The Cadillac Deville is a full-size car built from 1981 to 2005 over 2 generations. Most were assembled in the United States — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: V6, V8. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the Deville is
The Cadillac Deville is a full-size car that Cadillac built from 1981 to 2005 — 25 model years. Our measurements put it at 2 generations, the current one starting in 1994. It has been offered with V6, V8 power. Its closest siblings in the Cadillac range: Fleetwood, CT6, XTS.
Where the Deville is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 2,166 Devilles on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 1G6, 1GC, 1GG | 1982-2005 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Cadillac VIN decide which of these 2 lines your Deville belongs to. What every character in a Deville VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Cadillac Deville adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Deville generations, and what changed
These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the Deville's length or wheelbase jumps between consecutive model years the platform changed: a facelift moves a bumper by centimetres, a new generation moves the whole car — for the Deville that gives 2 distinct generations below.
| Generation | Length | Wheelbase | Weight | vs previous | Weight change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-1984 | 561 cm | 308 cm | 1885 kg | - | - |
| 1994-2005 | 533 cm | 289 cm | 1762 kg | -28 cm | -123 kg |
Cadillac Deville tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Deville owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Cadillac Deville have? Power & range
The Cadillac Deville is offered with 2 powertrains — 4.3L 6-cyl, 4.6L 8-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Cadillac Deville, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 | 4.3L · 6-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Diesel |
| V8 | 4.6L · 8-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The Deville by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Cadillac Deville. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Deville | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 50 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 3,131 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
| Used value | 295 listings | What it sells for now |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Cadillac Deville?
The Deville is a full-size car, built from 1981 to 2005 across 2 generations. Engines offered: V6, V8.
Where is the Cadillac Deville made?
Across 2,166 cars in our records the split is: the United States (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
How many generations does the Deville have?
2 by our measurements, the latest starting in 1994. We draw the boundaries where length or wheelbase jumps between model years — a facelift moves a bumper, a new generation moves the whole car.
What is the Cadillac Deville warranty?
New models carry 4 years / 50,000 miles basic cover and 4 years / 50,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the Deville reliable?
It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific Deville?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Cadillac
| Model | Years | Recalls | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Escalade | 1999–2026 | 128 | 23 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Cadillac CTS | 2003–2019 | 75 | 25 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Cadillac CT5 | 2020–2026 | 20 | 27 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Cadillac XT5 | 2017–2026 | 23 | 24 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Cadillac Eldorado | 1981–2002 | 40 | 21 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Cadillac XT6 | 2020–2026 | 15 | 23 mpg | 4.5/5 |