2018 Accord Named Overall Best Buy of 2018 as Honda Models Win 7 of 12 Kelley Blue Book Awards

Honda Dominates in the 2018 Kelley Blue Book’s Best Buy Awards

Value is in the eye of the beholder. For some car buyers, style and technology deliver the most bang for the buck. Others place greater importance on safety and comfort. And with so many factors to consider, no two drivers are exactly alike when it comes to the features and characteristics that best capture our hearts and minds. But in any given segment, in any given model year, there exists a single entry that’s the best choice for the most buyers. These are the cars, trucks and SUVs that take home KBB’s annual Best Buy Awards. And it turns out you, the car buyer, are pretty good at picking cars. Because the cars that earn the Best Buy Awards are very often among their segment’s best-selling vehicles. Honda earns 7 KBB Best Buy Awards for 2018 – including Overall Best Buy for the Honda Accord.*

For more information, visit Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com

2018 OVERALL BEST BUY: 2018 Honda Accord

Even in its final model year, the previous-generation Honda Accord bested the competition to claim last year’s Midsize Sedan Best Buy Award. After a full redesign for 2018, the Accord was in a good position to garner plenty of consideration for this year’s honors, too, but no one predicted the utter domination with which this all-new Accord would rule the category, especially since there was all-new Toyota Camry standing in its way. And while the new Camry has indeed proved excellent, at no point was this a close race. The 2018 Honda Accord isn’t just the finest midsize sedan money can buy, it’s the most sophisticated, most advanced, most impressive automobile not wearing a luxury badge.

MID-SIZE CAR: 2018 Honda Accord

The foundation of the Accord’s appeal is the same as its been for decades, just another year and a new generation stronger. While the Accord’s virtues are many, nothing has contributed more to its enduring success than its reputation for providing years of trouble-free, cost-efficient ownership. The Honda Accord is such a smart new-car purchase in large part because it’s such a solid used-car choice. Excellent resale value translates to lower depreciation costs, which means you can pay a little more for a Honda Accord and still spend less in the long run over the course of a full buy-own-sell ownership cycle. The notion of getting the best for less is certainly appealing, but for Honda Accord buyers it’s also a reality.

SMALL SUV: 2018 Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V is among the most familiar of faces in Kelley Blue Book’s annual Best Buy Awards. In fact, in the four years since the program’s inception, the Honda CR-V has taken the crown three times. Had the new-for-2017 version been available in time for last year’s Best Buy program, it would likely be undefeated. Since its inception two decades ago, the CR-V has boasted impressive space for both passengers and cargo. With each generation, this Honda SUV manages to one-up itself. This all-new, 5th-generation CR-V once again had us wondering just how Honda’s designers managed to pack so much space and flexibility into a compact SUV.

MID-SIZE SUV: 2018 Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot has been the yardstick for the midsize SUV class since this third-generation’s introduction a couple years ago. Combining style, substance, features and a class-leading reputation for durability and reliability, the Pilot has proven tough to beat. And despite strong new challengers, the 2018 Honda Pilot retains its title for the third year in a row as our Midsize SUV Best Buy of 2018. However, we should point out that it wasn’t a cakewalk for Honda. A surprising challenge by the new Volkswagen Atlas showed that the resale value and 5-Year Cost to Own data skews in Honda’s favor, giving the Pilot the win.

MINIVAN: 2018 Honda Odyssey

In our first review of the totally redesigned 2018 Honda Odyssey we called it the best family car in the world. After a thorough back-to-back evaluation alongside the other class leaders, we’re only more convinced. But that’s not to say earning this year’s Minivan Best Buy award was a walk in the park for the new Honda Odyssey. The defending-champ Pacifica put up quite a fight, as did some of our editors on its behalf. But money matters weigh heavily in our annual Best Buy Awards, and that’s where our resale value and 5-Year Cost to Own data once again played decidedly in Honda’s favor.

ELECTRIC/HYBRID CAR: 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV

The Honda Clarity isn’t just an all-new car — it’s a whole new lineup of efficient vehicles. All three models in the Clarity range have a similar sedan shape, but each is powered in its own way.  The 2018 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid is a new benchmark among “green” cars, and this year’s Best Buy Award winner among Electric/Hybrid vehicles. In addition to being available nationwide for purchase or lease, Honda’s new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is the easiest to live with and operate on a day-to-day basis.

One of the best things about Honda’s latest ultra-efficient vehicle is that you soon forget you’re driving an ultra-efficient vehicle. The powertrain’s transitions between electric motor and gasoline engine are seamless, and its dynamics are laudable. Acceleration is respectable, and the Clarity is even a little fun in corners despite its high-efficiency tires. If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were driving an Accord.

How KBB Chooses:

Every year, KBB drives and reviews hundreds of new cars, trucks and SUVs, a nonstop process of evaluation that also informs our Buyer’s Guides, Comparison Tests, 10 Best lists and more. Resale value and 5-Year Cost to Own calculations loom especially large in the analysis. Depreciation is almost always the biggest expense in new-car ownership, and without taking it into account it’s almost impossible to know which of two similarly priced cars will cost you more in the long run. If you want to get the most car for your money, you have to consider all your costs.

Almost every car in every segment is the right choice for someone. And with unprecedented levels of quality it’s harder to choose a bad vehicle nowadays. But even if by the slimmest of margins, there’s always a vehicle that offers a stronger mix of attributes than its competitors.

Excerpts taken from KBB.com.

*For more information, visit Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. Kelley Blue Book is a registered trademark of Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc.