Stepping up to the base Sport Hybrid for $34,750 adds a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone compatibility and available wireless charging, a sunroof, a power driver seat, dual-zone climate control, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. For about $1,500 more, we’d look at the EX-L for the Accord Hybrid best buy. It sticks with more efficient 17-inch wheels and tires instead of the 19-inch wheels on other Hybrids and adds leather seats, a power passenger seat, as well as heated front seats and side mirrors.
Which Toyota Camry should I buy?
The Camry comes in LE, SE, XLE and XSE trims, all with the hybrid powertrain. At just under $30,000 the base Camry LE comes with similar features to the Accord, in this case an 8.0-inch touchscreen with smartphone compatibility. But the infotainment interface feels a generation behind the new Accord’s. All-wheel drive costs $1,525.
We like the Camry XLE for $34,495. It has power leather front seats that are heated, a wireless smartphone charger, twin 12.3-inch digital displays for the gauges and for infotainment, and options such as a panoramic sunroof and 9-speaker JBL audio.
Which car has the better warranty?
Honda Accord and Toyota Camry warranties are nearly identical, with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, and the first two years or 24,000 miles (Accord; Camry goes to 25,000 miles) of scheduled maintenance are included. But the Camry Hybrid gets the edge, because Toyota covers the battery for 10 years or 150,000 miles, versus Honda’s eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for battery components—useful information, since Toyota’s no longer the most reliable car brand.
Advantage: It’s a draw.
Accord vs. Camry interior and exterior design
- The Camry offers more personalities
- The Accord wins on the interior
Is the Honda Accord a good-looking car?
It is, though not as striking as it was a generation ago, when its fastback profile had a clear advantage over the Camry. Honda softened the latest design to something more conservative; it went from looking like an Audi to looking like a VW Passat. Growing 2.7 inches in length, the Accord goes for a long and low look, with a hood dipping down over a broad two-piece grille.
Inside, it adopts the Civic’s mesh vent panel and clean dashboard. Honda ditched nicer elements such as fake wood trim and gear buttons for a mechanical shifter, but the low dash better integrates the available 12.3-inch touchscreen. A panel of dials and buttons for audio and climate reduce reliance on the touchscreen for everyday functions, and overall it’s a clean, uncluttered cabin.
Is the Toyota Camry a good-looking car?
Unlike the Accord, the Camry wants to stand out, and nearly tries too hard in doing so. With its long nose and short trunk, it pretends to be a rear-wheel-drive grand tourer. Up front, Toyota carves out folds and creases as if it were a Star Wars fighter, though the restyled front end has resolved some of the complex line intersections. The roofline sails like a fastback, but the Camry has a short trunk lid over its sizable trunk.
Toyota has also tamed down some of the Camry’s interior look. It now unfolds along a horizontal band with either an 8.0-inch or 12.3-inch touchscreen. The cohesive shapes still get divided, driver and passenger, with a trim panel.
Advantage: The Accord for its interior.
Camry vs. Accord performance
This is where the sedans most deviate. Honda leans into the Accord Hybrid, but the base model’s small turbo-4 strives more for efficiency than anything else. Toyota offers only hybrids with the Camry, with an added traction bonus.
How does the Toyota Camry drive?
As a reasonable commuter car without any fanfare, the newly standard 225-hp hybrid powertrain gets the job done smoothly and efficiently. It pairs a 2.5-liter inline-4 with a lithium-ion battery and electric motors. Available all-wheel drive gives it a leg up on the Accord as well as a little more power, for a total of 232 hp. Its hybrid transmission has eight programmed steps that simulate an automatic transmission, and the SE gets shift paddles for the mildly adventurous drivers.
The front struts and multilink rear suspension do a fine job of balancing the load, but drivers won’t be tempted to cut corners or iron out road wrinkles. The Camry SE and XSE come with a sportier suspension and bigger wheels, which cancel out the other versions’ resilient ride. We’d stick with those, though in all Camry sedans, we’re impressed by responsive steering, even with the base 16-inch wheels.
How does the Accord drive?
- 192-hp 1.5-liter turbo-4 in front-wheel drive only
- 204-hp Hybrid with a 2.0-liter inline-4
Quickness is not the forte of the Accord, but the rigid body makes up for it with balanced handling despite being front-wheel drive only. The base 1.5-liter turbo-4 makes 192 hp and 192 lb-ft, and it’s bound to a CVT that mostly operates in the background. Light but direct steering remains the Accord’s strength. The engine lacks the guts of the Camry, but the handling and steering feel are better.
The Accord’s two-motor hybrid system works with the 2.0-liter inline-4 to make 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. At the start, it takes a beat for the power to come on when called, but the balance between the engine and motors is quiet, seamless, and seemingly effortless. Like an EV, paddle shifters enable six levels of regenerative braking with a near one-pedal driving mode, but it still has the creep of gas cars in gear.
Advantage: It’s a draw.
Toyota Camry vs. Honda Accord fuel economy
- Toyota Camry Hybrid LE: 53 mpg city, 50 highway, 51 combined
- Honda Accord Hybrid EX-L: 51/44/48 mpg with 17-inch wheels
- Honda Accord turbo-4: 29/37/32 mpg
Is the Honda Accord good on gas?
Yes. With a small turbo-4 and a continuously variable transmission, it has an EPA rating of 29 mpg city, 37 highway, 32 combined. That’s roughly the same as the Toyota Camry 4-cylinder, but the Accord is more efficient around town and the Camry better on the highway.
The wheel size makes a difference on the Accord Hybrid, as it does on every vehicle. The EX-L rides on 17-inch wheels with a smaller contact patch that results in a 51/44/48-mpg rating. The Sport, Sport L, and Touring models roll on fatter 19-inch wheels that look cool but drag efficiency down to 46/41/44 mpg.
Is the Toyota Camry good on gas?
The Camry Hybrid outpaces the Accord on base front-drive LE versions (53/50/51 mpg) as well as with all-wheel drive (51/49/50 mpg).
Other trim levels dip to 47 or 46 mpg, with the Camry XSE anchoring the lineup at a still impressive 44 mpg combined.
Advantage: The Camry’s better, measure by measure.
Camry vs. Accord size, roominess, and comfort
- The Accord is bigger and roomier
- The Accord has 16.7 cubic feet of trunk space versus 15.1 in the Camry
- The Accord has 40.8 inches of rear legroom versus 38.0 inches in the Camry
How roomy is the Honda Accord?
The Accord is 3.0 inches longer than the Camry, but the 111.4-inch wheelbase is nearly the same. Yet, as in its other crossovers and cars, Honda excels at optimizing the interior space, from a recessed floor in the roomy trunk to deep door pockets and bins.
The base LX has cloth seats with manual adjustments, but most front seats sport heaters and power adjustments. Honda upgraded the seats with good cushion and support, and we prefer the narrower console to that in the Camry. Rear passengers get treated to a crossover-like legroom of 40.8 inches and good headroom, but in either car, the middle seat favors younger people at best, and at the expense of those in the outboard seats.
The 60:40-split rear seats fold down to expand trunk space, and both the Accord and Camry don’t sacrifice any trunk space to hybrid battery packs. The Accord’s is roomier, however, measuring 16.7 cubic feet versus 15.1 cubes in the Camry.
How roomy is the Toyota Camry?
The Camry measures up to the Accord by most metrics but doesn’t feel as roomy. The front passenger seat is walled off from the console and pinches some legroom. The driver seat has power adjustments with lumbar support, and both front seats are supportive, however.
The rear seats offer up 38.0 inches of rear legroom but the high window line and low roofline cause rear passengers to duck in more than the Accord and feel slightly more cramped.
Advantage: The Accord.
Camry vs. Accord safety
- The NHTSA gives the Accord five stars
- The IIHS gives the Accord and Camry a Top Safety Pick+
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, adaptive cruise control standard on both
How safe is the Honda Accord?
The IIHS gave it a Top Safety Pick+ designation, which is considered to be the highest safety rating in the industry, especially with more rigorous criteria introduced for 2023. have not tested it at the time of publication. We’ll update this accordingly.
Both the Accord and Toyota Camry come standard with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, automatic high beam headlights, and a rear seat reminder
How safe is the Toyota Camry?
We expect the Camry to return with its former five-star designation from the NHTSA. The IIHS has granted it a Top Safety Pick+ award.
Advantage: The Accord, until Camry testing is complete.
Which is better: Honda Accord or Toyota Camry?
Buyers have a real quandary here. The Camry earns a TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10 based mostly on much improved fuel economy. But the Accord? It’s a 7.3 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.) We prefer the Accord’s interior and its overall composure, while the Camry excels in fuel economy and steering feel. The Accord also feels fresher, roomier, and a bit more refined.