Used Volkswagen Touran MPV 2003 - 2015 reliability

Check the exterior bodywork well; customer satisfaction surveys suggest it's not as hard-wearing as it should be. It's also likely to have been used in tight car parks and on hasty school runs, so check for any damage and for kerbing of the alloy wheels, if fitted. The interior quality has never been an issue, but beware of cars with tired-looking cabins caused by family (ab)use. Check the two rearmost seats for ease of operation.

The Touran should be a reliable performer. However, there have been issues; some of the earlier cars had a problem with bolts securing part of the diesel pump, possibly leading to a fuel leak. Repair work should have been done under warranty by VW - a dealer should be able to confirm if the work has been carried out.

Possible flywheel failure was also identified as a problem, and we've heard reports of the seat belt warning system going haywire. Most common problems are centred around non-engine electrics, which have been known to disable the warning lights on the dash. Also the engine cooling fan has been known to cut out and fail, and some turbochargers on diesel engines have been known to fail on older engines. It's worth noting that earlier models had a belt driven cam in the petrol engines, while later, 2008 models on, went for a chain driven cam.

Volkswagen as a brand has struggled of late in our reliability surveys. Our most recent one put it in 22nd place out of 32 manufacturers. However, the Touran has a good record, despite its long life and many incarnations. Indeed in our latest survey of cars up to three years old, only 20% of owners of used Tourans had reported problems. However, its service departments took more than a week to fix 75% of the cars, even if the work was carried out under warranty, which scored it down overall.