wheel My order
Mon-Sun 9am-8pm
470 400 8880
Metro Atlanta, GA
wheel My order
Home / Insights /

Honda vs Volkswagen

Honda or Volkswagen — what we actually found

Side by side from 492 Hondas and 116 Volkswagens buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 60/100.

vs
Head to head
HondaVolkswagen
Cars inspected492116
Average condition56/10059/100
In good shape (60+/100)43%50%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~118k mi~126k mi
Repainted or replaced panel81%78%
Structural repair found8%3%
Fault codes recently cleared28%24%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Honda
Excellent 10% Good 33% Mediocre 41% Poor 15%
Volkswagen
Excellent 8% Good 42% Mediocre 46% Poor 4%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Honda▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 0–20k mi: 93% in good shape (14 cars)Honda, 20–40k mi: 83% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 40–60k mi: 74% in good shape (42 cars)Honda, 60–80k mi: 69% in good shape (62 cars)Honda, 80–100k mi: 44% in good shape (63 cars)Honda, 100–120k mi: 43% in good shape (76 cars)Honda, 120–140k mi: 36% in good shape (61 cars)Honda, 140–160k mi: 19% in good shape (69 cars)Honda, 160–180k mi: 16% in good shape (31 cars)Honda, 180–200k mi: 13% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 200–220k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars) Volkswagen, 20–40k mi: 89% in good shape (9 cars)Volkswagen, 40–60k mi: 100% in good shape (9 cars)Volkswagen, 60–80k mi: 65% in good shape (23 cars)Volkswagen, 80–100k mi: 42% in good shape (33 cars)Volkswagen, 100–120k mi: 50% in good shape (18 cars)Volkswagen, 120–140k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars)Volkswagen, 140–160k mi: 14% in good shape (7 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Honda▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (7 cars)Honda, 2 years old: 90% in good shape (10 cars)Honda, 3 years old: 91% in good shape (23 cars)Honda, 4 years old: 75% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 5 years old: 69% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 6 years old: 53% in good shape (38 cars)Honda, 7 years old: 56% in good shape (41 cars)Honda, 8 years old: 48% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 9 years old: 41% in good shape (27 cars)Honda, 10 years old: 45% in good shape (40 cars)Honda, 11 years old: 36% in good shape (33 cars)Honda, 12 years old: 43% in good shape (35 cars)Honda, 13 years old: 27% in good shape (33 cars)Honda, 14 years old: 33% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 15 years old: 12% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 16 years old: 9% in good shape (22 cars) Volkswagen, 4 years old: 100% in good shape (6 cars)Volkswagen, 6 years old: 60% in good shape (10 cars)Volkswagen, 7 years old: 80% in good shape (15 cars)Volkswagen, 8 years old: 64% in good shape (11 cars)Volkswagen, 9 years old: 43% in good shape (14 cars)Volkswagen, 10 years old: 50% in good shape (10 cars)Volkswagen, 11 years old: 33% in good shape (12 cars)Volkswagen, 13 years old: 0% in good shape (5 cars)Volkswagen, 14 years old: 0% in good shape (7 cars) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Honda
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
59%
Oil leaks · Engine
54%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
41%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
37%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
29%
Volkswagen
Oil leaks · Engine
78%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
56%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
42%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
28%
Electronic components issues · Engine
21%
Trajectory by generation
Honda ▼ Newer Hondas aren't holding up as well 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 65% in good shape (age-adjusted; 53 cars, raw 62%) 65 2015–17: 50% in good shape (age-adjusted; 90 cars, raw 49%) 50 2018+: 40% in good shape (age-adjusted; 44 cars, raw 48%) 40 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Volkswagen ▬ Consistent across generations 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 62% in good shape (age-adjusted; 19 cars, raw 58%) 62 2015–17: 64% in good shape (age-adjusted; 20 cars, raw 60%) 64 2018+: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 17 cars, raw 65%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
Book an inspection

Based on 608 inspections · updated Jul 12, 2026