Toyota vs Honda
Toyota vs Honda, which one is really more reliable? When it comes to reliability, Honda and Toyota are two brands which often come to mind.
For most consumers They have reputation for building long lasting vehicles that rarely ever break.
And there are a few others that fit into this category, which I’m going to touch on later, but is this reputation for Toyota and Honda accurate? And if so, which of the two is the most reliable brand to buy in 2024 and onward? Well, vehicle reliability is based on a number of critical factors, one of the biggest ones being the longevity of the engines and other drivetrain components.
Now in this area, both Honda and Toyota have their strengths and weaknesses depending on the vehicle category.
For the most part, both do an excellent job with their sedans, hatchbacks, and small crossover SUVs.
Honda Engine Performance 🏎
Honda primarily uses two different four cylinder engines, a two-liter naturally aspirate engine and a 1.5 liter turbocharge engine in these vehicles combined with a continuously variable transmission or a CVT,
The two liter naturally aspirate engine used in the Civic and HRV is a phenomenal engine that is extremely reliable and can easily last an eternity when properly maintained. Toyota vs Honda
The 1.5 liter turbocharge engine is a bit of a different story.
This engine can be found in the base versions of the CRV Accord and the Civic si.
While many owners of these engines have reported very good reliability without any major issues, there have also been many complaints as well, including oil dilution where the fuel mixes with the engine oil causing all kinds of running problems.
More seriously There have also been reports of head gasket failure, which is a major and very costly problem within the Honda lineup.
This is often considered the most problematic engine and the one with the most complaints.
Fortunately, regardless of engine choice, Honda CVTs seem to be fairly reliable when maintained and complaints of failures are quite rare for the most part.
Toyota Conservative Engine Strategy
Toyota on the other hand, has managed to largely dodge issues with its sedans, hatchbacks, and small crossover SUVs by sticking with simple and well-proven naturally aspirate engines.
These vehicles, which include the Corolla, the Corolla cross, the Camry, and the RAV4 all use either a two liter or 2.5 liter four cylinder engine combined with either a CVT or conventional automatic transmission. Toyota vs Honda
For the most part, all of these vehicles are largely trouble free and are easily able to reach very high mileage when properly maintained without having any major reliability concerns.
As a general rule of thumb, sticking with proven time-tested drivetrains that have been around a long time
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Without the use of complicated turbocharging and other emissions related technology is a winning strategy for long-term reliability.
And this is something that Toyota has managed to do very effectively on its most popular vehicles, and that is really what has helped solidify Toyota’s reputation as one of the most reliable auto brands.
Hybrid Technology: Both Brands Shine
One drivetrain type, however, that both Toyota and Honda have managed to more or less perfect are their hybrid drivetrains.
Both companies have been refining their hybrid systems for over a decade in the case of Toyota over two decades, and the result is that both have now phenomenal reliability and major repair concerns are exceptionally rare.
Toyota has introduced newer hybrid systems with turbocharge engines, which have yet to be proven, but when it comes to their core vehicles with the two motor hybrid system, the reliability is as good as it can get.
Larger Vehicles: Honda Advantage Over Toyota
Now what about their larger vehicles like the larger mid-sized SUVs, the full-sized SUVs and the trucks? Toyota vs Honda
Well, this is one area where Honda arguably has an advantage over a Toyota.
Honda basically uses the same drivetrain in all its larger vehicles, which is a 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V six engine matched to either a nine speed or Honda Design 10 speed automatic transmission.
The V six can be found in the Honda Odyssey, the passport and pilot, and even the ridge line pickup truck, although not perfect for the most part, it is a very solid engine that is easily capable of reaching very high mileage quite reliably.
Toyota on the other hand, has gone down a different more complicated path for their larger vehicles.
They have phased out their naturally aspirated V six and V eight engines in favor of Turbocharged 2.4, liter four cylinder, and a 3.4 twin turbo V six engine, which come in both hybrid and non-hybrid form.
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Although the 2.4 liter turbocharge engine which Toyota now uses has not had any major reliability concerns so far because of its more complicated design,
it does have the potential for more concerns in the long run when compared to Honda’s naturally aspirated V six Toyota’s larger trucks use a twin turbo 3.4 liter V six engine in place of the old V eight that used to be used.
Unfortunately, this V six has experienced some reliability concerns, especially when first launched including turbo wastegate failure and more recently main bearing failure, which has now been linked to manufacturing defects with a batch of engines produced between 2022 and 2023. Toyota vs Honda
These issues really highlight the potential concerns when switching over to a more complicated form of drivetrain and the risk one takes when purchasing one in the first or second year of production.
Toyota LandCruiser 300 GR Sport
So to sum up to this point, basically both companies have a number of extremely reliable, well-proven drivetrains that you can count on to reach extremely high mileage when properly maintained.
Minimal Issues
It really depends on the vehicle type and the drivetrain type in order to determine which brand has the better chance of going the distance with the fewest number of issues.
Generally speaking though, it is some of the turbo engines from both brands which have the highest likelihood of problems, whereas the naturally aspirate engines and hybrids have solid reliability and are the safest choices to go with.
Now, there are other areas which contribute to the reliability of a vehicle, including the quality of the electronics, the manufacturing or assembly quality, and just the general build quality.
Generally, when a vehicle experiences issues in any of these areas, the issues will pop up within the first few years of ownership and then more so as the vehicle ages beyond the warranty survey data from reputable sources is often a good indicator of how well car brands fare in these areas, and this is where Toyota has a clear lead over Honda.
Toyota as the Safer Choice
For example, Toyota has consistently ranked very high in consumer report’s annual reliability study for 2024. Toyota vs Honda
Toyota was ranked as the second most reliable brand right behind Lexus, which of course is also part of Toyota,
Honda and its luxury brand Acura came in fourth and fifth place respectively more significantly Toyota had far more models in its lineup, which had reliability scores that were above average and well above average.
Another source for reliability, which had very similar results to consumer reports is car edge.
According to car edge data, the average cost of maintenance and repairs for Toyota is $1,605 after five years and just under $6,000 after 10 years of ownership.
This beats the industry average by a significant amount when it comes to Honda.
On the other hand, the average cost of mainten instant repairs is $2,090 after five years and $7,827 after 10 years of ownership.
Both come at the top among brands in general, but Toyota does have a meaningful lead over Honda when it comes to the overall cost of ownership.
Another reputable source which provides reliability data is ISee cars.
Unlike consumer reports and car edge ISee cars tends to go back and forth between Honda and Toyota depending on the vehicle category.
For some vehicle types, Toyota has a superior rating, and for other vehicle types, Honda comes out on top over Toyota. Toyota vs Honda
So what can we sum up based on all of this information? Well, if we had to generalize and pick
Just one car brand to come out on top, it would have to be Toyota as being the safer pick.
When it comes to overall reliability, there are a few vehicle types where Toyota Quality seems to be a bit questionable as of late, particularly with their full-size trucks, but for the most part, they continue to live up to their solid reputation and remain one of the safest choices on the market.
Other Reliable Brands: Mazda and Subaru
Now, Toyota and Honda alone in this category, absolutely not.
A few other brands have managed to step up their game and deliver quality vehicles with very few repair concerns.
A great example of this is Mazda. Toyota vs Honda
Ever since Mazda became an independent company from Ford over a decade ago and began implementing their Skyactive technology, the company’s reliability has tremendously improved.
Their core vehicles, which include the Mazda three, the CX 30, the CX five, and the CX 50, and even the MX five sports car.
All have excellent reputations for reliability and major repair. Concerns with any of these models are proving to be quite rare.
Another car brand, which for the most part could be put into the exact same category, is Subaru.
Again, Subaru’s core vehicles including the Crosstrek, the Outback, and the Forester have all earned solid reputations for reliability and consistently earned top ratings from both owners and survey data.
There is a common theme as to why these particular brands are up there with Toyota. Toyota vs Honda
Consistency Over Innovation
Aside from the obvious pattern that they’re all Japanese, all of these brands do not like to experiment with new unproven technology and constantly reinventing the wheel.
Instead, they prefer to stick with what they know, what has proven to work and just make small consistent updates over a long period of time.
For example, Mazda has been using more or less the same skyactive four cylinder engines with a conventional six speed automatic transmission for over a decade now.
So they have really perfected their technology and just focus on making small improvements over time.
It also helps that for the most part, they don’t bother with extremely complicated technology that can create reliability concerns for owners.
Subaru, for the most part, does the same. They have been using the same well sorted four cylinder boxer engines, the same CVTs, and of course the same amazing all-wheel drive system for generations now.
So there are no surprises and no teething issues that need to be fixed over time.
It may not be the most exciting strategy, but the consistency, the no nonsense approach and conservative mindset of not taking major risks with brand new technology every few years has really Paid off for these brands. No, they’re not perfect.
They can still have their issues just like everybody else, but the point is that the likelihood of that happening is significantly lower than the rest, and that’s really the best outcome that anyone can ask for when purchasing a new vehicle.
Of course, there are certain vehicles from other brands which fall into this category and follow the same ethos. Toyota vs Honda
Importance of Proper Vehicle Maintenance
There are many that will also say that is more about how you maintain your vehicle rather than what vehicle you choose to buy That really matters.
And yes, it’s absolutely true that any vehicle needs to be maintained properly in order to be reliable and regardless of what you buy, you should always follow the appropriate maintenance schedule.
But to say that just following proper maintenance habits will automatically result in perfect reliability for any type of vehicle is just misleading and totally inaccurate.
There are many, many vehicles which are just inherently unreliable, whether it’s because they’re made with lower quality parts, they’re not engineered or manufactured properly, or they just use way too much over complicated technology that’s not designed to last and makes them challenging to repair with many of these vehicles, no amount of maintenance is going to prevent problems in the long run.
And why should any vehicle need to be over maintained just because it’s so fragile that it’s just going to fall apart. Otherwise, that’s just not good engineering.
Any vehicle should be able to go the distance with just normal reasonable maintenance, and if they can’t, well then it’s the company that made the vehicle that is the problem, not the owner. Toyota vs Honda