After five years on the market in its current form, the Volkswagen Jetta is due for an update. VW doesn’t need to change much. The Jetta has carved out a following and mastered a formula since its 1979 debut.
So, for the 2025 model year, Volkswagen will update its compact car conservatively while keeping the price low.
The 2025 Jetta will start at $23,220 (including a mandatory $1,225 destination charge). That’s almost identical to the 2024 model’s starting price ($22,660). However, it includes one significant change: an 8-speed automatic transmission is now standard equipment.
You can still buy a 6-speed manual. But the shift-it-yourself option will only appear on the sporty GLI for 2025. Volkswagen hasn’t revealed its price yet. The 2024 GLI starts at $29,310 delivered.
“On the outside, modernized front- and rear-end treatments, alongside new wheel choices and colors, give the Jetta a more distinctive appearance,” VW says. They may be modernized, but the changes are modest. The grille grows narrower, flanked by new LED headlights. Sport models get the option of a wide light bar connecting the headlights.
In the rear, a similar bar connects the taillights regardless of trim.
Inside, an 8-inch central touchscreen is now standard on all models and sits higher than in the pre-retouch 2024 edition. Though VW has moved away from capacitive touch controls in many models, new sliders appear in the Jetta to control the climate.
The changes amount to a minor makeover, but that may be all the Jetta needed to hold its position as the last European compact sedan for sale in the U.S. Shoppers will want to test drive it against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and American alternatives like the — OK, there aren’t any of those left, either.
