Honda Accord Hybrid

For its third generation, Honda toned down the bling to create a simpler design that fades into the background. Riding on an updated version of the global Honda architecture, the new Accord features a stiffer structure and revised steering for sportier handling.

The latest generation of Honda’s hybrid system still uses a direct-injected, Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder, but this time around the propulsion motor is more powerful. The result is less horsepower but more torque versus the previous generation. Fuel economy ratings vary by model. Versions with the larger 19-inch wheels are EPA-rated at 44 mpg combined, but downsizing to the 17-inch wheels improves those numbers to 48 mpg combined.

Inside, the regular Accord comes standard with a seven-inch touchscreen, but all Accord Hybrids have the new, larger 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. All Accords also have a new 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster.

With this generation, every Accord got a standard rear-seat reminder system and added Traffic Jam Assist to take over the controls in low-speed traffic.

The Accord Hybrid benefited from the same improvements every second-generation model enjoyed. The car felt more upscale with more premium features, an available larger eight-inch touchscreen, and an attractive exterior design that was longer, lower, and wider.

The hybrid system was essentially the same. It teamed an Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a pair of electric motors, a small lithium-ion battery, and a continuously variable automatic transmission. Power improved this time around, and EPA fuel economy ratings came in at 47 mpg combined.

The Accord Hybrid’s intelligent power unit, battery pack, and control systems moved under the rear floor instead of in the trunk, which improved trunk space.

Honda Sensing® was standard on every Accord. It included the following driver-assist features: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

After discontinuing the Accord Hybrid after 2007, Honda revived it with an all-new hybrid engine for 2014, a year after the ninth-generation Accord debuted. 

This time, instead of a V6 engine, the hybrid system used a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a pair of electric motors, and a small 1.3-kWh lithium-ion battery. The hybrid drivetrain was only offered in the sedan, not the coupe. The power went only to the front wheels, and the transmission was a continuously variable automatic. Honda also offered an Accord Plug-in Hybrid with the same powertrain except for a larger 6.7-kWh battery that provided 13 miles of electric driving range, but it was available only for the 2014 model year in California. 

The Accord Hybrid got EPA fuel-economy estimates of 47 mpg combined. After it sat out the 2016 model year, fuel economy improved to 48 mpg combined.

While the Accord Hybrid was much like the standard gas models, the interiors got hybrid-specific gauges and displays on the seven-inch touchscreen. On the outside, it had its own trim, grilles, and lights.