Honda Reliability Guide
Reliability is one of the most important qualities that shoppers look for when selecting a vehicle to buy. It’s a major component of resale value, and of the cost of operating your vehicle during your period of ownership. Fortunately, Honda reliability is top-notch, so much so that we put together a whole guide to it.
RepairPal Honda Reliability Rating
RepairPal is an excellent resource for those looking for information on vehicle repairs, and a major part of that is their reliability rating rankings. These rankings are made up of data focused on the frequency that different models need to be repaired, as well as the cost of those repairs. These rankings, which look at 2010-2019 models to study long-term ownership, put Honda in the #1 spot as the most reliable of the 32 brands ranked1. Honda owners made an average 0.3 unscheduled annual trips to repair shops, compared to an average of 0.4. They spent an average of $428 per year on repairs, compared to the industry average of $652. Those might not sound like huge differences, but as averages, they represent thousands of vehicles.
Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards
The Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards aren’t given out exclusively for reliability ratings, but reliability is a part of the equation, along with resale value, which is directly tied to reliability. Only 19 of these awards were given out in 20232, and Honda took three of them, for the CR-V, the Accord, and the Civic.
Cars.com American-Made Index
While this isn’t directly related to reliability, it’s worth noting that part of the reason why repairs cost less for Honda models compared to other brands is that Honda builds them here is the US. That makes getting parts easier and cheaper than for brands that have to import them. Cars.com compiles an annual list of vehicles that are assembled here in the US, and ranks them according to how many of the components are also made/assembled here. The 2022 list is the most recent3, and it shows 4 Honda models in the top 10, tied with Tesla for the most top 10 models, and the only “non-domestic” brand to make the top 10. In fact, Honda and its subsidiary Acura are the only non-domestic brands in the top 20 as well.