The 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid is a very competent mid-size sedan that has trouble competing with the Toyota Camry.
Strengths:
Interior and cargo space
Overall refinement
Solid feel
Weaknesses:
Austere interior
High price tag
Not as efficient as its competitor
Mid-size sedans are a dying breed, but the few options that remain on the Canadian market in 2025 deserve our attention.
One of these is the Honda Accord, which entered its eleventh generation for the 2023 model year.
Like the one before, the current generation is available with a hybrid powertrain, but now, Honda is pushing this version more aggressively, including it in two of the three trim levels available in Canada.
The basics
On the subject of trim levels, the 2025 Honda Accord is available in SE, Sport-L Hybrid, and Touring Hybrid versions, with MSRPs of $38,300, $43,000, and $45,500, respectively.
The SE is the only non-hybrid model offered in Canada this year. Its powertrain consists of a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a CVT transmission that deliver 192 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels.
The Hybrid models rely on a naturally-aspirated 2.0L four-cylinder engine that is paired with two electric motors and an eCVT transmission. The combined output of this system is 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, once again delivered to the front wheels only.
A refined experience
The 2025 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid embodies very well what a midsize sedan should be, meaning that it has plenty of interior space for front and rear passengers, a large trunk, a refined powertrain, and better handling than comparable SUVs.
Refinement is a keyword in the Accord, thanks in good part to its very smooth hybrid system that generates very little vibration and seamlessly shifts between electric and gasoline power. In fact, it is almost impossible to tell when the engine starts and stops without looking at the instrument cluster, not something many such powertrains can boast about.
The exterior design is also quite elegant, with a fairly aggressive front end paired with a flowing, fastback-like roofline, making the Accord look more dynamic than the Camry and more cohesive than the Sonata.
In addition, the Accord Hybrid feels very solid out on the road due to its firm suspension and the positive action of every controls we use while driving.
Build quality is also excellent, and the interior materials don’t feel cheap, even if they sometimes look like they are…
A very serious presentation
Indeed, the 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid, even in its most expensive Touring trim level, suffers from an austere interior that has very little of the ornamentation we expect from a car that costs just shy of $50,000.
The design of the dashboard itself is not at fault since it shares its modern and linear appearance with other recent Honda models, such as the Civic and CR-V, but the sheer quantity of gloss and matte black plastics gives the impression of being in an entry-level model.
This is made worse by the fact that Canadian buyers can only have black upholstery in their 2025 Accord (cloth on SE, perforated leather on Sport-L Hybrid and Touring Hybrid), unlike Americans, who can also order a more jovial light gray.
This doesn’t take away from the user-friendly nature of the cockpit, which places relevant information in front of the driver and physical controls for most features within arm’s reach.
The infotainment system is also easy to understand and not too distracting, featuring customisable shortcuts that make navigating menus much faster. Interestingly, only the Touring trim level has the Google-built package, which includes native integration of Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Play Store, among other features.
My tester unfortunately experienced a bug that froze the power flow page display, and I had to manually reboot the infotainment system, as leaving the car overnight didn’t fix anything. While this is a small issue, I also had the same bug twice in a Civic Hybrid, which suggests it is quite common.
Something else we expect from a car at this price point is a 360-degree camera system, which is absent from the Accord. This leaves us only with a weirdly low-res rear-view camera to park the fairly large sedan. Fortunately, visibility is quite good all around.
Driving impressions
The 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid makes the most of its electrified powertrain by offering instant torque response to the accelerator, making it feel very dynamic at low speeds. This effect tapers off when driving faster, but the powertrain’s modest 204 horsepower output remains sufficient for safe highway merging and passing. This smooth power delivery combines with quick and precise steering, along with a firm suspension, to make the Accord Touring Hybrid more enjoyable to drive than you might expect, especially on well-paved roads.
Indeed, pot holes and large imperfections hit hard and make the Accord less comfortable than its rivals when driving on poor-quality roads. Seats are also not the most comfortable, but they are better than in other Honda models, such as the Civic.
Thanks to its generous passenger space, the Accord Hybrid makes for a great highway cruiser and long trips are no problem, even with four people onboard.
Trunk volume is also sufficient to cater to these passenger’s luggage, even if the lid’s hinges take up a bit of space on either side of the opening.
Somewhat hindering the Accord’s highway prowess are a lane-keeping assist system that likes to play ping-pong between the lane markings and a lack of sound deadening which leads to higher wind and road noise than we would like. These two complaints are however quite small when looking at the bigger picture.
Another small annoyance is the lack of an engine braking “B-Mode” on the shifter like in the CR-V Hybrid. This makes it a bit more difficult to use regenerative braking capabilities as you have to select Sport mode for the desired level to remain active once you press the gas pedal.
Compensating this, there is a switch on the center console that can lock the powertrain in EV mode for around town driving, something neither the CR-V Hybrid or the Civic Hybrid has.
Fuel economy is listed at an average of 5.3 L/100 km in mixed driving by Natural Ressources Canada, which is a little higher than the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which ranks at 4.9 L/100 km or 5.1 L/100 km with all-wheel drive. My tester managed 7.3 L/100 km over a week of mostly highway driving at temperatures of around -10°C, which is a bit higher than I would have liked, but not completely unexpected.
Conclusion
The 2025 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid is an elegant, refined, and practical mid-size sedan that stands out from its few competitors by its driving dynamics and mature presentation. While it has a few weaknesses of its own, its main drawbacks show up when we look at it against its most direct rival, the Toyota Camry hybrid. Indeed, the Camry hybrid is more affordable, especially in entry-level trim, more efficient, and available with all-wheel drive.