The 2024 Honda Civic Failed to Best the Accord in an Important Category
The Honda Civic got a welcome refresh in 2022, including a much-needed styling update. It wasn’t alone, either; the sensible compact car’s midsize sibling, the Accord got its refresh in 2023. Both updated Honda sedans earned top marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. However, the 2023 and 2024 Honda Civic failed to get as high of a safety rating as the Accord.
The 2024 Honda Civic received an IIHS Top Safety Pick, while the Honda Accord earned a Top Safety Pick+
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awards safety ratings based on their performance in multiple categories. However, you won’t find niche rides or hypercars on the list of vehicles that the IIHS reviews every year.
Instead, the car safety agency evaluates popular, mass-production cars, trucks, and SUVs. Of those vehicles, the 2024 Honda Civic and Accord regularly earn IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ ratings. However, for 2024, the Civic gets the award sans the plus, while the 2024 Honda Accord takes the top rating.
To snag the TSP+ rating, vehicles must get high marks in each of the agency’s categories. To wit, vehicles have to earn a “Good” rating in crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and crash mitigation subcategories. Additionally, cars must earn scores in the seat belt reminders and child seat-related subcategories. If a vehicle performs well in every category, the IIHS will award it a Top Safety Pick+ rating.
In the case of the 2024 Honda Civic, the sedan earned “Good” ratings in every subcategory, save for two. The IIHS updated side-impact and moderate overlap front crashworthiness tests bagged the Civic “Acceptable” ratings. For instance, the Civic’s performance in the updated test suggested that a driver has a higher likelihood of torso and pelvic injuries in the event of a side impact.
On the other hand, the 2023 and 2024 Honda Accord snagged a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS. In fact, the only blemishes on the Accord’s crashworthiness scores were a couple of “Acceptable” injury measures. Additionally, the Honda sedan’s collision mitigation braking system just missed a “Superior” rating in night testing. Otherwise, the larger of the Japanese marque’s most popular sedans earned a near-perfect safety scorecard.
