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Honda vs Tesla Reliability

Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 56/100 for Honda, from 665 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HondaTesla
Cars inspected58580
Average condition56/10073/100
In good shape (60+/100)49%81%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~116k mi~182k mi
Repainted or replaced panel80%65%
Structural repair found8%3%

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 18% Good 31% Mediocre 25% Poor 26%
Tesla
Excellent 38% Good 43% Mediocre 19% Poor 1%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Honda▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 0–20k mi: 88%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars in this band)Honda, 20–40k mi: 81% in good shape (27 cars)Honda, 40–60k mi: 79% in good shape (53 cars)Honda, 60–80k mi: 73% in good shape (74 cars)Honda, 80–100k mi: 61% in good shape (79 cars)Honda, 100–120k mi: 46% in good shape (90 cars)Honda, 120–140k mi: 42% in good shape (76 cars)Honda, 140–160k mi: 22% in good shape (81 cars)Honda, 160–180k mi: 25% in good shape (36 cars)Honda, 180–200k mi: 11% in good shape (27 cars)Honda, 200–220k mi: 5%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars in this band) Tesla, 0–20k mi: 89%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Tesla, 20–40k mi: 73% in good shape (22 cars)Tesla, 40–60k mi: 76%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band)Tesla, 60–80k mi: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars in this band)Tesla, 80–100k mi: 70%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band)Tesla, 100–120k mi: 65%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band)Tesla, 120–140k mi: 55%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Honda▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 1 years old: 92%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Honda, 2 years old: 90%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age)Honda, 3 years old: 88% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 4 years old: 81% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 5 years old: 75% in good shape (32 cars)Honda, 6 years old: 70% in good shape (43 cars)Honda, 7 years old: 65% in good shape (48 cars)Honda, 8 years old: 57% in good shape (37 cars)Honda, 9 years old: 51% in good shape (37 cars)Honda, 10 years old: 45% in good shape (55 cars)Honda, 11 years old: 59% in good shape (39 cars)Honda, 12 years old: 37% in good shape (41 cars)Honda, 13 years old: 29% in good shape (41 cars)Honda, 14 years old: 31% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 15 years old: 14% in good shape (28 cars)Honda, 16 years old: 15% in good shape (27 cars) Tesla, 1 years old: 84%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age)Tesla, 2 years old: 87%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Tesla, 3 years old: 81% in good shape (21 cars)Tesla, 4 years old: 76%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 5 years old: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 6 years old: 68%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Tesla, 7 years old: 63%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) 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; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Honda
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
61%
Oil leaks · Engine
54%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
41%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
28%
Tesla
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
18%
Vibration · Drivetrain
10%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
9%
Steering pull · Suspension
8%
Trajectory by generation
Honda ▬ Consistent across generations 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 53 cars, raw 57%) 60 2015–17: 63% in good shape (age-adjusted; 115 cars, raw 60%) 63 2018–20: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 60 cars, raw 65%) 60 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Tesla

Not enough Teslas at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

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 →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Honda or Tesla?
Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 56/100 for Honda, from 665 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Hondas and Teslas?
On Hondas we flag fuel trim out of range (61%), oil leaks (54%), tires condition & wear (41%). On Teslas: tires condition & wear (35%), active error codes (18%), vibration (10%).
?
How many Honda and Tesla vehicles have you inspected?
585 Hondas and 80 Teslas — 665 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Hondas and Teslas stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Honda dips below “decent” around ~116k mi; Tesla around ~182k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 665 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026