Ford Focus IV or Volkswagen Golf VIII: which has fewer APK problems?

At 5–6 years (mostly built 2019–2021) 1.6% of inspected Ford Focus IVs had at least one A-problem, against 0.7% for the Volkswagen Golf VIII and 1.9% nationally. The Volkswagen Golf VIII does clearly better at this age: the confidence intervals do not overlap. Over all ages together the Ford Focus IV has an A-problem 19% less often than average, the Volkswagen Golf VIII 59% less often.

Window: Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · Updated: 16 Oct 2026

At this age the Golf has fewer A-problems.

Also check the weak spots and the history of the specific car.

ModelModel years

Ford Focus IV

2018 – 2026

Illustration Ford Focus IV

Volkswagen Golf VIII

2019 – 2026

Illustration Volkswagen Golf VIII
AA-problemsDefects at the APK

1.6%

n = 10,180 · 95% CI 1.4 – 1.9%

0.7%

n = 5,086 · 95% CI 0.5 – 1.0%

All defectsAll kinds of APK defects

27.5%

n = 10,180 · 95% CI 26.7 – 28.4%

22.3%

n = 5,086 · 95% CI 21.2 – 23.4%

Three points to checkMost common defects at the APK
  1. 1Brakes
  2. 2Seat belts, seats and airbags
  3. 3Control arms / ball joints
  1. 1Brakes
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A-problems side by side

Percentages with 95% confidence intervals.

02468101214161820 A-problems (%) National: 1.9% · n = 531,655 · 95% CI 1.9 – 1.9% Ford Focus IV2018 – 2026 1.6% (n = 10,180 · 95% CI 1.4 – 1.9%) Volkswagen Golf VIII2019 – 2026 0.7% (n = 5,086 · 95% CI 0.5 – 1.0%)

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Source: RDW Open Data (CC0), analysis CarXray.nl. 6,857,004 inspected passenger cars aged 3 years and older, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Each car counts once. How we know