1.2 PureTech vs VR6: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the VR6 carries less risk than the 1.2 PureTech: 50/100 (high risk) versus 96/100 (very high risk). The 1.2 PureTech has 7 documented serious faults, the main one being «Oil-bath timing belt degradation»; the VR6 has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «VR6 timing chain and tensioners».
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the 1.2 PureTech reliable?
The belt-driven 1.2 PureTech (2012-2025) has a problem acknowledged by Stellantis: the oil-bath timing belt can degrade, block lubrication and, on the 2013-2018 turbos, damage the brake servo vacuum pump. The 2014-2023 turbos can also use oil. Stellantis offers 10 years or 180,000 km of cover; the chain-driven generation (from 2023) no longer uses that belt.[1][2][3][4][5]
See the 7 of the 1.2 PureTech faultsIs the VR6 reliable?
Its best-documented faults are the timing chain, with tensioners on the 12-valve versions and stretching on the 3.2 (R32, A3 8P, TT, Cayenne), and, to a lesser extent, the cooling system of the 12-valve versions. The 3.6 FSI comes out of the sources better than the 3.2.[6][7][8]
See the 2 of the VR6 faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 1.2 PureTech | VR6 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | 1,199 cm³ | — |
| Timing | Wet belt (belt-in-oil) | Chain |
| Power | 68–155 hp | 140–300 hp |
| Production | since 2012[9][10] | 1991–2024[11][12][13] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 96Very high risk | 50High risk |
| Documented faults | 7 | 2 |
| Of high or critical severity | 7 | 1 |
| Worst severity | Critical severity | Critical severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | up to €1,200Oil-bath timing belt degradationPublished figure[2][14][15][16] | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | None | None |
| With cautionVersions to be cautious about |
|
|
| AvoidVersions to avoid | None | None |
Severity of each fault: green, low; amber, medium; red, high; dark red, critical. How we rate them
Cars that each one is fitted to
Other comparisons
With the 1.2 PureTech
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 TCe
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.2 PureTech vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW B58
- 1.2 PureTech vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- 1.2 PureTech vs M50 and M52
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW M54
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N13
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N20
- 1.2 PureTech vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.2 PureTech vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.2 PureTech vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- 1.2 PureTech vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- 1.2 PureTech vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.2 PureTech vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.2 PureTech vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- 1.2 PureTech vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.2 PureTech vs MZR gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.2 PureTech vs M111
- 1.2 PureTech vs M112 / M113
- 1.2 PureTech vs M264/M254
- 1.2 PureTech vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- 1.2 PureTech vs M260
- 1.2 PureTech vs M271
- 1.2 PureTech vs M272/M273
- 1.2 PureTech vs M270/M274
- 1.2 PureTech vs M276
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.2 PureTech vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- 1.2 PureTech vs Porsche M96/M97
- 1.2 PureTech vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 THP
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- 1.2 PureTech vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 TCe
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 16v
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 8v
- 1.2 PureTech vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.2 PureTech vs Rover K-Series
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 PureTech vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.2 12V
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.2 PureTech vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- 1.2 PureTech vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- 1.2 PureTech vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
With the VR6
- VR6 vs 1.0 PureTech
- VR6 vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- VR6 vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- VR6 vs 1.2 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.3 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- VR6 vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- VR6 vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- VR6 vs BMW B38 / B37
- VR6 vs BMW B48 / B38
- VR6 vs BMW B58
- VR6 vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- VR6 vs M50 and M52
- VR6 vs BMW M54
- VR6 vs BMW N13
- VR6 vs BMW N20
- VR6 vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- VR6 vs BMW N43/N46
- VR6 vs BMW N52 / N53
- VR6 vs BMW N54/N55
- VR6 vs BMW N62 / N63
- VR6 vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- VR6 vs 1.4 T-Jet
- VR6 vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- VR6 vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- VR6 vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- VR6 vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- VR6 vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- VR6 vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- VR6 vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- VR6 vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- VR6 vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- VR6 vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- VR6 vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- VR6 vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- VR6 vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- VR6 vs Honda IMA híbrido
- VR6 vs 1.0 T-GDI
- VR6 vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- VR6 vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- VR6 vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- VR6 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- VR6 vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- VR6 vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- VR6 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- VR6 vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- VR6 vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- VR6 vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- VR6 vs MZR gasolina
- VR6 vs Skyactiv-G
- VR6 vs M111
- VR6 vs M112 / M113
- VR6 vs M264/M254
- VR6 vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- VR6 vs M260
- VR6 vs M271
- VR6 vs M272/M273
- VR6 vs M270/M274
- VR6 vs M276
- VR6 vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- VR6 vs MIVEC gasolina
- VR6 vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- VR6 vs 1.6 DIG-T
- VR6 vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- VR6 vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- VR6 vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- VR6 vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- VR6 vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- VR6 vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- VR6 vs 1.4 Turbo
- VR6 vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- VR6 vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- VR6 vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- VR6 vs Porsche M96/M97
- VR6 vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- VR6 vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- VR6 vs 1.6 THP
- VR6 vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- VR6 vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- VR6 vs 0.9 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- VR6 vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- VR6 vs 1.8 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.2 16v
- VR6 vs 1.2 8v
- VR6 vs E-Tech Híbrido
- VR6 vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- VR6 vs Rover K-Series
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- VR6 vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- VR6 vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- VR6 vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- VR6 vs 1.0 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.2 Turbo
- VR6 vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.5 Hybrid
- VR6 vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.8 Hybrid
- VR6 vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- VR6 vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- VR6 vs Drive-E gasolina
- VR6 vs 1.0 MPI
- VR6 vs 1.2 12V
- VR6 vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- VR6 vs 1.8 T 20v
- VR6 vs 2.0 FSI
- VR6 vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- VR6 vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- VR6 vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- VR6 vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Stellantis ofrece medidas a los afectados por los motores PureTech tras miles de demandaskm77 · Motoring press · published 28 November 2025 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Moteur PureTech. Stellantis généralise sa garantie de 10 ans ou 180 000 kmL'argus · Motoring press · published 26 May 2025 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Safety Gate, alerta A12/01505/20: Peugeot 208, 308, 2008, 3008, 5008 y Partner (copia en PDF)Comisión Europea – Safety Gate · Official body · published November 2020 · consulted 26 September 2026
- Fiabilité Stellantis 1.2 PureTech. De nouvelles solutions contre la consommation d'huileL'argus · Motoring press · published 23 June 2024 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Stellantis 1.2 Puretech engine: list of belt and chain modelsItalPassion · Motoring press · published 2 February 2025 · consulted 26 September 2026
- VW Golf III VR6 (1991-1998)AutoBild · Motoring press · published 1 September 2003 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Golf IV (1J): Schwachstellen und KaufberatungGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Gebrauchtwagen-Kaufberater: Was kann der Porsche Cayenne 9PA?AutoScout24 · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Moteur EBWikipédia (francés) · Other source · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- El Peugeot 208 estrena motor Turbo 100 con distribución por cadenaDiariomotor · Motoring press · published 16 March 2026 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- VR6 engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- VR6-MotorWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW EA390Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- 1.2 PureTech: precio y cambio de correa de distribuciónAutopista · Motoring press · published 2 August 2026 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Stellantis reacciona a los motores PureTech defectuosos: amplía la garantía de manera retroactiva a 10 añosXataka · Motoring press · published 27 March 2024 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- La correa bañada en aceite: cámbiala cada 60.000 km y evita una avería de 3.000 eurosMotor16 · Motoring press · published 27 August 2026 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Rappel des moteurs 1.2 Puretech 110 et 130 chFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Peugeot-Citroën-DS-Opel. Nouveau rappel de grande ampleur pour le moteur 1.2 PureTechL'argus · Motoring press · published 28 January 2023 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Peugeot, sobre los motores PureTech: «Reconocemos que hemos hecho las cosas mal»Xataka · Motoring press · published 4 June 2026 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- 10 años o 175.000 km de garantía para los modelos de Stellantis con motor PureTechAutofácil · Motoring press · published 27 March 2024 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Confirmado: Stellantis llama a revisión a más de 200.000 coches con el motor gasolina sucesor del 1.2 PureTech: «Y también se hará en España»Motorpasión · Motoring press · published 15 July 2025 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Fiabilité du 1.2 PuretechFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Volkswagen Golf III (1991-1998)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French
- Seat Leon I: Bekannte Probleme & RückrufeGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · published 9 April 2025 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Bora (1J2): Typische Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · published 14 July 2022 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Golf 4: ProblemeCarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Audi TT: ProblemeCarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Passat CC: Probleme und SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Probleme mit dem Porsche Cayenne (9PA y 92A)CarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Tous les problèmes sur Volkswagen Passat (2004-2010)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French