The days when safety features were for overbearing parents are long gone. Now most consumers are interested in how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. In fact, most vehicles get slammed by critics if they don’t have many safety features, and that’s exactly what happened to the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta. 

While there are several reasons to love the Jetta, it doesn’t offer many standard safety features. The safety scores are impressive enough, but still weren’t enough to help it stand out from the crowd. These both played a role in U.S. News giving the Jetta a poor overall score.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta is a servicable sedan

If you’re looking for a decent sedan that can get you from point A to point B, then the Volkswagen Jetta fits into that category. If you’re looking for a sedan with great scores across the board from critics, a dynamic ride, and enough features to compete with a luxury vehicle for a much lower price, then the Jetta isn’t for you.

The best thing the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta has going for it is the price. It starts out at $18,995. For anyone on a budget who wants the security of buying a new vehicle and the warranty that comes with it, then the Jetta is a great buy. 

The gas mileage is another benefit. It gets an estimated 30 mpg city and 40 on the highway.

The final reason to give the Jetta a chance is the roomy backseat. For anyone with tall children, they’ll have some room to stretch out. That’s about it for the good, however.

The 1.4-liter turbocharged engine is severely lacking in power. If you want something that’s capable of passing on the freeway, then you’ll have to upgrade to Jetta GLI and its 2.0-liter turbo engine. That means shelling out more money. The interior isn’t anything to brag about either.

The available safety features are scarce

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta isn’t known for it’s wide array of standard safety features. In fact, it only has one feature that doesn’t require a higher monthly payment, and that’s a rearview camera. While that is certainly nice to have, the lack of other features isn’t doing much to impress critics.

For those who don’t mind spending more money, there are some optional features. These include forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

While all these are great, many other competitors like the Honda Civic provide eight standard safety features for only $3,000 more than the Jetta.

Good safety scores couldn’t save the Jetta from mediocrity

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta performed well enough on the IIHS safety test. Most of the scores came back as good. This means that the Jetta performed exactly as it should. The headlights received a score of poor, while the front crash prevention was the only area that was considered superior.

The NHTSA gave the 2021 Jetta five out of five stars overall. The side crash test earned five stars, while the rollover and frontal crash earned four out of five.

These scores aren’t bad by any means. They also aren’t stellar. No one was blown out of the water by how great the Jetta performed, and it probably won’t be earning any safety awards in the near future.