Used Volkswagen Passat GTE review and buying guide (2016 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volkswagen Passat GTE should you buy?

The fault that decides a Passat GTE purchase is the SX6 switch that controls the high-voltage battery, and it's a known problem on 2016 and 2017 cars. When it goes, the dash shows a hybrid system error, the car won't start and it has to be recovered. The extended battery warranty doesn't cover the switch, so the repair falls to whoever owns the car.

Don't read later cars as fixed: both known faults are dated 2016 and 2017, and 2019 to 2022 cars were recalled over a high-voltage fuse that could catch fire. Whatever the year, the better buy is one with dealer invoices showing any hybrid system error was properly diagnosed and put right, and rear brake discs that aren't scabbed with rust.

Which Passat GTE engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Every Passat GTE pairs a 1.4 TSI petrol engine with a battery and an electric motor, so there's no safer engine to pick, only a better example of this one. On 2016 and 2017 cars the SX6 high-voltage switch is the serious weak spot. One owner whose car failed this way was facing a £2,500 bill once the dealer had traced it, and neither the dealer nor the manufacturer would put anything towards it.

The DSG gearbox has one failure on record: a 2017 car's broke at 56,000 miles, even though it had been serviced at 40,000, and the dealer quoted roughly £14,000 to repair it. That's one car, not a pattern, but it's reason enough to want proof of the gearbox service in the history before you buy.

What should you check when viewing a used Passat GTE?

Get a proper look at the rear brake discs, because 2016 and 2017 cars are known for discs that corrode and wear out early, between 14,000 and 36,000 miles. Heavy rust across the disc faces, squealing or grinding as you slow down, or brakes that feel weak all mean new discs are due. The electric parking brake and Autohold are thought to make it worse.

Switch it on from cold and watch the dash. A hybrid system error, or a car that refuses to start, is how the SX6 switch failure shows itself. On one car the error came back two weeks after a garage had it in, and another owner was charged by a dealer that thought it had fixed it when it hadn't, so ask for every invoice for hybrid faults and see exactly what was replaced.

Ask for the DSG gearbox service with a receipt, not just a stamp in the book, and check the mileage it was done at. On the drive, take it through every gear at town and main road speeds, and don't accept jerky or hesitant changes as normal for a hybrid.

Ask for proof the recall work was done, as three recalls matter here. On 2019 to 2022 plug-in hybrids, a fuse in the high-voltage system was built with too little of the sand that stops it overheating, which is a fire risk. On 2019 to 2023 cars, a badly fitted heat shield can let the brake fluid reservoir melt. And 2016 cars were recalled because the airbags and seat belt pretensioners could fail to fire in a crash.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Volkswagen Passat GTE cost to run?