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Honda vs Volkswagen

Honda or Volkswagen — what we actually found

Side by side from 526 Hondas and 122 Volkswagens buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HondaVolkswagen
Cars inspected526122
Average condition56/10059/100
In good shape (60+/100)48%50%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~114k mi~118k mi
Repainted or replaced panel81%76%
Structural repair found8%3%
Fault codes recently cleared29%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 18% Good 30% Mediocre 25% Poor 27%
Volkswagen
Excellent 16% Good 34% Mediocre 33% Poor 18%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Honda▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 0–20k mi: 87% in good shape (15 cars)Honda, 20–40k mi: 85% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 40–60k mi: 77% in good shape (44 cars)Honda, 60–80k mi: 72% in good shape (64 cars)Honda, 80–100k mi: 63% in good shape (70 cars)Honda, 100–120k mi: 45% in good shape (84 cars)Honda, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (67 cars)Honda, 140–160k mi: 19% in good shape (73 cars)Honda, 160–180k mi: 22% in good shape (32 cars)Honda, 180–200k mi: 12% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 200–220k mi: 0% in good shape (8 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
▬ Honda▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 1 years old: 86% in good shape (7 cars)Honda, 2 years old: 91% in good shape (11 cars)Honda, 3 years old: 91% in good shape (23 cars)Honda, 4 years old: 81% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 5 years old: 79% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 6 years old: 70% in good shape (40 cars)Honda, 7 years old: 63% in good shape (43 cars)Honda, 8 years old: 50% in good shape (30 cars)Honda, 9 years old: 52% in good shape (31 cars)Honda, 10 years old: 43% in good shape (46 cars)Honda, 11 years old: 54% in good shape (35 cars)Honda, 12 years old: 39% in good shape (36 cars)Honda, 13 years old: 28% in good shape (36 cars)Honda, 14 years old: 29% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 15 years old: 11% in good shape (27 cars)Honda, 16 years old: 17% in good shape (24 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
Honda
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
60%
Oil leaks · Engine
54%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
41%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
34%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
28%
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
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; 100 cars, raw 61%) 63 2018+: 55% in good shape (age-adjusted; 52 cars, raw 62%) 55 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 648 inspections · updated Aug 22, 2026