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Ford vs Volkswagen

Ford or Volkswagen — what we actually found

Side by side from 522 Fords and 122 Volkswagens buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
FordVolkswagen
Cars inspected522122
Average condition57/10059/100
In good shape (60+/100)50%50%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~124k mi~118k mi
Repainted or replaced panel71%76%
Structural repair found4%3%
Fault codes recently cleared24%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
Ford
Excellent 22% Good 28% Mediocre 24% Poor 26%
Volkswagen
Excellent 16% Good 34% Mediocre 33% Poor 18%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Ford▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 0–20k mi: 85% in good shape (20 cars)Ford, 20–40k mi: 86% in good shape (44 cars)Ford, 40–60k mi: 84% in good shape (58 cars)Ford, 60–80k mi: 64% in good shape (55 cars)Ford, 80–100k mi: 56% in good shape (61 cars)Ford, 100–120k mi: 43% in good shape (75 cars)Ford, 120–140k mi: 41% in good shape (51 cars)Ford, 140–160k mi: 21% in good shape (43 cars)Ford, 160–180k mi: 36% in good shape (33 cars)Ford, 180–200k mi: 19% in good shape (26 cars)Ford, 200–220k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars) Volkswagen, 20–40k mi: 90% in good shape (10 cars)Volkswagen, 40–60k mi: 56% in good shape (9 cars)Volkswagen, 60–80k mi: 48% in good shape (23 cars)Volkswagen, 80–100k mi: 37% in good shape (35 cars)Volkswagen, 100–120k mi: 56% in good shape (18 cars)Volkswagen, 120–140k mi: 38% in good shape (8 cars)Volkswagen, 140–160k mi: 38% in good shape (8 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Ford▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 1 years old: 88% in good shape (16 cars)Ford, 2 years old: 95% in good shape (20 cars)Ford, 3 years old: 93% in good shape (27 cars)Ford, 4 years old: 77% in good shape (44 cars)Ford, 5 years old: 71% in good shape (34 cars)Ford, 6 years old: 63% in good shape (40 cars)Ford, 7 years old: 59% in good shape (41 cars)Ford, 8 years old: 36% in good shape (44 cars)Ford, 9 years old: 36% in good shape (42 cars)Ford, 10 years old: 56% in good shape (32 cars)Ford, 11 years old: 50% in good shape (22 cars)Ford, 12 years old: 38% in good shape (29 cars)Ford, 13 years old: 23% in good shape (13 cars)Ford, 14 years old: 18% in good shape (17 cars)Ford, 15 years old: 44% in good shape (16 cars)Ford, 16 years old: 33% in good shape (12 cars) Volkswagen, 2 years old: 100% in good shape (5 cars)Volkswagen, 4 years old: 83% in good shape (6 cars)Volkswagen, 6 years old: 70% in good shape (10 cars)Volkswagen, 7 years old: 67% in good shape (15 cars)Volkswagen, 8 years old: 45% in good shape (11 cars)Volkswagen, 9 years old: 33% in good shape (15 cars)Volkswagen, 10 years old: 64% in good shape (11 cars)Volkswagen, 11 years old: 33% in good shape (12 cars)Volkswagen, 13 years old: 50% in good shape (6 cars)Volkswagen, 14 years old: 25% in good shape (8 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
Ford
Oil leaks · Engine
58%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
39%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
33%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
31%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
21%
Volkswagen
Oil leaks · Engine
76%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
53%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
40%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
28%
Electronic components issues · Engine
20%
Trajectory by generation
Ford ▲ Newer Fords are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 41% in good shape (age-adjusted; 37 cars, raw 38%) 41 2015–17: 53% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 49%) 53 2018+: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 88 cars, raw 66%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Volkswagen ▲ Newer Volkswagens are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 40% in good shape (age-adjusted; 19 cars, raw 37%) 40 2015–17: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 22 cars, raw 55%) 59 2018+: 66% in good shape (age-adjusted; 17 cars, raw 71%) 66 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.
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Based on 644 inspections · updated Aug 22, 2026