Honda Passport vs Volkswagen Eos: which is more reliable?
The Volkswagen Eos is clearly ahead of the Honda Passport on the federal record: 81/100 against 66/100 across every model year we score.
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 Eos
- 6 model years scored
- 185 owner complaints on record
- about 2 complaints per year on the road
- 17 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (90/100) · worst 2012 (42/100)
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 Eos
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 Eos
- Air Bags — 126 complaints
- Electrical System — 21 complaints
- Engine — 17 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Passport's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Eos's in Air Bags. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Honda Passport — avoid: 2019.
Volkswagen Eos — avoid: 2012.
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 Eos at about $19,700 — the Volkswagen Eos is roughly $21,100 less, and they return 21.0 against 25.0 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 Eos more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Volkswagen Eos scores 81/100 against the Honda Passport's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Volkswagen Eos carries about 2 complaints per year on the road against 22 for the Honda Passport.
Which Honda Passport and Volkswagen Eos years should I avoid?
Honda Passport: 2019. Volkswagen Eos: 2012. 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 Eos?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Passport is Electrical System (168 complaints); on the Volkswagen Eos it is Air Bags (126).
Is the Honda Passport or the Volkswagen Eos cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Volkswagen Eos at about $19,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.