1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 12V: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II carries less risk than the 1.2 12V: 19/100 (low risk) versus 57/100 (high risk). The 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II has no documented serious faults; the 1.2 12V has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Timing chain stretch and tensioner wear».
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II reliable?
The 1.4 and 1.6 16v GM Daewoo E-TEC II (first-generation Lacetti/Optra and Aveo) have a timing belt and, according to the Polish press, a moderate fault record. Documented issues are faulty valves in the first units (2004-2005), lambda sensor faults and a few cases of oil leaks or oil consumption.[1][2][3]
See the 3 of the 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II faultsIs the 1.2 12V reliable?
The 1.2 12V is a simple, low-power, naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine (54-70 hp), with two documented design faults: the timing chain tensioner, which can end up destroying the engine, and -on the Volkswagen Polo IV- a catalytic converter too close to the cylinder head that can burn the exhaust valves. Ignition coil failures are also common, and there are isolated cases of oil consumption and vibration.[4][5][6][7][8]
See the 5 of the 1.2 12V faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II | 1.2 12V |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | — | 1,198 cm³ |
| Timing | Timing belt (dry) | Chain |
| Power | 83–109 hp | 54–70 hp |
| Production | 2004–2011[9][10][11][12][13] | 2001–2014[4][14][15] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 19Low risk | 57High risk |
| Documented faults | 3 | 5 |
| Of high or critical severity | 0 | 2 |
| Worst severity | Medium severity | Critical severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | No reliable data | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | 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 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 TCe
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW B58
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M50 and M52
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW M54
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N13
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N20
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs MZR gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M111
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M112 / M113
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M264/M254
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M260
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M271
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M272/M273
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M270/M274
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs M276
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Porsche M96/M97
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 THP
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 TCe
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 16v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 8v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Rover K-Series
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
- 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II vs VR6
With the 1.2 12V
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 TCe
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 12V vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.2 12V vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.2 12V vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- 1.2 12V vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.2 12V vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.2 12V vs BMW B58
- 1.2 12V vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- 1.2 12V vs M50 and M52
- 1.2 12V vs BMW M54
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N13
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N20
- 1.2 12V vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.2 12V vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.2 12V vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.2 12V vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 12V vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- 1.2 12V vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- 1.2 12V vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.2 12V vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.2 12V vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- 1.2 12V vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.2 12V vs MZR gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.2 12V vs M111
- 1.2 12V vs M112 / M113
- 1.2 12V vs M264/M254
- 1.2 12V vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- 1.2 12V vs M260
- 1.2 12V vs M271
- 1.2 12V vs M272/M273
- 1.2 12V vs M270/M274
- 1.2 12V vs M276
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.2 12V vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.2 12V vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- 1.2 12V vs Porsche M96/M97
- 1.2 12V vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 THP
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- 1.2 12V vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 TCe
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 16v
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 8v
- 1.2 12V vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.2 12V vs Rover K-Series
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.2 12V vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.2 12V vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.2 12V vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.2 12V vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 12V vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- 1.2 12V vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.2 12V vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.2 12V vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- 1.2 12V vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- 1.2 12V vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- 1.2 12V vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
- 1.2 12V vs VR6
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Chevrolet Lacetti 1.4 16V - Niełatwo zdobyć zaufanieAuto Świat · Motoring press · published 19 November 2007 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Bez fajerwerków - Chevrolet Lacetti (2003-2010)AutoCentrum.pl · Motoring press · published 7 April 2012 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Czy warto kupić: używany Chevrolet Aveo (od 2002 do 2011)AutoCentrum.pl · Motoring press · published 5 March 2013 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- VW Polo 4 (9N): Typische Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Fiabilité et pannes de la Volkswagen Polo 4Fiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Fiabilité et pannes de la Seat Ibiza (2008-2017)Fiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Seat Ibiza III (2002-2008): Bekannte Probleme & KrankheitenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Fiabilité et pannes de la Seat Ibiza (2002-2008)Fiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- GM Family 1 engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Chevrolet LacettiWikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Chevrolet LacettiWikipedia (de) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Chevrolet Aveo (T200)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Używany Chevrolet Aveo T200/T250 - typowe awarie i problemyWP Autokult · Motoring press · published 28 January 2012 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- VW EA111Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- VW Polo IVWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- W pierwszych silnikach 1,6 l przecierały się zawory (Chevrolet Lacetti)AutoCentrum.pl (usterki) · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Fiabilité et pannes de la Volkswagen Polo 5Fiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Fiabilité et pannes de la Skoda Fabia 2Fiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French