The mid-sized sedan category has a roster filled with some stiff competition. Legendary stalwarts like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have constantly changed and improved over the years, but the biggest news for the 2020 model year was the Hyundai Sonata, which went through a huge transformation and remains a tough competitor. This made us wonder: Which car is a better buy, the Accord or the Sonata?

2020 Honda Accord

We’ll start with the tried-and-true Honda Accord, which changed into its current body style for the 2018 model year. There are no updates for the 2020 model year and the Accord still comes in five different trim levels: LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Touring. A hybrid model is available as well, however, since the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid isn’t out yet (as of this writing), we’ll leave that one out for now.

Some of the notable features for Honda Accord include the standard Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 7-inch color display screen, auto high-beam headlights, and 17-inch wheels. The Sport trim adds 19-inch alloy wheels, a 12-way power driver seat, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, an 8-inch display screen, sport pedals, and a leather-wrapped wheel. The EX trim adds a moonroof, blind-spot indicators, and heated seats while the EX-L mainly adds leather. Lastly, the Touring trim adds some luxuries like a head-up display, ventilated seats, and a wireless phone charger.

Under the hood, the Accord is available with either a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine (192 hp, 192 lb-ft) or a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine (252 hp, 273 lb-ft). Overall, the Honda Accord offers a premium look and feel that’s typically found in higher-class European models at an easily-packaged value.

2020 Hyundai Sonata

The 2020 Hyundai Sonata boasts an all-new design that dons the company’s “Sensuous sportiness” design language. We can agree that the car’s look, both inside and out, sets it far apart from any other sedan on the road. It’s available in four different trim levels: SE, SEL, SEL Plus, and Limited. As mentioned before, a hybrid model is due out soon.

The Sonata comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen display, forward collision avoidance, driver awareness warning, and lane follow assist. The SEL trim adds blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and hands-free smart trunk, while the higher trims add luxuries like a head-up display, a larger 12.3-inch digital gauge display with the blind spot view monitor.

The lower trim levels come with a 191-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, while the higher trims come with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that produces 180 horsepower. It’s an interesting choice by Hyundai to make the “upgraded” engine have less power.

Which one is a better value?

Now that we’ve laid out the trims and features, we can take a look at which one would be a better value for your money. The Sonata has a starting price of $23,600 (without destination) and goes up to $33,500 for the Limited trim. While the Accord starts at $24,020 and tops out at $36,250 for the Touring trim. The Accord comes with all of the safety features as standard, but the Sonata does have a lot of newer technological features as you move up through the trim level, all while carrying a lower price tag. In that case, we would recommend the Hyundai Sonata as the better value. Although, you really can’t go wrong with either.