Cheap Volkswagen Transporter Rear Tailgate

The T5 ran from 2003 to 2009 and the T5.1 facelift from 2010 to 2015, and while they share the same basic platform the rear tailgate pressing and glass arrangement may differ across that 2010 boundary — confirm with the breaker against your exact registration before buying. Wheelbase (standard or long) and whether your van has a tailgate rather than barn doors must also match. Never assume a pre-facelift panel is a straight swap for a post-facelift one without the breaker verifying the part numbers.

The T6 covered 2015 to 2019 and the T6.1 ran from 2019 onwards, and the facelift introduced styling changes to the rear that are likely to affect panel fit — route this cross-boundary question to the breaker to check against your registration. Make sure the wheelbase and roof height of the donor van match yours, as these affect the tailgate dimensions. The breaker is the safest source of confirmation here.

What matters is the body configuration — specifically that the donor van has a tailgate (rather than barn doors) and matches your wheelbase and roof height, not the Kombi, Shuttle, or panel van badge. These variants share bodyshells across the same generation so the nameplate itself does not determine fitment, but confirm with the breaker against your registration because mid-generation pressing changes between same-platform variants are possible. Engine and trim designation have no bearing on tailgate fitment at all.

Generation boundaries matter significantly: a T4 (1990–2003), T5 (2003–2009), T5.1 (2010–2015), and T6/T6.1 (2015–present) tailgate will not interchange between generations as the body structures are completely different. Within a single generation, wheelbase, roof height, and tailgate versus barn-door configuration are the key fitment factors. Year of manufacture can also matter within a generation if a mid-run pressing change occurred, so always confirm with the breaker using your registration.

Trim level — whether Trendline, Comfortline, or Highline — does not affect the fit of the tailgate panel itself, so you do not need to match trim when sourcing a used one. Bear in mind that higher trims may have come with different glass, wiper motors, or rear badging, so cosmetic or ancillary differences are possible even if the panel fits. Confirm with the breaker that the generation, wheelbase, and roof height all match your vehicle.

No: barn doors and a single swing-up tailgate require different body apertures and hinge points, so these two configurations are not interchangeable. When searching for a used tailgate, make sure the donor vehicle is specified as a tailgate van and not a barn-door van, as the surrounding metalwork differs. A breaker will be able to confirm the body configuration from the donor vehicle's registration.