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Honda vs Kia

Honda or Kia — what we actually found

Side by side from 492 Hondas and 130 Kias buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 60/100.

vs
Head to head
HondaKia
Cars inspected492130
Average condition56/10066/100
In good shape (60+/100)43%62%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~118k mi~115k mi
Repainted or replaced panel81%68%
Structural repair found8%1%
Fault codes recently cleared28%20%

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 10% Good 33% Mediocre 41% Poor 15%
Kia
Excellent 30% Good 32% Mediocre 30% Poor 8%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Honda▬ Kia▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 0–20k mi: 93% in good shape (14 cars)Honda, 20–40k mi: 83% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 40–60k mi: 74% in good shape (42 cars)Honda, 60–80k mi: 69% in good shape (62 cars)Honda, 80–100k mi: 44% in good shape (63 cars)Honda, 100–120k mi: 43% in good shape (76 cars)Honda, 120–140k mi: 36% in good shape (61 cars)Honda, 140–160k mi: 19% in good shape (69 cars)Honda, 160–180k mi: 16% in good shape (31 cars)Honda, 180–200k mi: 13% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 200–220k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars) Kia, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (11 cars)Kia, 20–40k mi: 96% in good shape (24 cars)Kia, 40–60k mi: 100% in good shape (12 cars)Kia, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (24 cars)Kia, 80–100k mi: 38% in good shape (21 cars)Kia, 100–120k mi: 33% in good shape (15 cars)Kia, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (5 cars)Kia, 140–160k mi: 0% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 160–180k mi: 50% in good shape (6 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Honda▬ Kia▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Honda, 1 years old: 100% 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: 75% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 5 years old: 69% in good shape (26 cars)Honda, 6 years old: 53% in good shape (38 cars)Honda, 7 years old: 56% in good shape (41 cars)Honda, 8 years old: 48% in good shape (29 cars)Honda, 9 years old: 41% in good shape (27 cars)Honda, 10 years old: 45% in good shape (40 cars)Honda, 11 years old: 36% in good shape (33 cars)Honda, 12 years old: 43% in good shape (35 cars)Honda, 13 years old: 27% in good shape (33 cars)Honda, 14 years old: 33% in good shape (24 cars)Honda, 15 years old: 12% in good shape (25 cars)Honda, 16 years old: 9% in good shape (22 cars) Kia, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (10 cars)Kia, 2 years old: 92% in good shape (13 cars)Kia, 3 years old: 95% in good shape (20 cars)Kia, 4 years old: 100% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 5 years old: 50% in good shape (10 cars)Kia, 6 years old: 33% in good shape (12 cars)Kia, 7 years old: 44% in good shape (16 cars)Kia, 8 years old: 36% in good shape (14 cars)Kia, 9 years old: 56% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 11 years old: 0% in good shape (5 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
37%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
29%
Kia
Oil leaks · Engine
46%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
33%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
23%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
18%
Trajectory by generation
Honda ▼ Newer Hondas aren't holding up as well 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 65% in good shape (age-adjusted; 53 cars, raw 62%) 65 2015–17: 50% in good shape (age-adjusted; 90 cars, raw 49%) 50 2018+: 40% in good shape (age-adjusted; 44 cars, raw 48%) 40 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Kia

Not enough Kias 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 →

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 622 inspections · updated Jul 12, 2026