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Toyota vs Volkswagen

Toyota or Volkswagen — what we actually found

Side by side from 656 Toyotas and 116 Volkswagens buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 60/100.

vs
Head to head
ToyotaVolkswagen
Cars inspected656116
Average condition60/10059/100
In good shape (60+/100)50%50%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~142k mi~126k mi
Repainted or replaced panel78%78%
Structural repair found4%3%
Fault codes recently cleared16%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
Toyota
Excellent 15% Good 35% Mediocre 40% Poor 10%
Volkswagen
Excellent 8% Good 42% Mediocre 46% Poor 4%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Toyota▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Toyota, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (21 cars)Toyota, 20–40k mi: 89% in good shape (56 cars)Toyota, 40–60k mi: 80% in good shape (44 cars)Toyota, 60–80k mi: 78% in good shape (74 cars)Toyota, 80–100k mi: 53% in good shape (68 cars)Toyota, 100–120k mi: 46% in good shape (91 cars)Toyota, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (75 cars)Toyota, 140–160k mi: 27% in good shape (78 cars)Toyota, 160–180k mi: 28% in good shape (58 cars)Toyota, 180–200k mi: 23% in good shape (31 cars)Toyota, 200–220k mi: 16% in good shape (19 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
▬ Toyota▬ Volkswagen▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Toyota, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (18 cars)Toyota, 2 years old: 94% in good shape (34 cars)Toyota, 3 years old: 91% in good shape (22 cars)Toyota, 4 years old: 92% in good shape (26 cars)Toyota, 5 years old: 85% in good shape (33 cars)Toyota, 6 years old: 62% in good shape (34 cars)Toyota, 7 years old: 68% in good shape (37 cars)Toyota, 8 years old: 68% in good shape (37 cars)Toyota, 9 years old: 48% in good shape (50 cars)Toyota, 10 years old: 57% in good shape (46 cars)Toyota, 11 years old: 52% in good shape (27 cars)Toyota, 12 years old: 41% in good shape (37 cars)Toyota, 13 years old: 41% in good shape (51 cars)Toyota, 14 years old: 19% in good shape (36 cars)Toyota, 15 years old: 25% in good shape (40 cars)Toyota, 16 years old: 16% in good shape (25 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
Toyota
Oil leaks · Engine
50%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Leaking or worn shock absorbers · Suspension
21%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
20%
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
Toyota ↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 72% in good shape (age-adjusted; 59 cars, raw 66%) 72 2015–17: 57% in good shape (age-adjusted; 105 cars, raw 53%) 57 2018+: 69% in good shape (age-adjusted; 62 cars, raw 77%) 69 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.
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Based on 772 inspections · updated Jul 12, 2026