2023 Honda Accord Smashes Competition as One of the Safest Midsize Cars
Unsurprisingly, safety is one of the most important factors for car shoppers. Unfortunately for potential owners who want a sensible midsize car with reassuring safety scores, only one model maintains top-tier scores: the 2023 Honda Accord. That’s right; in the latest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) testing, the Accord outperformed its segment mates by a large margin, especially in rear passenger injury metrics.
Is the 2023 Honda Accord safe?
In the IIHS’ latest testing, the 2023 Honda Accord earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating, the agency’s top rating. To earn the coveted safety title, the midsize car had to earn a “Good” rating in every crashworthiness category and commendable marks in active crash avoidance features.
Moreover, the Accord held onto its “Good” rating in the IIHS’ latest side and front crashworthiness testing, a feat that escaped other popular models like the 2023 Hyundai Sonata.
Is the Honda Accord the safest car?
According to the latest IIHS testing, the 2023 Honda Accord is the safest car in the midsize sedan segment. More importantly, unlike the other cars in the category, the Accord earned “Good” ratings in every rear-passenger injury simulation.
| Make and model | Overall rating | Structure and safety cage | Driver restraints and kinematics | Rear passenger restraints and kinematics |
| 2023 Honda Accord | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| 2023 Subaru Outback | Acceptable | Good | Good | Poor |
| 2023 Volkswagen Jetta | Poor | Good | Good | Acceptable |
| 2023 Toyota Camry | Marginal | Good | Good | Poor |
| 2023 Nissan Altima | Marginal | Good | Good | Poor |
Moreover, the only metric wherein the Accord neglected to earn a “Good” rating is the lower extremities measure in the front driver injury category. Instead of a top score, the Accord received the next-highest rating, an “Acceptable” label. Still, the 2023 Volkswagen Jetta, Kia K5, and Hyundai Sonata fell well behind the Honda sedan.
What’s different with the rear passenger injury testing?
The IIHS updated its crashworthiness standards with a “new, challenging evaluation focused on rear-seat protection.” Moreover, IIHS President David Harkey said that the underperforming midsize sedans showed an increased risk of passenger injury in the rear tests.
“In the three poor-rated vehicles, measurements taken from the rear dummy also indicated likely injuries to the head or neck as well as to the chest.” Along with new metrics, the agency instituted dummies to simulate the impact of a crash with small adult and children occupants.
Is an Accord safer than a Civic?
The 2023 Honda Civic earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS in the small cars category. While commendable, the midsize Accord managed to snag a Top Safety Pick+ rating, the only higher rating in the agency’s scoring system.
What do you think of the updated safety ratings? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
