1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 carries less risk than the 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec: 14/100 (low risk) versus 59/100 (high risk). The 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Timing chain stretch and breakage»; the 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 has no documented serious faults.
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec reliable?
The naturally aspirated 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Ecotec engines from Opel/Vauxhall (GM Family 0; Z10XEP, Z12XEP/A12XER, Z14XEP/A14XER) powered much of the brand's small-car range between 2003 and 2019. It is a simple block with no systematically documented catastrophic engine failures, but with a timing chain tensioner that, according to several sources, does not last well, frequent coil failures and water pump or thermostat problems, and an Easytronic gearbox criticised for the way it changes gear.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
See the 6 of the 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec faultsIs the 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 reliable?
The EW10 (2.0) and EW12 (2.2) are naturally aspirated 16-valve petrol engines with a timing belt, which PSA fitted between 1999 and 2010 to the 206, 307, 406, 407, 607, 807, C4, C5 and C8, among others. According to owners there are no frequent internal failures: the most-cited problems are the ignition coils (the only fault also reported by the press), the exhaust and, on the 2.2, oil consumption.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
See the of the 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 faultSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec | 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | — | — |
| Timing | Chain | Timing belt (dry) |
| Power | 60–100 hp | 135–177 hp |
| Production | 2003–2019[15][16][17] | 1999–2010[7][9][18][19] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 59High risk | 14Low risk |
| Documented faults | 6 | 1 |
| Of high or critical severity | 1 | 0 |
| Worst severity | Critical severity | Medium severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | up to €1,400Timing chain stretch and breakagePublished figure[20] | 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 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 TCe
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW B58
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW M54
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N13
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N20
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 8v Fire
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs MZR gasolina
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M111
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M112 / M113
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M264/M254
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M260
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M271
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M272/M273
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs M270/M274
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 THP
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 16v
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Rover K-Series
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.2 12V
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 MPI/FSI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
With the 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 PureTech
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 PureTech
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 TCe
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.3 TCe
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW B38 / B37
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW B48 / B38
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW B58
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW M54
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N13
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N20
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N43/N46
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N52 / N53
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N54/N55
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs BMW N62 / N63
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 8v Fire
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs MZR gasolina
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Skyactiv-G
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M111
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M112 / M113
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M264/M254
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M260
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M271
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M272/M273
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs M270/M274
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs MIVEC gasolina
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 Turbo
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 THP
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 0.9 TCe
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 16v
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Rover K-Series
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 Turbo
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs Drive-E gasolina
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.0 MPI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.2 12V
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 MPI/FSI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 1.8 T 20v
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs 2.0 FSI
- 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12 vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Distribution : les moteurs à problèmesFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Opel Corsa 3 : fiabilité, pannes et rappelsFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Opel Astra (2004-2010) : fiabilité, pannes et rappelsFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Opel Meriva (2003-2009) : fiabilité, pannes et rappelsFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Opel Adam : fiabilité, pannes et rappelsFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Opel Astra H: Probleme & KaufberatungGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- PSA EW/DW engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 8 October 2026
- Peugeot 307 Probleme und SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · published 2 November 2022 · consulted 8 October 2026 · in German
- Peugeot 407 problems (reseña de Graham Smith)CarsGuide (Australia) · Motoring press · published 17 March 2015 · consulted 8 October 2026
- Tous les problèmes sur Peugeot 307 2001-2008 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Peugeot 406 1995-2004 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Peugeot 407 2004-2010 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Citroën C5 2001-2008 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Citroën C8 2002-2015 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- GM Family 0 engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
- Opel Corsa CWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Opel AdamWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
- Peugeot 406Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 8 October 2026
- Peugeot 307 2.0 16V 140 ch: courroie de distribution (intervalo, tiempo y riesgo)Mecazen · Other source · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Opel Corsa 4 : fiabilité, pannes et rappelsFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Peugeot 206 1998-2006 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Citroën Xsara Picasso 1999-2010 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Citroën C4 2004-2010 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French
- Tous les problèmes sur Peugeot 607 2000-2011 (opiniones por motorización)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 8 October 2026 · in French