CORRADO

The Volkswagen Corrado — a compact car explained

The Volkswagen Corrado is a compact car built from 1989 to 1995. Most were assembled in Germany (100% of the cars in our records).

Data · NHTSA & EPA · 1989–1995 · 7 model years · Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 4.0 ★★★★★★★★★★ ForCar Score
Quick answer

The Volkswagen Corrado is a compact car built from 1989 to 1995. Most were assembled in Germany — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6. Worth buying? It holds up well, with the usual caveat about model years at 4.0/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).

1989–1995
Years
16
Recalls
21
Top MPG
—★
NHTSA
164
Complaints

What the Corrado is

The Volkswagen Corrado is a compact car that Volkswagen built from 1989 to 1995 — 7 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl, V6 power. Its closest siblings in the Volkswagen range: Beetle, Rabbit, Scirocco.

Where the Corrado 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 122 Corrados on record.

FIG.02·Where the Volkswagen Corrado is built
Assembled inShareVIN starts withYears seen
Germany100%WVW1990-1994
ROWS 1·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Check your own: the first three characters of a Volkswagen VIN decide which of these 1 lines your Corrado belongs to. What every character in a Corrado VIN means →

Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Volkswagen Corrado adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.

Volkswagen Corrado tire size, oil type & owner specs

The fitment Corrado 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.

Wheels & tires
Wheel sizeby VIN
Tire sizeby VIN
Bolt patternby trim
Tire pressure32–36 PSI
Engine oil
Oil typeFull synthetic
Gradeon oil cap
Capacityby engine
Battery
Main battery12V · group by trim
Key-fob cellCR2032
Wiper blades
Front bladesby generation
Rear bladeif equipped
Fuses
Fuse boxeshood + dash
Diagramon box lid
Light bulbs
Headlightby trim
Tail / brakeby trim
Fogif equipped

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 Volkswagen Corrado have? Power & range

The Volkswagen Corrado is offered with 2 powertrains — 2.8L 6-cyl, 1.8L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Volkswagen Corrado, against one or two on most rivals.

FIG.06·Volkswagen Corrado Powertrains
EngineDisplacementTransmissionDriveFuel
V62.8L · 6-cylAutomatic 4-spdFWDRegular
4-cyl1.8L · 4-cylManual 5-spdFWDRegular
ROWS 2·SOURCE EPA + NHTSA vPIC

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 Corrado by the numbers

What the federal and market records say about the Volkswagen Corrado. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.

FIG.05·Volkswagen Corrado by the numbers
TopicCorradoDetail
Recalls16 campaignsNHTSA, all years
Owner complaints164 filedWhat breaks and when
Reliability4.0 / 5Best and worst years
ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA, HLDI and market listings

Frequently asked questions

What kind of car is the Volkswagen Corrado?

The Corrado is a compact car, built from 1989 to 1995. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6.

Where is the Volkswagen Corrado made?

Across 122 cars in our records the split is: Germany (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.

What is the Volkswagen Corrado warranty?

New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 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 Corrado reliable?

It scores 4.0/5 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 Corrado?

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 Volkswagen

More Volkswagen models
ModelYearsRecallsBest MPGForCar score
Volkswagen Tiguan2009–20266729 mpg4.5/5
Volkswagen Atlas2018–20267524 mpg4.5/5
Volkswagen Beetle1998–20198838 mpg4.5/5
Volkswagen Jetta1981–202623144 mpg4.0/5
Volkswagen Golf1985–202117338 mpg4.5/5
Volkswagen ID.42021–202642113 mpg4.0/5
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA
Data sourced from NHTSA (recalls, complaints, safety ratings) and EPA fueleconomy.gov (MPG). Best/worst-year analysis is ForCar's own aggregation of complaint volume. Last updated Aug 2026. — ForCar Editorial Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.