Volkswagen Golf VII or Ford Focus III: which has fewer APK problems?

At 9–10 years (mostly built 2015–2017) 2.5% of inspected Volkswagen Golf VIIs had at least one A-problem, against 2.7% for the Ford Focus III and 4.7% nationally. The difference is small: the confidence intervals overlap, so at this age they are close. Over all ages together the Volkswagen Golf VII has an A-problem 36% less often than average, the Ford Focus III 16% 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

Volkswagen Golf VII

2012 – 2021

Illustration Volkswagen Golf VII

Ford Focus III

2011 – 2019

Illustration Ford Focus III
AA-problemsDefects at the APK

2.5%

n = 23,329 · 95% CI 2.3 – 2.8%

2.7%

n = 13,017 · 95% CI 2.4 – 3.0%

All defectsAll kinds of APK defects

28.6%

n = 23,329 · 95% CI 28.0 – 29.2%

37.0%

n = 13,017 · 95% CI 36.2 – 37.8%

Three points to checkMost common defects at the APK
  1. 1Brakes
  2. 2Springs and shock absorbers
  3. 3Seat belts, seats and airbags
  1. 1Brakes
  2. 2Exhaust and emissions
  3. 3Seat belts, seats and airbags
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A-problems side by side

Percentages with 95% confidence intervals.

02468101214161820 A-problems (%) National: 4.7% · n = 877,805 · 95% CI 4.6 – 4.7% Volkswagen Golf VII2012 – 2021 2.5% (n = 23,329 · 95% CI 2.3 – 2.8%) Ford Focus III2011 – 2019 2.7% (n = 13,017 · 95% CI 2.4 – 3.0%)

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More comparisons

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