Volkswagen Passat tire size
Original tire sizes for the Volkswagen Passat, model years 2006 through 2019. Trim levels and wheel packages change the size within the same year, so confirm on the door-jamb sticker before ordering.
Check before you order. The surest answer is the tires on the car right now: the size is molded into the sidewall. The placard inside the driver's door tells you what the factory fitted. Our guide on reading a tire size shows exactly where to look.
Buy tires for your Volkswagen Passat
2012-2019, S
Same size all four corners
2006-2010, base
Same size all four corners
Each button opens our mid-range pick in that size at SimpleTire, at the price shown: a known brand with solid wet grip and a long tread warranty. The size page has budget and premium picks too. Prices exclude mounting. Check the sticker inside the driver’s door before you order.
Size by year and trim
| Model years | Trim or package | Tire size | From, per tire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2019 | S | 215/60R16 | $69 | Prices |
| 2006-2010 | Base | 215/55R16 | $69 | Prices |
Tire size by model year
| Model year | Tire size | Trim or package | From, per tire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2018 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2017 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2016 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2015 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2014 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2013 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2012 Volkswagen Passat | 215/60R16 | S | $69 | Prices |
| 2010 Volkswagen Passat | 215/55R16 | Base | $69 | Prices |
| 2009 Volkswagen Passat | 215/55R16 | Base | $69 | Prices |
| 2008 Volkswagen Passat | 215/55R16 | Base | $69 | Prices |
| 2007 Volkswagen Passat | 215/55R16 | Base | $69 | Prices |
| 2006 Volkswagen Passat | 215/55R16 | Base | $69 | Prices |
Which brand should you pick?
Volkswagen does not stamp its own approval code on tires the way Porsche or BMW do. Any tire in the right size that meets or exceeds the load index and speed rating on your door placard is a legitimate replacement, so pick on wet braking, tread life and price. Our picks for each size are on the size pages below.
The drawing carries the sizes we list for this car, so you know what you are looking for. The placard on the car is still the final word, and it is the only place that gives the cold pressures: the number molded into the sidewall is the maximum the tire can hold, not what your car wants.
What those tires cost
About the Volkswagen Passat
The Passat is Volkswagen's mid-size sedan, and in the US it came in two distinct flavors: the German-built B6 sold from 2006 to 2010, and the larger, cheaper Chattanooga-built car sold from 2012 until the nameplate left America after 2022. Both are ordinary family sedans that wear ordinary sizes, which is good news for the tire budget. Owners usually come here to confirm whether they are on 16s or 17s.
Launched in 1973. Launched in 1973, the first Passat replaced the Volkswagen Type 3 and Type 4 as the company's first modern front-wheel-drive family car, sold in the US under the Dasher name.
How to tell the model years apart
Wheel and tire sizes follow the generation, not the badge, so identifying yours matters before you order.
2006-2010
Sixth generation (B6)
The German B6 is the narrower, more upright-looking Passat with a large chrome-framed grille flanked by swept-back headlamps, sold as a sedan and a wagon. Interiors are noticeably higher-grade than what followed, and the engine bay held a 2.0-liter turbo four or a 3.6-liter VR6. Base cars ran 16-inch wheels, with 17s on higher trims.
Tire sizes: 215/55R16
2012-2019
Seventh generation, US-market NMS
This is the big one, built in Chattanooga specifically for America and visibly longer and squarer than the European car, with a flat hood, a horizontal three-bar grille and a much roomier rear seat. Trim levels S, SE, SEL and R-Line changed the wheel size rather than the body. A 2019 facelift sharpened the grille and lights but kept the same platform underneath.
What the press said
Reviewers liked the German B6 for its interior quality and ride, and worried about long-term electrical complexity. The American NMS Passat got the opposite treatment: praise for rear legroom, trunk space and value, criticism for hard plastics, dull steering and an engine lineup that was adequate rather than interesting. Almost every road test noted that the car existed to hit a price, and that it did so competently. Nobody called it exciting, and Volkswagen never really argued.
Despite a lack of personality and performance, the Passat is practical and well-equipped.
Car and Driver, 2022
| Model year | Units sold in the US |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 117,023 |
| 2013 | 109,652 |
| 2014 | 96,649 |
| 2015 | 78,207 |
| 2016 | 73,002 |
| 2017 | 60,722 |
| 2018 | 41,401 |
| 2019 | 14,123 |
| 2020 | 22,964 |
| 2021 | 24,396 |
| 2022 | 2,408 |
US sales peaked at 117,023 in 2012, the NMS car's first full year, and fell to 2,408 in 2022 as the nameplate was wound down in America.
Was it a success?
The American Passat sold well for exactly one year and then declined every year as buyers moved to crossovers; Volkswagen stopped building it in Chattanooga in 2022 and gave the plant to the ID.4. Resale is weak, which makes a late used Passat one of the cheapest ways into a roomy sedan. Reliability reputation is average for the NMS car, with the simple 2.5-liter five-cylinder and later 1.8T generally holding up better than the electronics and interior trim.
Did you know?
- With roughly 34 million built across all generations, the Passat is the fourth best-selling automobile nameplate of all time.
- The 2012-2022 American Passat was a different car from the European Passat of the same years, developed as the internal New Midsize Sedan project and built in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Volkswagen sold the Passat in the US under three names before it was called Passat: Dasher, Quantum and then Passat from 1990.
Tire options on the Volkswagen Passat
Passat tire sizes are as undemanding as the car. The B6 ran 215/55R16 on base trims and 235/45R17 or 235/40R18 higher up, while the American NMS car used 215/60R16 on the S, 225/50R17 on the SE and 235/45R18 on SEL and R-Line. Everything is square, front-wheel drive only, and nothing came with run-flats from the factory, so you can rotate all four and carry the compact spare that lives under the trunk floor. Original equipment was typically Continental ContiProContact or Hankook Optimo touring rubber, chosen for ride and rolling resistance rather than grip. Winter availability is excellent across all of these sizes because they are shared with millions of other family sedans, and a 16-inch winter set on steel wheels is the cheapest way to get a Passat through a northern winter. Most owners stay on the factory size; the ones who upsize are usually chasing looks on an R-Line rather than any handling gain.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, caranddriver.com.
Volkswagen Passat tires: common questions
What size tires does a Volkswagen Passat take?
The most common original size is 215/60R16. Other model years and trims use different sizes, so check the list on this page and confirm against the sticker inside your driver's door.
Can I fit a different size on my Volkswagen Passat?
You can, within limits: the overall diameter should stay within about 3 percent of the original, and the load index and speed rating must meet or exceed the door placard. Anything further changes your speedometer reading and can rub at full lock.
Where is the tire size on a Volkswagen Passat?
Open the driver's door and look at the white and yellow placard on the door jamb or the B-pillar. The same size is also molded into the sidewall of the tires currently on the car, unless someone changed them.
What size tires does a 2019 Volkswagen Passat take?
The 2019 Volkswagen Passat came from the factory on 215/60R16. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.
What size tires does a 2018 Volkswagen Passat take?
The 2018 Volkswagen Passat came from the factory on 215/60R16. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.
What size tires does a 2017 Volkswagen Passat take?
The 2017 Volkswagen Passat came from the factory on 215/60R16. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.