Volkswagen Scirocco (2008-2017) review - Reliability and Safety

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The Scirocco has only been mildly facelifted, so all of the well-proven mechanical components have been carried over and poor reliability shouldn’t be an issue. But owners have reported problems in our Driver Power 2015 survey, likely due to the car’s age. It just slipped into the top 100 list for new cars.

The company’s network finished 14th out of 27 dealers in our 2017 survey, a big improvement on last time. But it’s still below companies such as Peugeot and SEAT, and the ‘defeat device’ crisis that engulfed VW is unlikely to improve the brand’s reputation in the eyes of customers.

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The Scirocco earned a five-star EuroNCAP crash-test rating back in 2009, although the test is far tougher today, so the car would be likely to earn a lower score if it was retested. 

Standard safety kit includes six airbags, ABS with brake assist and tyre pressure monitors.

Warranty

Volkswagen’s standard warranty at the moment is three years and 60,000 miles, but for a fee this can be extended on the Scirocco to four years and 75,000 miles (£425, years one and two unlimited mileage, years three and four subject to 75,000 cap), or five years and 90,000 miles (£990, again unlimited mileage to begin with and then introducing the 90,000 cap from years three to five).

This is about industry standard at the moment, although Renault has a longer four-year, 100,000-mile offering on its Megane three-doors.

Servicing

Fixed-price servicing is available on the Scirocco, which covers the car for three years and 30,000 miles. This includes an oil change at 12 months/10,000 miles (whichever is soonest), an interval service including oil change at 24 months/20,000 miles, and a full inspection service with oil and brake fluid changes at 36 months/30,000 miles.

All the parts and labour are guaranteed for two years and the plan is transferrable to another owner if the car is sold during the period.