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Complete Guide to Honda Accord’s Lifespan: Real-World Insights on the Accord's Longevity

A Honda Accord will last 300,000 to 400,000 miles if basic routine maintenance is performed on schedule. The Accord can even last 500,000 to 600,000 miles with a bit of luck! A Honda Accord will last 20 years or more which can be proven by the amount of Honda Accords still on the road.

The Honda Accord is a sedan and although most models aren't quite as peppy as it's smaller and lighter sibling the Honda Civic, the Accords tend to last longer as the are built a little more solid.

The Accord, like most Honda vehicles, has a good reputation for reliability all the while getting pretty good gas mileage depending on the engine size. Accords tend to cost a bit more than Civics but usually have a much more comfortable driver experience due to better suspension and a longer wheelbase.

The Accord was first released to the United States in 1976 selling 18,643 models. The Accord is still being sold in the USA today. In 2021 the Honda Accord sold 199,458 models.

How Long Does A Honda Accord Last?

Longevity Rate=Number Of Vehicles Still Available For Sale / Vehicles Produced (2000-2012).

The longevity rate of the Honda Accord compares very well versus other sedans.

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Example Of 2002 Honda Accord For Sale With 390,178 Miles|

Using sales data from autotrader.com and production data from carsalesbase.com we can get an idea of how long Honda Accords stay on the road versus other models.

Scroll down to find the bolded Honda Accord % of vehicles for sale. The %=vehicles for sale / total produced.

A higher percentage for sale may indicate that more vehicles are still road worthy and deemed saleable than another vehicle model with a lower percentage.

Longevity Comparison Table - Honda Accord vs. Other Models
Make Model Years Of Sales Data Total Vehicles Produced Vehicles For Sale (>200k miles) % For Sale Annual Maintenance Costs Annual Insurance Costs
Toyota Tacoma 2000 to 2012 1,903,479 317 0.01665% $626 $1338
Cadillac Escalade 2000 to 2012 353,524 52 0.01471% $373 $1684
Toyota Highlander 2009 to 2012 285,943 40 0.01399% $540 $1410
Ford Edge 2006 to 2010 450,309 50 0.01110% $409 $1296
Subaru Outback 2000 to 2012 903,166 94 0.01041% $515 $1378
Honda Accord 2000 to 2012 4,660,421 332 0.00712% $360 $1310
Jeep Wrangler 2000 to 2012 1,166,707 81 0.00694% $462 $1256
Toyota Camry 2000 to 2012 5,270,729 340 0.00645% $489 $1432
Nissan Frontier 2000 to 2012 844,962 53 0.00627% $420 $1394
Jeep Grand Cherokee 2000 to 2012 2,074,148 127 0.00612% $492 $1414
Honda Civic 2000 to 2012 3,932,856 229 0.00582% $306 $1536
Dodge Durango 2000 to 2012 1,007,796 57 0.00566% $477 $1440
Subaru Forester 2000 to 2012 809,230 36 0.00445% $563 $1346
Hyundai Santa Fe 2000 to 2012 955,135 42 0.00440% $615 $1386
Chrysler 300 2003 to 2012 791,297 29 0.00366% $557 $1548
Toyota Corolla 2000 to 2012 3,933,414 144 0.00366% $479 $1400
Nissan Altima 2000 to 2012 2,971,271 86 0.00289% $362 $1446
Volkswagen Jetta 2000 to 2012 1,628,565 44 0.00270% $414 $1414
Nissan Rogue 2007 to 2010 267,598 7 0.00262% $398 $1412
Hyundai Sonata 2000 to 2012 1,681,992 43 0.00256% $579 $1426
Ford Focus 2000 to 2012 2,716,831 67 0.00247% $547 $1358

From the table above we can see that the Honda Accord's longevity rate outperforms the Toyota Camry by about 10%. The Accord's longevity rate absolutely crushes the longevity rate of the Nissan Altima and the Hyundai Sonata by 146% and 179% respectively (2000-2012 model years with more than 200,000 miles on the odometer).

However the Honda Accord's longevity rate still underperforms versus bigger sturdier built vehicles such as the Toyota Tacoma, Cadillac Escalade and the Toyota Highlander.

The Honda Accord's longevity rate is about 22% more than the Honda Civic's.

Multiple factors determine how long a vehicle will last on the road. They include maintenance costs, insurance costs, reliability, insurance costs and trade-in value.

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Example Of 2007 Honda Accord For Sale With 359,042 Miles|

Honda Accord Maintenance Costs

Maintenance costs have a large influence on how long a vehicle will last on the road. If a vehicle is cheap to maintain it will make more economic sense to keep the vehicle on the road as it gets up in age.

According to yourmechanic.com the Honda Accord has an average annual maintenance cost of $360 USD.

This compares well with the Toyota Camry ($489) and Ford Focus ($547).

Honda Accord in the shop
Honda Accord in the shop

Keep in mind that prior to 2018, some Honda Accords had timing belts which require replacement approximately every 60,000 - 100,000 miles. Timing belt replacements are somewhat pricey normally ranging from $600 to $1000.

Honda Accord Insurance Costs

Insurance costs can also influence how long a vehicle will be on the road. Low insurance costs incentivize an owner to maintain and keep their vehicle on the road as opposed to paying higher costs on a newer vehicle.

According to www.quoteinspector.com the Honda Accord has an average annual insurance cost of $1310 USD (40 year old male). This is a bit higher than the Toyota Camry ($1432) and Honda Civic ($1536).

Honda Accord Reliability / Complaints

According to carcomplaints.com the 3 main complaints are:

  1. Transmission failure, 2003 Honda Accord, Avg. cost to fix: $2700, Avg. miles: 97,000 miles
  2. Transmission failure, 2004 Honda Accord, Avg. cost to fix: $2900, Avg. miles: 110,000 miles
  3. Uncomfortable Seats, 2017 Honda Accord

Carcomplaints.com ranks the 2003 Honda Accord as the worst Accord overall for having the highest maintenance costs although the 2008 Accord has significant premature brake wear complaints as well.

Honda Accord Depreciation / Trade-In-Value

Cars that retain their value will oftentimes be kept on the road longer than cars that lose their value quickly and end up quickly being worth little.

The Honda Accord is expected to depreciate 45% on average in its first 5 years.

This compares favorably to the Honda Civic (43%) and Nissan Altima (55%) but unfavourably to the Toyota Corolla (39%) and the Subaru Outback (43%) .

Conclusion

When it comes to miles on the odometer, the Honda Accord can compete with the best of them! If you take care and are diligent with the car's maintenance an Accord can go well over 500,000 miles.