2025 Honda Accord Road Test and Review

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Americans used to buy a lot of two-door coupes. Folks would trade the functionality of four doors for a sportier look. Now, only a handful of coupes remain on sale. And someone who’d like to trade sporty style for maximum practicality can buy a sedan instead of an SUV. 

The 2025 Honda Accord is a leading example. It’s a proudly big car, a mid-size sedan that’s styled to look long. But its sculpted body is also low and wide. And its suspension is engineered and tuned for sporty handling responses. Plus, unlike a coupe versus a sedan, a sedan versus even a crossover SUV has real advantages – a lower center of gravity (for better handling), a more aerodynamic body (for quicker acceleration and better gas mileage), and a lower price.

When any of those qualities seem compelling, check out the Accord. We just spent a week testing the 2025 Accord to learn more about its pros and cons. Keep reading our full review to find out if it’s the right choice for you. 

Expensive for a Sedan, Cheap for an SUV

The 2025 Honda Accord starts at $28,295 for a base LX model with a 190-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine. That’s more expensive than any competitor except the Toyota Camry, which is now sold only as a gas-electric hybrid. However, for some perspective, the cheapest Honda CR-V crossover costs $30,920.

You can also upgrade to the Accord SE for $30,560. That extra cash buys a moonroof, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, automatic climate control, eight speakers instead of just four, and blind-spot monitoring. 

Most Accords now use a gas-electric hybrid powertrain. An Accord Hybrid Sport, the hybrid's cheapest trim level, starts at $33,655 with similar equipment to the gas-only SE. The EX-L and Sport-L add leather seats to luxury- or sport-themed models for $34,940 or $35,375, respectively. And the top Touring, like our test car, comes to $39,300. The Touring is a luxuriously equipped sedan, but some people will wish for more: for example, a bigger touchscreen or a panoramic sunroof instead of a standard-sized unit. And unlike past generations, the latest Accord offers no uplevel gas engine like a V6 or a high-powered four-cylinder. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Style Keeps It Simple

The current Accord generation dates back to 2023. And it, in turn, is a conservative redesign of the Accord sold from 2018 to 2022. The latest Accord took its predecessor’s low, wide, sleek, ground-hugging shape – and simplified its details. That means a smaller grille, smaller headlights, fewer shapes in the bumpers, and fewer decorative creases on the doors and fenders. Around back, a lightbar connects the slimmer taillamps, giving the effect of an Audi A7 (though the Accord remains a standard four-door sedan, unlike the liftback Audi). LX, SE, and Hybrid EX-L models get classy and simple 17-inch wheels, while other trim levels get a selection of dressy 19-inch wheels like you see on our Touring test vehicle. 

To some eyes, the Accord shows welcome restraint from unnecessary flourishes. And its long, low body looks rakish as a sports coupe next to a stumpy crossover SUV. But to other tastes, it’s just too bland, especially with the smaller wheels. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Familiar Honda Dashboard

The Accord has a simple, classy dashboard design that’s similar to other current Hondas. An infotainment touchscreen perches at the top-center of the Accord’s dash, while a honeycomb strip runs from the steering wheel to the passenger door below it – a decorative design element that also includes the Accord’s climate vents. 

Also like other Hondas, the Accord’s interior is almost luxury-grade in its finishes. Materials look and feel upscale, and buttons and other moving parts move with uncommon precision. The gas-only LX and SE trim levels get a tiny 7-inch touchscreen, while the hybrids get the big 12.3-incher you see on this page. Controls are generally simple and the screen works well, but if we get to be picky, we’d wish for a bigger volume knob on models with the big touchscreen. 

If you get the 7-inch screen, you get big, easy-to-grasp knobs for both volume and radio tuning. It’s the sedan for someone who misses the old days. Still, even the smaller screen does support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.  

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Low, Sporty, and Spacious

When SUVs first became popular, carmakers responded by elevating sedans’ seating positions. With the Accord, Honda takes the opposite approach: It assumes that if you want to sit high, you’ll be happy to buy one of its crossovers. So when you buy the Accord, you get the low, sporty seating position of a sports car, along with beautifully bolstered seating that holds you in place nicely when you go around a fast corner. Some sedan loyalists will grumble at needing to clamber in and out of low seats, though. And even on the top Touring, you can’t get height adjustment for the front passenger’s seat. 

Even though the Accord sits low, it still has plenty of room. At 195.7 inches long, this is a big sedan. (The CR-V measures 184.8 inches.) There’s tons of legroom in both the front and rear seats, and the car is wide enough to spread out. The tallest backseat passengers would wish for more rear headroom, but it’s nothing disastrous. This remains a useful family car. The trunk is among the best in its class, too, at 16.7 cubic feet with both the gas engine and the hybrid. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Lively Driving Manners

Even in a market segment where all the contenders (even the historically staid Toyota Camry) have upped their performance game, Honda leads the class with a tautly tuned suspension and responsive steering. While the selectable Sport mode doesn’t make the steering ultra-crisp, the Accord’s ride and handling are closer to a luxury sports sedan than a Hyundai Sonata. On the other hand, if you prefer an ultra-cushy ride or available all-wheel drive, you might be happier in a Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, or Subaru Legacy – or a Honda CR-V crossover. 

The Accord’s base engine is an agreeable but unremarkable 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 192 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission. It gets an EPA-estimated 29 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined. That’s about 2 mpg better than a CR-V. 

But half of Accord buyers have been paying extra for the hybrid, which we’ll discuss in a moment. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Hybrid Is Where It’s At

In the Accord Hybrid, the electric motor pairs with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine for a total of 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. The engine recharges a small battery to power the electric motor. The car can even run on solely electric power for short stretches and with gentle acceleration; it can enter electric mode automatically, or you can press an “E” button on the center console to lock in all-electric action on your own. 

As befits the flagship powertrain, the Accord Hybrid is quick and quiet. It’s not the fastest mid-size sedan ever made, but most rivals have also discontinued their most powerful engines, too. Only the Hyundai Sonata N Line and its sibling, the Kia K5 GT, are quicker – thanks to 290-hp turbo engines.

But the Accord Hybrid is economical as well as quick. In EPA testing, most Accord Hybrids get 46 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway, and 44 mpg combined. The EX-L, with smaller wheels, gets 51 mpg city, 44 mpg highway, and 48 mpg combined. And our Touring test vehicle crushed its EPA estimate; we averaged 51 mpg in mixed driving, albeit during ideal hybrid temperatures: warm but not brutally sizzling. The CR-V Hybrid tops out at 40 mpg in EPA testing, and we averaged 36 mpg in our latest test vehicle. That’s great mileage for a roomy family car, but nothing like we saw in the Accord Hybrid. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Highest Safety Status

The 2025 Honda Accord earned the highest status of Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, reflecting exemplary performance in a host of crash tests – including a tough new evaluation of rear-seat safety in frontal impacts. And while its top competitors also got the highest marks from the IIHS, the Honda edges them out with perfect five-star scores in every evaluation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Every Accord is also packed with advanced safety features – forward automatic emergency braking, a lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping steering assistance. Blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert are included on all but the base LX, too. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Competitors to Consider

The Accord has sharp handling with a sporty overall feel, upscale cabin decor with a simple and user-friendly vibe, great gas mileage – and lofty pricing. If you’re interested in a functional premium sports sedan, it’s a great option. But if that’s not the sort of mid-size sedan you’re looking for – or even if it is – the competition is worth considering as well. 

We’ll start with the Accord’s longtime archenemy, the Toyota Camry. The Camry is now sold exclusively as a gas-electric hybrid, and it’s priced between the gas Accord and the Accord Hybrid. It’s smooth, cushy, and comfortable, and you don’t sit as low as in the Honda. Plus, you can get it with optional all-wheel drive. We find the Accord more upscale and fun to drive, though, and we got better mileage from an Accord Hybrid than a Camry Hybrid. 

The Kia K5 follows the Accord’s sporty vibe. It’s not quite as crisp in its moves as the Accord, but we found it more fun to drive than the Honda’s other competitors. It has flashier in-cabin technology than the Accord, a longer list of luxury features, and a lower price tag. Plus, you can get it with an optional 290-horsepower engine – if you don’t mind mediocre gas mileage. No hybrid is available. 

The Hyundai Sonata is a mechanical cousin to the K5, and it does have a hybrid option. But the Sonata is about cushy quietness, not sporty fun. You can make it fast, though, with the same optional turbo engine as the K5. 

The two other mid-size sedans still on sale – both expected to exit the market soon – are the Nissan Altima and Subaru Legacy. They’re comfortable and easy to drive, but without the Accord’s premium feel or sporty polish. The Nissan is quicker and more agile than the Subaru, but the latter comes standard with all-wheel drive (an extra-cost option on the Altima) and gets slightly better crash-test scores. 

2025 Toyota Camry XSE ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Family-Friendly Sports Sedan

The 2025 Honda Accord has the driving manners and interior quality of a higher-end car, even as it provides tons of passenger and cargo space for everyday family use. And if you get the hybrid, it’s both quick and economical. 

The Accord shows the value of considering a sedan. Its low center of gravity and sleek aerodynamics help it trounce the better-selling Honda CR-V for handling agility and fuel consumption – all for less money. When that’s your pick over a massive cargo hold, higher seating position, and all-wheel drive, the Accord is a winner. 

It still isn’t for everyone, even everyone who likes a sedan. There are cushier, less expensive, more powerful, and flashier-looking rivals. But when you’d love a luxury sports sedan but don’t want its budget-breaking price, complex dashboard controls, smaller backseat, or higher fuel cost, the Accord is a worthy alternative. 

2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt