2023 Volkswagen Taos

Showing the 2023 Taos Comfortline. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 1.5 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
28–31 mpgcombined; city 25–28, highway 32–36; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,480–$11,600U.S. average; Ohio $9,360–$10,370 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
109filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2023 Taos. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Taos. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine43000
Service brakes33000
Electrical system25000
Fuel/propulsion system12000
Power train12000
Unknown or other10000
Vehicle speed control9100
Forward collision avoidance8100
Lane departure3000
Wheels3000
Air bags2101
Back over prevention2000
8 more parts
Suspension2000
Visibility/wiper2000
Engine and engine cooling1000
Service brakes, hydraulic1000
Steering1000
Structure1000
Tires1000
Visibility1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2022321
  2. 2023109
  3. 202455
  4. 202511
  5. 20264

Every Taos year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2023 Taos. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 330 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2023 Taos, the latest on Sep 30, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (72), unknown or other (70), engine and engine cooling (66), engine (52), equipment (45).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2023 Taos.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2023 Volkswagen Taoss for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Taos
Front-Wheel Drive		1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline28 / 36 / 31
Taos 4motion
All-Wheel Drive		1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S7)Regular Gasoline25 / 32 / 28

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data