Honda Passport vs Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: which is more reliable?
The Honda Passport and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport are level on the federal record — 66/100 against 63/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Honda Passport
- 7 model years scored
- 653 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 37 recall campaigns, 17 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (88/100) · worst 2019 (30/100)
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 471 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 21 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (79/100) · worst 2024 (40/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Passport against Atlas Cross Sport
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Honda Passport
- Electrical System — 168 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 166 complaints
- Engine — 121 complaints
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- Electrical System — 151 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 94 complaints
- Engine — 86 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Honda Passport — avoid: 2019.
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport — avoid: 2021, 2024.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Honda Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport at about $44,100 — the Honda Passport is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Passport or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Passport scores 66/100 against the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport's 63/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport years should I avoid?
Honda Passport: 2019. Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: 2021, 2024. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Passport and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Passport is Electrical System (168 complaints); on the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Honda Passport or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.