows	2.8%winner	14.4%
Airbags	10.8%	1.6%winner
Lighting	2.8%	2.5%winner
Seatbelt	1.8%	—winner

One major repair on either model can run $1,500–4,000. A warranty caps your exposure, especially on known problem years.

// INSURANCE

Which is cheaper to insure?

	Volkswagen Tiguan	Mazda CX-5
Avg annual premium	$2,004	$1,947winner

// FULL MODEL PAGES

GAS

Volkswagen Tiguan

$730/yr maint · 6 reliability

Full model page

GAS

Mazda CX-5

$447/yr maint · 9 reliability

Full model page

// FAQ

Common questions

The Tiguan costs $730/year to maintain — $209 above the compact segment average of $521. Repair frequency of 92% means statistically, nearly every Tiguan owner makes at least one unscheduled shop visit per year — roughly three times the compact class average of 30%. Reliability score of 6 is well below the class average of 8. It is the highest-maintenance model in the compact segment by a wide margin.

How we calculated this. Maintenance costs and reliability scores from RepairPal. Complaints and recalls from NHTSA. Fuel economy from the EPA. Insurance averages from CarEdge. Pricing from KBB. Depreciation from iSeeCars. Full methodology →