2025 Volkswagen Taos: What to check before buying

Only 3 owner complaints are on file with NHTSA for this car, so this sheet is short. Problems reported on other Taos years with the same design are listed below the checklist.

2025

Owner complaints: 3
Recalls: 0
Crashes reported: 0
Reliability: Good; 69/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/5 checked

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1

01Ask the seller for any Volkswagen case number or dealer records about speedometer accuracy.

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/2

02Check the digital speed readout as well as the gauge, since reports say both read low.
03Pass a roadside radar speed sign and compare its reading with the speedometer.

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2

04Drive at a steady 40 mph with a phone GPS app open and compare its speed to the speedometer.
05Repeat the GPS comparison at highway speed and note any gap between the two readings.

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on other Taos years with the same design

Few owners have reported problems with this year yet. These years share the 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.

2024 Taos

41 owner complaints

Brakes 9
Electrical 4
Transmission 3

Worth adding to your 2025 checks

Accelerate hard from a full stop several times and note any delay before the car moves.
Ask for service records showing rear brake pad measurements and any rear brake replacements under warranty.
Have an inspector compare rear and front pad thickness; rear pads much thinner than the fronts signal the known wear pattern.

Open the 2024 checklist

2023 Taos

87 owner complaints

Brakes 20
Electrical 17
Engine 16

Worth adding to your 2025 checks

Check the coolant reservoir level cold, and look for coolant residue on the engine and drips under the car.
Ask for service records showing head gasket work, repeated coolant top-offs, or a coolant warning visit.
Have a shop measure rear brake pad thickness against the fronts and check the rear rotors for grooves.

Open the 2023 checklist

2022 Taos

277 owner complaints

Engine 70
Electrical 44
Brakes 43

Worth adding to your 2025 checks

Check the coolant reservoir with the engine cold and ask for records of repeated top-offs or head gasket work.
Have an independent shop pressure-test the cooling system for a head gasket leak before you buy.
Measure rear brake pad thickness, compare it with the fronts, and ask for records of past rear brake work.

Open the 2022 checklist

Which Taos is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Volkswagen Taos. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

Version	Drive	EPA rating
1.5L 4-cyl	AWD, FWD	28–31 mpg

Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Taos that averages well under the EPA 28 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Volkswagen Taos, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

Electrical2No crashes
The speedometer reads low, showing a slower speed than the car is actually going. Both complaints catch the gap by comparing against phone GPS apps, and one puts it at about 5%, so an indicated 40 mph is really 42 mph. The digital speed readout shows the same error. Volkswagen and dealers reportedly answer that a 10% variance is legal and the car passes electrical tests, so no fix is offered. The risk is unintended speeding, speeding tickets, and less time to react and stop.

How the 2025 compares with other Taos years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 4 Taos years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2025 Average of other years