The Honda Accord was just refreshed for the 2021 model year and with it came some aesthetic changes inside and out as well as a price hike. However, if you’re currently shopping for an Accord, then you might wonder which trim level you should pick since there are six to choose from. If you’re looking to save some money and get the necessities, then you might go with the Sport trim, but is it better to just shell out the money for the top-trim Touring instead?

2021 Honda Accord Sport

Let’s first take a look at what you get for the money if you were to go with the Accord Sport. First of all, the 2021 Honda Accord Sport retails for $27,230 (before the destination charge) and with that, you’ll get everything that the base-trim LX comes with, but a little more. For the 2021 model year, the Accord Sport includes 19-inch alloy wheels, an 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system with eight speakers and a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat.

You’ll also get sport pedals, a rear spoiler, Apple Carplay, and Android Auto, however, if you want leather seats, then you’ll have to pay extra for the Sport Special Edition trim. There are also two engine choices available: a 192-hp, 1.5T engine, or a 252-hp, 2.0 turbo engine. All these considered, we suggest opting for the latter as more power is always nice to have and it can only be mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission so everyone in your family can drive it. Unfortunately, the six-speed manual transmission option is no longer available.

2021 Honda Accord Touring

On the upper end of the Honda Accord spectrum is the Touring trim, which retails for $36,700 (before destination). It costs a whopping $10,000 more than the Sport trim, but luckily, it comes with a lot more as well. For starters, you’ll get a full leather interior with heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, and a navigation system.

Additionally, the Accord Touring comes with a head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, parking sensors, and an adaptive damper system that allows for better ride and handling characteristics when you drive over different road conditions. Speaking of driving, there is only one engine choice if you go with the Touring trim, and luckily, it’s the same turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that you can get on the Sport trim.

Which one should you choose?

The reason we’re comparing these two Accord trims is that the Sport trim is more of a budget-friendly trim that gives you everything that you need, while the Touring trim will give you more of a near-luxury experience given the abundance of features that it’s equipped with. But is worth the extra $10,000? Technically speaking, we think so, since a lot of the features that it comes with are really the same ones found on an Acura, for example.

Also, do note that all Honda Accords come standard with the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features that includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and road departure mitigation, so there’s a lot of value there. However, if you decide that the Accord Touring is far too much to spend on a Honda, then you can always opt for the EX-L trim, which still comes with most of what you find in a luxury car, but just not the extra stuff like heated rear seats and the heads-up display.