Overview & Reviews

Sold from 2003-'11, the Honda Element compact crossover SUV remains one of the most distinctive and practical vehicles on the road. Happy Element owners are often city dwellers who appreciate both its small size and generous 75-cubic-foot maximum cargo capacity. Another notable element about the Element is the ability of its access-style rear doors to pivot backward a full 90 degrees, providing unimpeded access to the roomy and creatively configurable rear seats.

A used Element of any vintage is easy to recommend thanks to its functional interior, smooth four-cylinder engine and carlike handling, not to mention Honda's reputation for reliability. That said, it's worthwhile to focus your search on 2007 and newer models, as they offer a bit more power and enhanced safety features.

User Reviews:

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  Loving the elements - 2005 Honda Element
  By CSKID - February 21 - 6:46 pm

  Do alot of traveling...Love the way the element drives and looks. Handles the curves of hwy 299 excellently at decent speeds !!!! Didnt feel too top heavy. The element shifts up and down easily...Fifth gear did great going up i5s grapevine with the best of them and even on steep grades going down, hardly needed to use the brakes going down in third.

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  tha bomb - 2004 Honda Element
  By buda - February 21 - 8:46 am

  this is a very fun to drive car and not only that it doesnt waste gas. it moves fast and handles great i wish i could have one more like this. i hope they keep this modle in production for many year i will most likely pick up another one if so.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Honda Element
  By Dorisse - February 17 - 1:16 pm

  Its has been the best little big Suv I have ever owned. Dont think it does not have any pickup because it is a 4Cy. it will fly if I am not careful. If you want a good SUV and not lose you shirt then I highly suggest an Element.

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  Element SC - Too many problems - 2007 Honda Element
  By iPhoneholio - February 14 - 4:25 pm

  Cons: The Element is my first Honda and probably the last. Reliability and build quality was surprisingly poor with subpar components. Tires wore out at 24,000 miles, all new brakes (rotors & pads) at 30,000, speedometer broke at 5,000 miles, windshield replaced twice with mystery cracking, drivers seat cushioning compressed and wrinkled, and scheduled services are over priced. The ride of the SC model is very harsh if the road is less than perfect - I had to stop drinking coffee in the car due to it too easily splashing. Brakes are noisy even shortly after replacement. Very uncomfortable for long drives due to no "dead pedal".

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  a buckboard with short range - 2008 Honda Element
  By kirkd1 - February 14 - 3:01 pm

  ...and bad gas mileage. Admittedly moving from an 04 BMW X3 was a questionable decision. But at lease turn back they wanted $3k more for the 04 than we paid for the 08 Honda. We were looking for a smaller carbon footprint. The BMW spewed 20 pounds per 15k miles where the Honda 6 pounds. We were not expecting the poor gas mileage (it is a shoebox but still). The absolute biggest pain is the range, it has a small tank, you would think they could find room for a little bigger gas tank.

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  I love my Element - 2003 Honda Element
  By Broncopam - February 13 - 9:08 pm

  I bought "Ellie" brand new and havent regretted it one day, in fact the closer I get to pay off the more excited I am to see how many miles and years I can keep her on the road, were only at 116,000 so far. I see us well into 250,000+. It is the most all around usable vehicle I have ever owned. It is transportation, out of the weather hauling, car camping,and a quick nap at lunchtime. She handles the snow and ice, the mountains and loves being loaded with camping gear. I see no reason to ever have any other vehicle.

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  I love our honda elements - 2006 Honda Element
  By KIM MELCHERT - February 12 - 7:03 pm

  This is our second Honda Element. This time we tried the awd lx. Our first Element is a 2003 dx. We love them both and I dont think we will ever have a different vehicle as long as they still make the Element. Both cars are manuals and they drive like a dream in all conditions. I would recommend the Element to anyone interested in a find product at an affordable price.

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  swiss army pocket knife of suvs - 2003 Honda Element
  By Chuck1 - February 8 - 10:00 am

  The Element is a fun and practical vehicle. The high point is versitality. It can be many things and the interior is very roomy compared to others in its class. The vehicle is whisper quiet at idle and accellerates very well. My age group is 55 and it works good for shopping or for the grandkids on some day adventure. Very easy to clean out and tons of backseat leg room. This is an ideal family suv. it is often referred to as the hummer 3 or h3 by its admirers. buy one, youll love it.

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  "Little Hummer" Turns Heads - 2003 Honda Element
  By mw1211 - February 7 - 2:00 am

  Not a 20-something. Not a surfer. Not likely to live in the thing. Drive it to work and back, have taken 1300-mile roadtrip to test its worthiness. Good in the slushy snow while in Richmond. Love the stereo. Needs a GPS. Only miss so far? A coat hanger hook! Dogs like it. Co-workers with either an "eek-thats ugly" or "its kinda cute/interesting/chunky" (never sexy or fast looking). So far (~3000 miles) a real mule for the hauling and nice leg room and comfort for 65" owner (no, not as comfortable as the Yukon XL, but much less money). LOTS of looks and "whats thats" from the stop light and parking lot gawkers.

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  Dont replace a BMW with an Element - 2008 Honda Element
  By kirkd1 - January 30 - 3:36 pm

  I thought the ride was buckboard with the 04 X3 but this sc is STIFF. Goes around corners better than the minivan character of the regular models but rear seat passengers need kidney belts. This is "she who must be obeyed"s and she doesnt complain but has mentioned the stripped down features coming from her X3 (no automatic lights or turn down passenger parking mirror bugs her). Really we wanted a smaller footprint (carbon and fuel economy) but this is only getting 19 mpg on a good day and the X3 was 17-18mpg. 6 pounds of pollution per 15k miles for the Honda and 15 pounds for the X3. My biggest beef is the short range, especially for a brick with bad fuel economy.