Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry
Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, which one should you buy? That’s what we’re going to find out.
The Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry are the leaders, the top guns among mid-size sedans.
And as far as I’m concerned, there are two of the only ones that you should be considering if you wanna have the best build quality, the best reliability, and get the best value for your money.
Redesigned 2025 Toyota Camry
And now that Toyota has completely redesigned the Camry for 2025, it’s time to get these two back together for a comparison and find out which is the better one to go with.
And I have the answer to that. But first, let’s start with the major changes that Toyota has made to the Camry for 2025.
So aside from these styling updates, there are two major changes that are important to be aware of.
The first one is that the Camry is now only sold as a hybrid, which means you can no longer get the conventional four cylinder engine or six cylinder engine, it’s hybrid or nothing.
And I actually think that this is a really good thing because when it comes to the previous generation Camry, the hybrid was already the much better choice in so many ways.
It was quieter, smoother, a little bit more powerful, much more fuel efficient, just as reliable.
So it really was the no-brainer option. So I think the fact that the new Camry is only sold as a hybrid is a really good thing.
The second important change that Toyota has made is that they’ve now made all-wheel drive available on the hybrid, which means you can choose between either front wheel drive or all wheel drive for those who really want it.
And those are both two really important distinctions between the Camry and the Accord.
In the case of the Honda Accord, you can still choose between either a conventional engine or the hybrid.
The lower trims are sold with a regular four cylinder engine, whereas the higher trims are sold as a hybrid.
And with the Accord, you cannot get all wheel drive, it’s front wheel drive only. Now the great thing is that when it comes to the hybrid systems in both of these cars, they’re both exceptionally well designed in so many ways.
Take the fuel economy as an example, both of these cars are able to achieve roughly between 45 to 52 miles per gallon or roughly four and a half to five and a half liters per 100 kilometers, which means you’re going to get exceptional efficiency whichever way you go.
Hybrid Performance
And that really is the main reason you buy a hybrid in the first place. And not only are they fuel efficient, but they also have excellent performance.
In the case of the Camry, you now get 225 horsepower with front wheel drive and 232 horsepower with all wheel drive, and that makes this the most powerful standard engine that the Camry has ever had.
Now the Accord does have a little bit less power On paper, its hybrid system produces 204 horsepower,
But in the real world, there really isn’t a huge difference between them. They’re both able to get up to highway speed in around six and a half seconds, and they both feel plenty powerful with more than enough performance.
There are some distinctions though between how they make and deliver that power, and I actually believe that it’s the accord that might have these slightly smoother hybrid system.
The thing with the Accord is that it has an extremely smooth and seamless hybrid system.
You really cannot tell when the gas engine is turning on and off as you drive. You really have to be paying attention and listening extremely carefully to hear anything.
And not only is it remarkably refined, but the way it delivers the power is phenomenal even though it technically doesn’t have a transmission.
Honda has programmed the hybrid system to still mimic the feeling of changing gears as you accelerate really hard and that gives it a fantastic feel versus the Camry.
Now the Camry has a very smooth hybrid system as well. Toyota has been making hybrids longer than anybody else and they really have this technology figured out.
It’s extremely smooth and quiet as you drive, and again, you really don’t notice the engine turning on and off as you drive down the road.
But it is a little bit more noticeable than the Honda. And because it has an ECVT planetary gear type transmission, the same one that’s used in all the two motor Toyota hybrids, the acceleration is not quite as smooth.
You still get a little bit of that droney CVT feel when you accelerate really hard. Although Toyota has improved it dramatically for this new Camry.
I do prefer the feel of the accord a little bit more, but I might be splitting hairs here because at the end of the day these are both remarkably well designed and extremely well sorted vehicles.
And it really just goes to show with how long both Toyota and Honda have been making hybrids for that they have the technology this well sorted.
And that’s because of the expertise that both of these companies have with hybrids.
In the case of Toyota, they’re now in their fifth generation of this hybrid system, and in the case of Honda, they’re now in their third generation.
Both companies have been making hybrids for an extremely long time and their quality and reliability now is really well proven.
Fundamentally, they both have a fairly similar design. Both have a simple naturally aspirated force inter engine, which means no turbos with either one.
They both have their hybrid battery located underneath the rear seats and they both have a two motor hybrid system where you have one electric motor that powers the wheels and a second electric motor that works as a starter generator.
There are some differences of course, Toyota does use a planetary gear type ECVT as a transmission, and if you go for the all wheel drive version, you
Do get a third electric motor that powers the back wheels.
But the major takeaway is that these are both exceptionally well-designed and properly sorted hybrid systems that should deliver phenomenal reliability for an extremely long time.
And both should last a long time without giving you any major issues. If I had to give the edge to one, it would be Toyota for two reasons.
Number one, although both have a very good hybrid warranty of eight years, Toyota does give you a 10 year warranty on the hybrid battery, which is a nice bonus.
And the second reason is because Toyota has been producing so many hybrids for such a long time and there’s so many more on the road when these vehicles are really old, say 12 to 15 years old and have really, really high mileage, it will be easier to find a replacement battery option for the Toyota.
Whether it’s a rebuilt or a used battery, you can easily find them for around two to $3,000. So battery replacement with the Camry is not going to be a big deal, whereas with the Honda it could be more expensive.
Both of these cars are really exceptional to drive though, and even though Toyota has made a lot more changes to the Camry, making it quieter, making some suspension tuning updates, these really are minor changes as opposed to major revolutionary ones.
Both the Accord and the Camry have now been through so many generations that I really feel that there has sorted and polished as you can more or less possibly get.
And the real takeaway with both of these is that we’ve now truly reached the point where regular mainstream cars such as these two are nearly as good, if not just as good as proper luxury cars.
I mean, if you were to purchase a luxury sedan that’s 30 to $40,000 more expensive than neither one of these two, I really don’t think that you’re going to be getting anything significant extra for your money.
And that really shows you how far we’ve come in terms of their ride quality, the quietness, and even their handling.
These are extremely well sorted cars, and I think polished is really the word to describe them.
Interior Features
Where you start to see some more significant differences is with the interior designs and the features that you get.
Now both cars do have a very high quality interior with excellent build quality, fit finish, and excellent materials that are used throughout.
And they both have very functional, well-designed control setups. They both have a very straightforward climate control system with conventional buns, which is really nice to see.
And both cars also come with an excellent infotainment system with a large 12.3 inch touchscreen display.
The touchscreen interface on both cars is actually really well designed. Both have very good looking graphics
Are responsive, and the user interface is quite good. I think the one in the accord though is a little bit better.
It’s a little bit snappier to use and I like the fact that it has built-in Google features like Google Maps and it even has Amazon Alexa for voice commands, which is nice to see.
Feature wise, both cars do come really well equipped with features like a fully digital driver display.
On the higher trims you can get both heated and ventilated seats, wireless charging, lots of connectivity features, and you get a lot of active safety features that come as standard.
Both cars also have exceptional safety ratings, so you’re going to get a really safe car either way you go.
One thing that is nice about the Camry however, is that it does give you more choices and even a few extra features that you can’t get on the Accord.
For example, unlike the Accord, which only gives you a choice between a basic cloth interior or a black leather interior with the Camry, you have standard synthetic soft text leather or genuine leather on every single trim except for the base le, which is only sold in the us.
And you can choose between having a black interior, a boulder color, or even a red leather interior, which is really nice.
And you even get a few extra features that are not available on the Accord, like a full panoramic roof and a surround 360 camera, which is a really valuable feature to have.
But if your priority is space, then you might be a bit more comfortable in the accord.
Now both of these are extremely spacious cars with plenty of room, but the Accord does feel a little bit roomier and it does have more spacious back seats.
Both cars, however, do have a fairly spacious trunk and you can fold down the rear seats to give you even more room.
Value Proposition
Now these cars are very similar when it comes to their pricing. In the case of the Camry, the pricing ranges from around 30 to 40,000 US or around 37 to 47,000 Canadian.
And in the case of the Honda Accord, the pricing ranges again from around 30 to 40,000 US or around 40 to 47,000 Canadian.
But there is a very important difference when it comes to their pricing because in the case of the Accord, again, the lower trims only have a conventional gas engine.
So even though the pricing is very similar when you compare the higher trims, if you compare hybrid to hybrid only, the least expensive Accord hybrid is actually five to $7,000 more expensive than the least expensive Camry, which is a significant price difference.
So if you’re comparing the higher trims, they are fairly similar in price.
But if you just want a more basic car and you don’t need to have all the options and all the features, then you are going to save a lot of money and get much better value with the Camry.
So I think the takeaway when comparing these two is this, either way there’s no question you are getting a phenomenal car. Either way you go. Both of these cars
Are extremely comfortable to drive. They both have more than enough performance. They both have well-designed spacious interiors that have great technology and great safety features.
And both cars have excellent reputations for quality and reliability. But there are a few things that the redesign Camry does a little bit better that do make it a better buy.
Number one, it has the option of all-wheel drive, which you cannot get on the Accord. It offers a lot more options and features with the interior that you can’t get on the Accord.
It has a better hybrid battery warranty and easier replacement options when these cars are much older way down the road.
But most importantly of all, it just offers better value, especially if you just want to have a lower trim model, you’re getting a lot more for your money at a much lower price.
So even though there are a few things that I do like more about the Accord, the smoother hybrid drivetrain, the balance between comfort and handling and so on, if I were to pick one as the standout winner, it would be the Camry.