VUAA vs SPYL: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
Every figure here is in euros — what you'd actually pocket buying on Xetra. Fund fact sheets usually headline returns in US dollars, which can look very different: in 2025 a world tracker rose about 23% in dollars but only about 9% in euros, because the euro gained roughly 13% against the dollar. Here's the full story, year by year.
VUAA
SPYL
VUAA tracks the S&P 500 IndexSPYL tracks the S&P 500 Index
What did the last 2 years do to €10,000?
You invest €10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted. Both funds are measured over the same 2 full years (2024–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
VUAA vs SPYL, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | VUAA | SPYL | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +16.46% | +16.47% | Tie |
| 2025 | +4.28% | +4.71% | SPYL |
| 2024 | +33.65% | +32.33% | VUAA |
| 2023 | +22.10% | +8.23% | VUAA |
| 2022 | -14.58% | — | — |
| 2021 | +42.09% | — | — |
VUAA vs SPYL in plain words
VUAA and SPYL both track the S&P 500 Index, so their returns are nearly identical — the real differences are costs and fund structure. VUAA charges 0.07% a year in running costs and SPYL charges 0.03% — SPYL is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both are accumulating funds: dividends are reinvested inside the fund and show up as a higher share price, never as a payout. Across the 4 calendar years both funds were trading, VUAA finished the year ahead 2 times and SPYL 1 times. €10,000 invested at the start of 2024 was worth €13,937 in VUAA versus €13,856 in SPYL by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
VUAA also trades in USD on the London Stock Exchange, where VUAG is its GBP line, ISIN IE00BFMXXD54 — VUSA is its distributing sibling. This page follows the EUR line.
SPYL also trades in USD on the London Stock Exchange, where SPXL is its GBP line, ISIN IE000XZSV718 — this page follows its EUR line on Xetra.
Fund facts: VUAA vs SPYL
| Fact | VUAA | SPYL |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc) | SPDR S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc) |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Accumulating — dividends reinvested | Accumulating — dividends reinvested |
| Launched | 14 May 2019 | 31 Oct 2023 |
| ISIN | IE00BFMXXD54 | IE000XZSV718 |
| WKN | A2PFN2 | A3EUC1 |
| €10,000 invested | What €10,000 in VUAA became | What €10,000 in SPYL became |
How bumpy the ride was: VUAA vs SPYL
These head-to-head figures use only the 694 trading days both funds were listed: 2 Nov 2023 to 7 Oct 2026, roughly 2.8 years.
VUAA and SPYL swung about equally: annualised volatility of 14.6% for VUAA against 14.7% for SPYL, with VUAA moving 1% or more on 18.2% of trading days and SPYL on 18.8%. Both had their worst day on 3 Apr 2025: VUAA closed -5.45% and SPYL -5.54%.
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: VUAA fell -23.28% from its peak on 19 Feb 2025 to a low on 9 Apr 2025, then closed back above the old peak on 27 Oct 2025, 6 months after the low; SPYL fell -23.27% from its peak on 19 Feb 2025 to a low on 9 Apr 2025, then closed back above the old peak on 27 Oct 2025, 6 months after the low.
Day to day the two move almost in lockstep: the correlation of their daily returns is 1.00, and they closed in opposite directions on 2.3% of the 693 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 3 Nov 2023, when VUAA moved +0.50% and SPYL +1.40%.
| Measure | VUAA | SPYL |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 14.6% | 14.7% |
| Worst day | -5.45% on 3 Apr 2025 | -5.54% on 3 Apr 2025 |
| Best day | +4.10% on 6 Nov 2024 | +4.12% on 6 Nov 2024 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 18.2% of days | 18.8% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -23.28% | -23.27% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2025 → 9 Apr 2025 | 19 Feb 2025 → 9 Apr 2025 |
| Back above the old peak | 27 Oct 2025 · 6 months | 27 Oct 2025 · 6 months |
Years VUAA and SPYL parted ways
In 1 of the 3 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: VUAA returned +22.10% and SPYL +8.23%, a gap of 13.9 points. They rose together in 3 years.
| Year | VUAA | SPYL | Gap (VUAA − SPYL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +22.10% | +8.23% | +13.9 pts |
How often VUAA beat SPYL over any 12 months
Across the 16 rolling 12-month windows since November 2023, measured month-end to month-end, VUAA finished ahead in 37.5% of them (6) and SPYL in 62.5% (10).
€200 a month into each, 2025–2025
Putting €200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2025 to December 2025 (12 payments, €2,400 in total) would have grown to €2,576 in VUAA and €2,576 in SPYL, leaving VUAA €1 ahead.
| Outcome | VUAA | SPYL |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | €2,400 | €2,400 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | €2,576 | €2,576 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +€176 | +€176 |
| Gain in % | +7.33% | +7.31% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is VUAA or SPYL better?
Across the 4 calendar years both funds were trading, VUAA finished the year ahead 2 times and SPYL 1 times. €10,000 invested at the start of 2024 was worth €13,937 in VUAA versus €13,856 in SPYL by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between VUAA and SPYL?
VUAA and SPYL both track the S&P 500 Index, so their returns are nearly identical — the real differences are costs and fund structure. VUAA charges 0.07% a year in running costs and SPYL charges 0.03% — SPYL is the cheaper fund to hold. Both are accumulating funds: dividends are reinvested inside the fund and show up as a higher share price, never as a payout.
Which is more volatile, VUAA or SPYL?
VUAA and SPYL swung about equally: annualised volatility of 14.6% for VUAA against 14.7% for SPYL, with VUAA moving 1% or more on 18.2% of trading days and SPYL on 18.8%. Both had their worst day on 3 Apr 2025: VUAA closed -5.45% and SPYL -5.54%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VUAA or SPYL?
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: VUAA fell -23.28% from its peak on 19 Feb 2025 to a low on 9 Apr 2025, then closed back above the old peak on 27 Oct 2025, 6 months after the low; SPYL fell -23.27% from its peak on 19 Feb 2025 to a low on 9 Apr 2025, then closed back above the old peak on 27 Oct 2025, 6 months after the low.
How often did VUAA beat SPYL over a 12-month period?
Across the 16 rolling 12-month windows since November 2023, measured month-end to month-end, VUAA finished ahead in 37.5% of them (6) and SPYL in 62.5% (10).
What would €10,000 in VUAA have become?
€10,000 invested in VUAA at the start of 2024 grew to €13,937 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 18.1% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring VUAA or SPYL.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the EUR trading lines on Xetra, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.