Volkswagen Passat vs Volvo S60

Which used car has the cleaner record?

We line up what owners actually reported to NHTSA — complaints and recall campaigns — for both cars, so you can compare their paper trail before you buy.

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Side by side	Passat	S60
Body type	Sedan	Sedan
Years sampled	2016, 2020, 2024	2016, 2020, 2024
Owner complaints	121	26fewer
Recall campaigns	7fewer	10
NHTSA investigations	10	4fewer
Overall safety (NHTSA, US)	5/5	5/5
Combined economy (EPA, US)	8.7 L/100km	7.8 L/100km

Body type

Passat: Sedan
S60: Sedan

Years sampled

Passat: 2016, 2020, 2024
S60: 2016, 2020, 2024

Owner complaints

Passat: 121
S60: 26fewer

Recall campaigns

Passat: 7fewer
S60: 10

NHTSA investigations

Passat: 10
S60: 4fewer

Overall safety (NHTSA, US)

Passat: 5/5
S60: 5/5

Combined economy (EPA, US)

Passat: 8.7 L/100km
S60: 7.8 L/100km

The quick read

Over the sampled model years, the Volkswagen Passat has 121 complaints and 7 recalls, and the Volvo S60 has 26 complaints and 10 recalls. Lower numbers point to fewer reported issues, but always confirm the exact car with a VIN check.

Check a Passat VIN Check a S60 VIN

NHTSA (US) owner-complaint and recall counts over recent model years. A reliability signal, not a check of any one car. Always run the VIN.