12 Of The Most Reliable Small Honda Cars (New And Used)

Outside of the key American manufacturers, Honda has long since been one of the nation's favorite automakers, thanks to their constantly evolving fleet of affordable, dependable cars. Competing at the very top of almost all the major segments of the mass market, whether that's with the Civic in the compact sedan segment or with the Pilot among the mid-size SUVs, the Japanese giant ensures to offer a model for everyone looking to get the most bang for their buck. 

While efficiency and practicality tend to be the main selling points for Honda's cars, the brand also remains consistent in another key area that further sets it apart: reliability. The smaller cars produced by Honda tend to be the most attractive due to their lower price points, which have all played a crucial role in building Honda's reputation for reliability over the years. Whether that's with the latest 2025 models or earlier models that have had more time to be studied, these 12 small Honda cars can offer outstanding reliability alongside their low initial costs.

Ever since the first iteration of the Honda Civic debuted in 1972, the compact sedan has acted as the brand's flagship compact car, earning its place at the top of the fleet and then some. The compact segment has always been one of the most competitive areas of the industry. While crossovers and SUVs may be dominating the market currently, very few brand-new cars can compete with the practicality and efficiency provided by the Civic.

Entering its current 11th generation in 2022, the 2025 Civic isn't the smallest model to feature on this list, but it is the smallest vehicle Honda sells as new in 2025. Starting at $24,250 for the sedan and $27,450 for the hatchback (both with a $1,150 delivery charge), it comes at a price point close to the likes of the Toyota Corolla, albeit slightly more expensive. You get improved standard features inside the Civic, alongside a competitive 150-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four engine offering a 36 MPG combined efficiency rating.

Still, even if you go for one of the combustion-only models, you shouldn't need to spend too much to keep the 2025 Honda Civic on the road. With a reliability score of 82/100 from J.D. Power, RepairPal also reports an average maintenance cost of $368 for the nameplate overall.

The HR-V checks in as the brand's entry-level model in its respective segment, becoming one of the most attractive compact SUVs on the market today. The Honda HR-V entered the lineup much later than the Civic, with the second updated model debuting in the U.S. for the 2016 model year. The original HR-V was sold in other international markets between 1998 and 2006, but the second-gen model was the first time that Honda brought the compact SUV stateside. In 2023, the third generation was released, offering a host of upgrades inside and out.

The most recent 2025 model isn't exactly expensive, but the HR-V has hardly changed since it was introduced in its current guise a few years ago. As the 2023 model is slightly older, you can pick up a used 2023 Honda HR-V for around $22,299, according to KBB. Under the hood of this HR-V, you get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing a modest 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. That's not a tremendous amount of power, but it beats some key rivals at the cost of efficiency. The EPA rates the 2023 HR-V at 28 MPG combined.

Another small Honda to keep things simple across the board, the Japanese giant manages to keep its entry-level SUV cheap to run, with a predicted annual maintenance cost of just $301 per RepairPal. J.D. Power also gives the 2023 model a score of 82/100 for outright reliability.

There are multiple reasons as to why a manufacturer decides to discontinue one of its vehicles, with certain reasons becoming much more prevalent in recent years. The rise of crossovers and the ever-expanding demand for pickup trucks in the U.S. has caused staple brands to discontinue some of their smaller cars, notably Chevrolet with the Malibu. Focusing on electrification in favor of combustion power has also proven to be a deciding factor for which cars remain, and while the Honda Insight played its part in the brand's hybrid portfolio, low sales meant that it couldn't survive alongside the much more successful Civic and Accord models.

A slightly smaller model than the Civic when it was discontinued in 2022,  the 2021 model year can provide a slightly more dependable used Honda for a lower price tag. According to KBB, the 2021 Insight can be picked up for a used price of $20,549. With a reliability score of 81/100 from J.D. Power and an annual repair cost of $392, this Insight should be just as affordable long-term. Thanks to its 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain only producing 151 horsepower, fuel costs are also kept to a minimum, with the EPA reporting a combined 52 MPG and $900 fuel cost over one year.

A little larger than both the Insight and the Civic, the Honda Accord has acted as the brand's flagship mid-size sedan since it was introduced back in 1976. In 2025, the current Honda Accord is one of the most competitive models at the more affordable end of the segment, whether that's with the combustion-only model or the hybrid version. Starting at $28,295 with a $1,150 destination charge, it sits beside its key rivals when it comes to its price point, but when looking at reliability, the newest Accord doesn't appear to hold up compared to models a few years older. It doesn't trail far behind, but going for a 2022 model, the last of the tenth-generation Honda Accord model, can offer more dependability for a lower price tag.

According to KBB, a base 2022 Honda Accord can be found for an average of $22,305, which is more than $5,000 below what the model originally sold for. While the newest generation updated the exterior design as well as the cabin, the engine output remained the same, with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 192 horsepower, offering 33 MPG combined as per the EPA. Alongside keeping fuel costs down in the long run, J.D. Power's reliability score of 83/100 should also prevent any need for costly repairs, which is supported by the $400 maintenance cost per year reported by RepairPal.

While slightly older models of the Honda HR-V can be picked up for cheaper, the new 2025 model doesn't come at a price point that should cause you to push it aside, particularly if you'd rather have a brand-new SUV with no miles on it compared to a used model. The HR-V hasn't seen any notable changes since the introduction of the current generation for the 2023 model year. For the base trim, the 2025 model costs a minimum of $25,200 with a $1,395 destination charge, going up to $29,500 for the top-spec EX-L trim.

Regarding some of the standard features you get with Honda's smallest SUV, you get a seven-inch center touchscreen display, which can be upgraded to a nine-inch screen if you go for the EX-L trim. The 2026 HR-V comes with a larger display for all 2026 models, but reliability data on this model is unsurprisingly limited at the time of writing. Under the hood of the 2025 model, the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine remains, producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque, providing a fuel efficiency rating of 28 MPG combined. As for reliability, the 2025 Honda HR-V is on par with its 2023 counterpart, receiving the same score that moves it into the 'great' category for the outlet.

Shifting focus back to the Civic, there's no shortage of choice for the compact sedan if you'd rather save money on a used model instead of purchasing the brand-new version. While the older models don't come with the latest features inside and out, the core foundation of being an affordable yet practical choice for a compact car remains. The current generation of the Civic was introduced in 2022, which makes the 2021 model the best option if you prefer the look of the tenth generation or simply want to save a solid amount of money.

The 2021 Honda Civic wasn't exactly expensive when it was released, with an MSRP of $22,265. However, according to KBB, a used model can be purchased for an average used price of just $18,535. Even if you go for the top-spec Sport Touring trim for the Hatchback, the pricing comes in at $24,032, which is still cheaper than the newest Civic in its base guise. The performance remains the same for the 2021 model and the 11th generation models, producing 158 horsepower from its 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. As for efficiency, you get 36 MPG combined at the maximum.

Alongside its attractive average used price, the 2021 Civic receives one of the highest reliability scores from J.D. Power on this list at 86/100. RepairPal's annual cost of $368 for the nameplate only adds to the appeal for this four-year-old car.

The next step up from the HR-V in Honda's SUV lineup is the CR-V, which, despite being larger, still falls within the compact segment. The CR-V was introduced at a similar time to its smaller sibling in 1997 and has since become one of the most recognizable SUVs on the road. Easily the best-selling model under Honda's banner, the CR-V ticks all the boxes and then some for a price tag that isn't much more than key rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and comes out ahead in some areas.

For the base 2025 CR-V, pricing starts at $30,100 plus a $1,395 destination charge. To unlock all the best standard features that Honda's flagship SUV has to offer, such as leather-trimmed seats and a nine-inch center touchscreen, you'll have to spend at least $35,000 for the EX-L trim. The CR-V also has a hybrid version available, which pushes the price tag even higher to $37,650, countered by better efficiency. Looking at the gas-powered model's engine, you get a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque.

You can also now buy the latest 2026 Honda CR-V, which introduces the nine-inch touchscreen for all trims apart from the EX-L, which gets a larger 10.2-inch screen. Building on the foundations set by the 2023 model that ushered in the current generation, J.D. Power gives an 84/100 reliability score to the 2025 model, with a $407 annual maintenance cost courtesy of RepairPal.

Similarly to the Civic, going back to the previous generation for the HR-V can help you save money on a small Honda without having to worry about major reliability problems. When the 2023 model debuted, the HR-V entered its third generation to keep in line with the rest of the lineup's more minimal design style, which, also like the Civic, may not be for everyone. The previous generation followed a flowing design style, which didn't have any effect on its practicality, with plenty of cargo and overall interior space inside the compact SUV. You won't have to spend too much upfront either, with the 2021 model being priced at $17,617 on average, according to KBB.

While the 2022 model is the most recent and last model of the second generation, the 2021 model offers far better reliability according to data collected by outlets such as J.D. Power. One of the areas where the third-gen model improved was overall power, with the 2021 HR-V's 1.8L inline-four engine producing 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. These numbers aren't much to shout about, but the combined fuel efficiency rating of 30 MPG without any hybrid assistance certainly makes up for it. Now that the 2021 model has been on the market for some time, there's been plenty of time to study the reliability of this specific model, with J.D. Power giving it an overall score of 83/100.

The new 2025 Honda Accord might not be able to compete with the last of the previous generation when it comes to its reported sedan reliability, but going back to the first of the current-gen models can decrease your chances of having trouble with the sedan in the long term, according to key data. When putting the previous-gen 2022 model and 2023 model side-by-side, the exterior styles are strikingly different while both maintain the foundations of the nameplate, with the latter feeling more modern thanks to its clean lines dividing each area of the car. The cabin also adopted a minimalistic approach to make the exterior, with an available 12.3-inch touchscreen being the center of the in-depth infotainment introduced with this model year.

Similar to the previous generation, the 2023 Accord comes with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 192 horsepower and an equal amount of torque per pound-foot. Its fuel efficiency takes a minor hit by decreasing to 32 MPG combined, but you'll still save $1,000 in fuel costs over the course of a year. According to KBB, a used 2023 Honda Accord sells for $24,269 on average, a sizable difference compared to its original MSRP of $28,390. J.D. Power gives this model a reliability score of 80/100, which isn't quite as high as other models on this list but comes out ahead of both the 2024 and 2025 Accord in this key area.

It's not just the initial release dates of the CR-V and HR-V that keep them closely related — both models entered their current generations in 2023, introducing a host of new updates that we've covered in this list. The major redesign for the CR-V for that model year diverted significantly from the previous generation's style, losing much of the curvature in favor of harder lines, particularly in the front fascia. Luckily, the 2022 model (the last of the fifth-generation CR-V) isn't old enough to be too dated compared to the newest SUVs on the market, with its reliability and low running costs making it a great potential choice instead of these brand-new models.

KBB reports an average price tag of $23,338, meaning the upfront costs can also be kept to a minimum. Honda didn't feel the need to give the new sixth-generation models more power over the 2022 model, with the former producing 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque from its turbocharged 1.5-liter engine. Efficiency ratings sit at a respectable 30 MPG combined for the non-hybrid version, with a fuel cost of around $1,550 per year. The 2022 CR-V is yet another used SUV to offer standout reliability and fall into the 'great' category set by J.D. Power with its score of 82/100, strengthened by RepairPal's annual repair cost of $407 for the model overall.

Following the 2022 model, which marked the start of the current 11th generation of the Civic, the 2023 model was expected to see no major changes in comparison. While the two models are essentially the same, they differ in some key areas. This can easily make the more recent model more attractive, particularly when it comes to the overall reliability of the sedan. Now that a couple of years have passed, KBB reports an average price tag of $22,266 on the used market against the original MSRP of $24,845. That should save you a small but noticeable amount if you were to go for this model instead of the new 2025 model.

Under the hood of the 2023 Civic is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which actually produces slightly more power than the 2025 model at 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. Honda made some changes to the 2025 model's engine specs with the introduction of a new hybrid version, and the base model's output was a part of that. Despite having more power, the 2023 Civic also offers 36 MPG combined, along with a reliability score of 82/100 from J.D. Power to keep it on par for both efficiency and dependability.

While the 2022 CR-V can save you a great deal of money if you aren't fond of the current model's design style, going back even further down the line can result in spending almost $10,000 less than the 2025 model's base MSRP. The 2020 CR-V sits in the middle of the fifth-generation lineup, being the first year to introduce the last facelift that this version of the compact crossover would receive. Alongside some styling tweaks on the front and rear fascia, new driver assistance and safety technology were introduced alongside the hybrid powertrain.

Compared to its original MSRP of $27,770, the 2020 Honda CR-V now sells for around $20,542 on average, according to KBB. Even if you went for the top-spec Sport Touring trim, the outlet reports an average used price tag of $24,876, considerably lower than what's needed to be spent on the 2025 model. Powered by the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that became the standard power source in 2020, this CR-V produces 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. With more time to collect data, the 2020 model manages to beat out some of its newer counterparts, earning a reliability score of 84/100, as per J.D. Power.