VolkswagenBeetle1955Overview/volkswagen/beetle/1955/base/

1955 Volkswagen Beetle

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1955 Beetle.

Model year19781955

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Beetle of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

27.5–29.5 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 27.50 sec — 1962 1200 Coupe
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
19621200 Coupe 1.2L F-427.50 sec22.90 sec40 hpRWD
19641200 Coupe 1.2L F-429.50 sec23.30 sec40 hpRWD

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Beetle. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.