2012 Volkswagen Jetta MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2012 Volkswagen Jetta gets up to 28 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 32 mpg with the diesel, across 8 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2012 Volkswagen Jetta · 8 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

28MPG combined

24 city 34 highway

$2,400 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.47 a gallon (regular gas)

2.0L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual

Best diesel version

32MPG combined

29 city 37 highway

$3,000 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $6.38 a gallon (diesel)

2.0L turbo 4-cyl diesel · FWD · 6-speed automatic

Best version costs $3,000 more in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 30, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $2,400 to $3,150 a year. Ratings for the best versions are unchanged from 2011.

One of the Jetta years to avoid

The 2012 drew 123 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 54 for a typical Jetta year: 2.2 times as many.

Years to avoid: 2010 to 2013 and 2019. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Jetta year ranked The 2012 Jetta's recalls and problems

Every 2012 Jetta version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Gas
2.0L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual EPA listing: Jetta	28 mpg	24 / 34	$2,400
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Jetta · Premium fuel	27 mpg	24 / 32	$3,050
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed manual EPA listing: Jetta · Premium fuel	26 mpg	22 / 33	$3,150
2.5L 5-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual EPA listing: Jetta (also Jetta SportWagen)	26 mpg	23 / 33	$2,600
2.5L 5-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Jetta (also Jetta SportWagen)	26 mpg	24 / 31	$2,600
2.0L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Jetta	25 mpg	23 / 29	$2,700
Diesel
2.0L turbo 4-cyl diesel · FWD · 6-speed automatic Best EPA listing: Jetta (also Jetta SportWagen)	32 mpg	29 / 37	$3,000
2.0L turbo 4-cyl diesel · FWD · 6-speed manual EPA listing: Jetta (also Jetta SportWagen)	32 mpg	29 / 39	$3,000

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.47 a gallon for regular gas, $5.48 a gallon for premium gas, and $6.38 a gallon for diesel. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
2.0L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual	$2,395	$200	$11,973
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$3,044	$254	$15,222
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed manual	$3,162	$263	$15,808
2.5L 5-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual	$2,579	$215	$12,894
2.5L 5-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,579	$215	$12,894
2.0L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,682	$224	$13,410
2.0L turbo 4-cyl diesel · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,991	$249	$14,953
2.0L turbo 4-cyl diesel · FWD · 6-speed manual	$2,991	$249	$14,953

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

Volkswagen Jetta MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 27 to 35 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2022. Hybrid: 44 mpg (2013 to 2016).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2012: gas 28 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Volkswagen Jetta best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	27	–
2011	28	–
2012	28	–
2013	28	44
2014	30	44
2015	29	44
2016	33	44
2017	33	–
2018	33	–
2019	34	–
2020	34	–
2021	34	–
2022	35	–
2023	35	–
2024	34	–
2025	33	–
2026	34	–

Every Jetta year's ratings in one table

How the 2012 Jetta compares

2012 compact cars covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2012 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota Prius Best: hybrid	48 mpg	–	$1,400
Honda Civic Best: hybrid	44 mpg	32 mpg	$1,500
Hyundai Elantra Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,100
Mazda3 Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,100
Volkswagen Jetta This page Best: diesel	32 mpg	28 mpg	$2,400
Kia Forte Best: gas	30 mpg	30 mpg	$2,250
Toyota Corolla Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300
Nissan Sentra Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300

2012 Jetta recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 526 owner complaints for the 2012 Jetta.

Owners most often describe stalling (54 complaints, 10%), then loss of power (33). NHTSA's overall crash rating: 4 stars for the version it has rated.

See the 2012 Jetta recalls and problems

Questions

Does the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta need premium gas?

Some versions do. EPA lists the 2.0L turbo 4-cyl versions on premium, the diesel runs on diesel fuel, and the rest use regular.

How does the 2012 Jetta's MPG compare with the 2011?

For 2012, the best gas version is rated 28 mpg, the same as the year before and the best diesel version is rated 32 mpg, the same as the year before.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 29, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.47, midgrade $5.07, premium $5.48, diesel $6.38 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Oct 2, 2026 and complaint file dated Oct 2, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.