Overview & Reviews

Why are Honda vehicles so highly regarded by American drivers? Certainly, their excellent reputation for reliability and quality is a major factor. But it also has to do with the overall driving and owning experience. Read any Honda review and you'll likely notice common themes such as thoughtful design, a friendly nature, better-than-average fuel economy and attention to safety.

Japan-based Honda Motor Company was founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda. The company got its start making motorbikes. Japan had been rendered cash poor and fuel-starved after World War II, and its citizens were hurting for an inexpensive, fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Honda's first motorcycles mated engines with bicycles to create a motorbike that was cheap to make and operate.

Honda's bikes quickly evolved into vehicles far more sophisticated than small engines stuck into bicycle frames. The manufacturer's 1949 D-Type could reach speeds of up to 50 mph, and offered front and rear suspension. The 1950s saw the launch of the successful Juno scooter, built to steal market share from the Vespa knockoffs that were popular in Japan at that time. In the latter part of that decade, Honda introduced the ultra-successful C100 Super Cub. The motorbike was remarkably easy to operate and featured a crossbar-free frame that made it popular with women. It went on to become the first Honda motorbike sold in the U.S. via then-new American Honda Co. in 1959.

By the early 1960s, Honda had built its first automobiles for the Japanese home market and entered Formula One racing. But it wasn't until 1970 that it exported its first car, the diminutive N600, to the U.S. The automaker initially had a hard time sparking interest among American buyers, but that all changed in 1973 with the introduction of the Civic. The car was larger than Honda's previous models even though it was still very petite compared to compact American cars. The Civic's high fuel efficiency (an important selling point given that decade's energy crisis) and affordability made it Honda's first American success story. By 1976, the Civic had been joined by the Accord, which quickly became a favorite with U.S. consumers as well.

By the 1980s, Honda's success and its reputation as a maker of well-built reliable cars and motorcycles continued to grow. It began building Accords in the U.S. in 1982 and by 1989 had earned the distinction of making America's most popular car. This was also the decade in which Honda created the Acura brand as a way to sell more upscale and luxurious vehicles. Throughout this decade and into the 1990s, the Civic and Accord were huge sellers and considered class benchmarks. Also during this time, Honda continued to innovate through such technologies as variable valve timing, aluminum body construction and improved safety features.

Today, Honda's lineup runs the gamut. Included are fuel-sipping hybrids, a spacious minivan, reliable family sedans, practical SUVs and even a pickup. Although the latest Civic and Accord aren't quite the benchmarks they once were for their respective classes, Honda's brand as a whole continues to be one of the most well respected in the industry, with millions of loyal and satisfied customers.

User Reviews:

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  warranty warning - 2000 Honda Civic
  By express - September 11 - 10:00 am

  Just a warning to new car buyers about the "quality" of a Honda. Flaws in workmanship and an uncharacteristic brush off by American Honda Customer service have left me with no recourse but to go to small claims court with Honda. Im still in shock at the response from Honda when told that water leaks caused by a lack of "caulk-like" adhesive around the fender welds would not be covered under warranty. If your car leaks water, check the fender welds first ???? Dont waste your time on windshield replacements. That is not what Honda deems logical. Above all, pay the dealer to do " a few oil changes" to establish the required GOODWILL necessary for them to honor the warrenty.

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  Quality Control Lacking - 2016 Honda Civic
  By David W. - September 6 - 4:00 am

  Never buy a first year model is something you hear a lot but never expect to have to worry about with a Honda. However the car looked good upon delivery and I was happy to drive home w apple car play duel climate zones and a sunroof! Not to mention the thought of saving at the pump w good mpgs. Maybe I should have looked at the car more closely but with a new car you dont expect to have to go over the car with a magnifying glass or the white glove treatment esp. w a Honda...I pull in the garage with my new car and discover the front bumper is not lined up on the driver side it is poorly placed and I dont think should have passed inspecting in the factory but it did! also the chrome trim is made up of 3 pieces above the front grille and 2 of the 3 were not on correctly either. The radio also froze on me once. The good is that the dealer fixed or seemed to fix the radio and chrome trim. After 4 trips for the front bumper and having to call customer service and the dealer would not willingly give me a loaner car they only made that problem worse chipping the seemingly thin paint. This was a brand new car w 5 miles on it when I drove it. It also developed a window rattle or some rattle around the car that was never investigated as I decided to return the car for an Accord...problem solved? No because the Accord was also new in dark blue gray trim and I was happy until at home again I found missing paint on the car it was down to bare metal on the A pillar w no paint no rust just silver metal no under coating etc. a poor paint job which had blemishes and other imperfections on the hood and various places. I think drive the car around town and with only 200 miles the cars air bag lights go off and according to the owners manual mean no airbags are working now and I should not drive the car....I called Honda who towed the car to the dealer and exchanged it for now my 3rd car all of these were new. So far almost 4k miles on it and no issues other than the black roof trim that runs along the roof is coming up slightly on the passenger side and the glove box does not appear to be completely lined up correctly basically bad panel gap from the great and mighty Honda. Quality control seems to be lacking at the moment and I dont plan on buying another Honda however they did give me a 500.00 gift card for my troubles from corp. the dealership was not very helpful in actually being able to fix the issues I just had to argue for a 3rd car in a matter of weeks and sell the civic back at a loss. The Accord was just exchanged as they hadnt even processed the paperwork for the blue one due to it being on a weekend lucky me and discovering all of its issues with in a matter of days!

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  Quality Control Lacking - 2016 Honda Civic
  By David W. - September 6 - 4:00 am

  Never buy a first year model is something you hear a lot but never expect to have to worry about with a Honda. However the car looked good upon delivery and I was happy to drive home w apple car play duel climate zones and a sunroof! Not to mention the thought of saving at the pump w good mpgs. Maybe I should have looked at the car more closely but with a new car you dont expect to have to go over the car with a magnifying glass or the white glove treatment esp. w a Honda...I pull in the garage with my new car and discover the front bumper is not lined up on the driver side it is poorly placed and I dont think should have passed inspecting in the factory but it did! also the chrome trim is made up of 3 pieces above the front grille and 2 of the 3 were not on correctly either. The radio also froze on me once. The good is that the dealer fixed or seemed to fix the radio and chrome trim. After 4 trips for the front bumper and having to call customer service and the dealer would not willingly give me a loaner car they only made that problem worse chipping the seemingly thin paint. This was a brand new car w 5 miles on it when I drove it. It also developed a window rattle or some rattle around the car that was never investigated as I decided to return the car for an Accord...problem solved? No because the Accord was also new in dark blue gray trim and I was happy until at home again I found missing paint on the car it was down to bare metal on the A pillar w no paint no rust just silver metal no under coating etc. a poor paint job which had blemishes and other imperfections on the hood and various places. I think drive the car around town and with only 200 miles the cars air bag lights go off and according to the owners manual mean no airbags are working now and I should not drive the car....I called Honda who towed the car to the dealer and exchanged it for now my 3rd car all of these were new. So far almost 4k miles on it and no issues other than the black roof trim that runs along the roof is coming up slightly on the passenger side and the glove box does not appear to be completely lined up correctly basically bad panel gap from the great and mighty Honda. Quality control seems to be lacking at the moment and I dont plan on buying another Honda however they did give me a 500.00 gift card for my troubles from corp. the dealership was not very helpful in actually being able to fix the issues I just had to argue for a 3rd car in a matter of weeks and sell the civic back at a loss. The Accord was just exchanged as they hadnt even processed the paperwork for the blue one due to it being on a weekend lucky me and discovering all of its issues with in a matter of days!

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  Unreliable & Poor Gas Mileage - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Matt M - August 30 - 6:16 am

  Update at 11k miles: Bought the car in October - In December had the overhead cams, rocker arm, fuel injectors and battery all replaced - dealership claiming bad gas (no reports to prove it). In February took the car in for an oil leak. In March had the right front rim/tire replaced because of pothole - had car realigned and balanced - still vibrates between 60-70 mph till date. Currently the rubber door seal if falling off. The best gas mileage I can get is 22 mpg which is mostly highway and the car sometimes hesitates during acceleration

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  Never Again - 2016 Honda CR-V
  By Dave - August 28 - 12:53 am

  Good vehicle if you live in city. Not good if you live in country in Wi., Mn., Mi. etc. The so called AWD system blows. I live in county. Driveway has hill. If driveway has ice front wheels barely enough to get up hill as they were spinning. Appears back wheels never kicked in. During winter there were times going into town or home and hoping didnt end up in ditch. No confidence in this vehicle. There are no indicators to notify the driver that the vehicle is in AWD. Driver has no idea when the vehicle is in AWD if it ever is. Do I really have AWD ? There are 1-2 sentences devoted to AWD in the owners manual. An AWD light will come on if the AWD system overheats. Bet this was done purposely(no indicator) do avoid law suit when someone gets in accident when the driver thinks AWD should have been in place when it wasnt. If you tilt the front seat back to any degree,which you will need to do if youre taller than 510", you cannot fold the back seat down as it hits the back of the front seat. Have 10,000 miles on mine and looking to trade in. Good gas mileage. Average 30-35 on highway. 29.3 overall since owning.

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  Uncomfortable, noisy, slow. - 2003 Honda S2000
  By CyberS2k - August 25 - 2:00 am

  The title sums it up. Its just all flash. Noisy but no bang. This should be a $15k car, more a miata clone. In the past year of owning this car everything has had major problems. Im on my 3rd clutch, it drinks oil not gas, the paint in chipping\fading in many places and the engine already has trouble starting!

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  Parents of toddlers beware - 2018 Honda Odyssey
  By Jake Smith - August 17 - 11:55 am

  I have owned Honda vehicles for years and our old Odyssey was great. We were approaching 150,000 miles and loved all the new features of the new design so we purchased one day 1. We love most everything about the van with one glaring exception. We have a toddler in a rear facing car seat in the second row. Now for some strange reason Honda decided not to put a/c vents overhead in this new design. The A/c vents for 2018 were moved down low just behind the front row seats and blow back towards the rear of the van. With this deign children in rear facing car seats can not get air directed directly on them. Now we live in Florida so the heat from the son requires this. Every time we get home my sons back is sweaty. I even went to a Tint shop and had expensive ceramic based tint put all around but to no avail. Yes the tint reduced the heat coming in but you just cant match having a/c coming down directly on you. If you dont have or will never have rear facing seats you will never notice this issue and everything else about this van is great. You may find the 9speed a bit strange at first but I got used to it and now like driving the van vary much. I just cant understand why Honda would not consider the comfort of the most delicate passengers when designing a new van. I can only assume it was some cost cutting reason. By the way you will notice another cost cutting feature in the sound system of the EXL. Note they no longer have speakers in the back of the van. All the sound for the rear of the van comes from one overhead speaker. The second row is fine with this however the third row occupants can barley hear whats playing unless you fade the sound all the way back and turn it up louder than you would normally like. All and all we love the van and we like Honda but honestly the A/C oversight is really bad and we are considering getting rid of it after only 1,000 miles. Update So after months and many miles later it’s more of the same. So far it has been in for a new wiper motor as well as the power window switch. At times the engine runs ruff during warm up but only intermittently. Just recently the front left speaker started crackling during music with high higher tones and the entire body where the sliding doors meet creak when going up steep inclines. All and all not impressed. Our old Odyssey was better in many ways. Yes this one is more powerful and quieter and more fuel efficient but it’s the overall quality that has gone down hill.

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  Do not believe what you read - 1999 Honda Accord
  By David Dufour - August 16 - 2:00 am

  In short this car has been completly rebuilt (V-Tec system, ABS system, brakes 2X, power sun roof motor, fan motor, leaks in the trunk) by honda and they have simply been the worse company to deal with. The transmission is now gone, but they refuse to warranty it. I have written letters to Honda with no response. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN. I have owned 7 Hondas and 3 Acuras. I will not make this mistake again.

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  Pure Junk - 2000 Honda Odyssey
  By larck - August 7 - 2:00 am

  Warning!! Do not buy a Honda Odyssey of any year after 1998. I own a 2000 LX. Transmission failure at 38,000 mile and A/C failure at 40,000 miles. Glad I purchased the Honda Care warranty when I purchased this lemon.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Honda Accord
  By mgraze - August 6 - 2:51 pm

  First let me say that I am a lifelong Honda fan. Ive owned 6 cars and a motorcycle by Honda from 1978 to 2008. However, Honda really dropped the ball on the 8th generation Accord, at least the 2008 V6 EX-L that I owned. I bought it used 3 three years old with only 14700 miles on it. But after the first week I noticed that the drivers seat was unacceptably uncomfortable and had to use a butt pad as for the entire 5 1/2 years that I owned it. Also, they really cheaped out on the interior materials. The center armrest and outside arm rests were made of the thinnest vinyl I have ever seen and would shred if you looked at it funny. I had to replace the center rest before I sold it in mid 2017 but left the ripped drivers side as it was. Interior materials were much cheaper than our 2005 EX-L 4 cyl which is still going strong and has not signs of wear inside. Additionally, I had serious mechanical problems that I should not have had on ANY car let alone an Accord. Transmission had to be rebuilt at 55000 mi. Steering rack had to be replaced at 85000 mi. The one thing my car excelled at was brake wear. I didnt have to do the brakes until 90000 miles(!) and then only the fronts. The rears had plenty of meat left on pads and rotors. I have seen others complain about their brakes so go figure. Im not completely soured on Honda and would not hesitate buying another one down the line but this particular specimen was something of a lemon. Fortunately, I was able to get a fair price for the car and I replaced it with a near-pristine 2006 Infiniti M35 with approximately the same milage. Needless to say, it is a vastly superior car in every conceivable way AND I got it for less than I sold the Accord for. Accords hold their value pretty well, Infinitis dont so good for me.