Volkswagen Beetle
Shares rank 3 of 8 cars by recommenders
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.
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.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Iconic, everyman design
“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”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “The same design cues that made the VW Beetle and the Mazda Miata (1st gen) popular cars.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “as much of a style icon as the Käfer ( Beetle )”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” Simple, no connected features
“I have a 2016 Beetle and a 2014 Mini Countryman and neither have these stupid features, thankfully!”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “All Cars Sold in the EU Now Require a Camera Aimed at Your Face” “without me paying £200 for the privilege of VW unlocking them”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 on Hacker News
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Lacks air conditioning and working heating
“And I'd almost certainly regret not having air con and working heating if I owned one now.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “All Cars Sold in the EU Now Require a Camera Aimed at Your Face”
Other cars people recommend
The four most recommended other cars, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | 25 | 8 | 76% | 9 | 6 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Subaru Outback | 10 | 8 | 56% | 5 | 7 yrs5 owners | — |
| Volkswagen BeetleThis page | 8 | 2 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
| Honda Accord | 8 | 4 | 67% | 5 | — | — |
| MINI car | 7 | 9 | 44% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I find pure joy in driving my old beetle now”
“as much of a style icon as the Käfer ( Beetle )”
“The same design cues that made the VW Beetle and the Mazda Miata (1st gen) popular cars.”
“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”
“I have a 2016 Beetle and a 2014 Mini Countryman and neither have these stupid features, thankfully!”
“And I'd almost certainly regret not having air con and working heating if I owned one now.”
“doesn't require any intervention from anyone else on Earth to use”
“without me paying £200 for the privilege of VW unlocking them”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.