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Honda vs Volkswagen

Honda or Volkswagen — what we actually found

Side by side from 507 Hondas and 119 Volkswagens buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HondaVolkswagen
Cars inspected507119
Average condition56/10058/100
In good shape (60+/100)49%49%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~114k mi~117k mi
Repainted or replaced panel80%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 31% Mediocre 23% Poor 28%
Volkswagen
Excellent 15% 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: 86% in good shape (14 cars)Honda, 20–40k mi: 88% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 40–60k mi: 77% in good shape (43 cars)Honda, 60–80k mi: 72% in good shape (64 cars)Honda, 80–100k mi: 67% in good shape (66 cars)Honda, 100–120k mi: 45% in good shape (78 cars)Honda, 120–140k mi: 41% in good shape (63 cars)Honda, 140–160k mi: 20% in good shape (71 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: 38% in good shape (34 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: 29% 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: 86% 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: 80% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 5 years old: 79% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 6 years old: 72% in good shape (39 cars)Honda, 7 years old: 64% in good shape (42 cars)Honda, 8 years old: 52% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 9 years old: 55% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 10 years old: 48% in good shape (42 cars)Honda, 11 years old: 53% in good shape (34 cars)Honda, 12 years old: 37% in good shape (35 cars)Honda, 13 years old: 26% in good shape (35 cars)Honda, 14 years old: 29% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 15 years old: 12% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 16 years old: 17% in good shape (23 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: 14% 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
36%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
29%
Volkswagen
Oil leaks · Engine
77%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
55%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
41%
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: 67% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 65%) 67 2018+: 57% in good shape (age-adjusted; 49 cars, raw 65%) 57 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 626 inspections · updated Aug 2, 2026