The Honda Fit has been one of America’s most popular cars since its introduction in 2006. Despite various missteps along the way, Honda has managed to improve the Fit over the past 15 years. Some model years experienced more issues than others, but nearly every iteration of Honda’s vehicle was an improvement. The culmination of the Honda Fit line so far has been this year, when it won prestigious recognition from U.S. News.

According to U.S. News, the Honda Fit won 17 awards throughout the last decade — more than any other model. Over the course of the 2010s, the Fit was awarded Best Car for Families four times, Best Car for Teens twice, and Best Car for the Money every year but 2012 and 2014.

Honda has produced affordable, reliable cars for decades and the Fit is one of the best examples on record. It doesn’t have much in the way of comfort, however, and there are plenty of other reasons to potentially choose a different vehicle in the class.

Where the 2020 Honda Fit shines

The 2020 model outclasses nearly every other car in fuel economy. When running on the continuously variable transmission, the 2020 Honda Fit is rated for 40 mpg and still manages 33 in the city to average 36 mpg.

The 2020 Honda Fit also features a 7-inch touchscreen that comes integrated with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For a company that prides itself on affordability, it’s quite impressive how much technology Honda has managed to squeeze into the Fit over the past decade. The 2020 Fit also features a navigation system, six-speaker stereo, HD Radio, satellite radio, and HondaLink.

The Honda Fit’s historical downsides

The 2020 version of the Honda Fit is one of the best offerings ever, and the vehicle must have been nearly perfect over the last decade to achieve so many accolades, right? Well, the technological advancements in the 2020 Fit are a welcome addition, since it seems like some consumers hated sitting in the previous versions. 

Additionally, the Fit doesn’t really stand out in any category. For its class, it does everything pretty well at a great price — enough to earn it over a dozen accolades in the 2010s. But if you have a little more money to spend or don’t want to keep it for more than a few years, there are plenty of other options available.

The bottom line and the future of the Fit

Unlike many other vehicles, the Honda Fit is at its best value when it’s new. Affordable pricing and the knowledge that you’ll be driving it for a long time make it a great new vehicle purchase. But it’s not so great as a used vehicle.

The sharp depreciation that plenty of other vehicles have simply doesn’t exist in the Fit, for better or worse. Picking up a Fit after a three-year lease might only be a savings of a few thousand dollars compared to a more expensive vehicle.

But that’s Honda for you. You know what you’re getting, and you know that it’s going to last a long time. Honda managed to wrap its design principles up in a nice little box for the 2010-2020 versions of the Fit, and it’s no surprise that they received so much acclaim for it.

The Fit isn’t perfect for everyone, but you can’t go wrong if it’s in your price range and you don’t mind some of its nagging minor flaws.