# Volkswagen Beetle

8 Hacker News commenters recommended Volkswagen Beetle and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend the Beetle for its iconic, everyman design and the pleasure of driving a simple car. Critics point to missing air conditioning and heating in older models.

## Why people recommend it

- Iconic, everyman design (3 comments): "often the most popular tend to be some of the most ubiquitous models that were designed for the everyman, e.g. the 2CV, VW Beetle, VW Camper" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055814)) "The same design cues that made the VW Beetle and the Mazda Miata (1st gen) popular cars." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50056024)) "as much of a style icon as the Käfer ( Beetle )" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50057379))
- Simple, no connected features (2 comments): "I have a 2016 Beetle and a 2014 Mini Countryman and neither have these stupid features, thankfully!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48829651)) "without me paying £200 for the privilege of VW unlocking them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46355104))

## What people warn about

- Lacks air conditioning and working heating (1 comments): "And I'd almost certainly regret not having air con and working heating if I owned one now." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48828718))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Toyota Camry](https://hackerapproved.com/p/toyota-camry.md): 25 recommend
- [Subaru Outback](https://hackerapproved.com/p/subaru-outback.md): 10 recommend
- [Honda Accord](https://hackerapproved.com/p/honda-accord.md): 8 recommend
- [MINI car](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mini.md): 7 recommend
- [Volvo 240](https://hackerapproved.com/p/volvo-240.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.vw.com/en.html)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Volkswagen Beetle", https://hackerapproved.com/p/volkswagen-beetle/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).