Only 1 2023 Honda Accord Trim Has Wireless Charging, but It’s Not a Deal-Breaker
The 2023 Honda Accord is one of the most popular cars on the market, and naturally, that means that the Japanese automaker offers a lot of options for car shoppers to choose between. Since the Accord has so many options, it also means that some features will only be found on a few trims. That’s the case with wireless charging capability. Here’s a look at the only 2023 Honda Accord trim with wireless charging and why that’s not a big deal.
This is what in-car wireless charging is and how it works
As far as cars go, there are two types of wireless charging, but one is only relevant to EVs and is also quite rare. The more common type is the feature that’s gaining popularity in cars, and it’s in-car wireless charging. It’s simply a feature that allows drivers or their passengers to charge their smartphones without the need for any wires.
However, not all smartphones can be wirelessly charged, so wireless charging may not even be helpful for some folks. Wireless charging can charge other types of devices, but those devices also need to have wireless charging capability in the first place. Devices that have this capability are usually known as being Qi-enabled. Devices need to be Qi-enabled simply because of how wireless charging works.
The device needs a special receiver unit to convert the energy transmitted by the wireless charger’s transmitter unit. The car’s wireless charger has induction coils that create electromagnetic fields, and this is how it can send energy to the device. Once that energy gets into the device from those electromagnetic fields, it converts it into power.
A look at the only 2023 Honda Accord trim that has wireless charging
As far as the 2023 Honda Accord is concerned, the only trim with wireless charging capability currently is the Touring Hybrid trim. That is the midsize sedan’s top trim, and it starts at just over $37,000. Since that’s the top trim, it’s significantly more expensive than the other trim options. For example, the standard Accord starts at $27,000. The cheapest hybrid option goes for about $31,000.
However, the Japanese automaker gave the Touring Hybrid a lot of features. It’s the first and only trim that comes with Google built-in. This adds popular Google apps, such as Google Maps, to the car without needing a phone through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It also gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, heated side mirrors, parking sensors, and a 12-speaker premium sound system, among other luxury features.
Regarding specs, the Touring Hybrid has the same hybrid powertrain as the other trims. It gets 204 horsepower and offers 46 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on highways for a 44 mpg combined rating. All Accords also get Honda Sensing, a suite of safety features that provides the same features for almost every single Accord model.
Wireless charging isn’t a deal-breaker, and here’s why
Since the Touring Hybrid trim of the 2023 Honda Accord is similar to its lower trims in so many ways, it’s probably a bad idea to buy the car just because it’s the only trim with wireless charging capability. There’s a $10,000 price gap between the Touring Hybrid and the base trim, and it’s $6,000 more expensive than the cheapest hybrid option.
On top of that, drivers who absolutely need in-car wireless charging can just buy a wireless charging pad accessory and put it in one of the lower trims. These wireless charging pads are very cheap, and even the expensive ones cost around $100.
