Compare the2022 Honda AccordVS 2022 Chevrolet Malibu

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Accord are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Accord deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Accord’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Malibu’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Accord Touring has standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Malibu doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Accord’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Malibu.

The Accord EX-L/Touring has standard Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Malibu doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Accord’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Malibu doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Accord and the Malibu have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Accord is safer than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Accord	Malibu
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	184 lbs.	216 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	266	272
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34%	36%
Neck Stress	140 lbs.	169 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Accord is safer than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Accord	Malibu
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	160
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1.3 inches
Abdominal Force	152 G’s	232 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Hip Force	428 lbs.	1117 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	242	279

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Accord its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Malibu last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Accord’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Malibu’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Accord’s reliability 47 points higher than the Malibu.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 12 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Accord’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (192 vs. 160) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (192 vs. 184) than the Malibu’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Accord’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (252 vs. 250) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 260) than the Malibu Premier’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Chevrolet Malibu 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Accord	Malibu
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.2 sec	24.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.2 sec	8.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.9 sec	4.9 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.9 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	85 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Accord gets better mileage than the Malibu:

		MPG
Accord
	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
	Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
Malibu
	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/33 hwy

Both the Accord 1.5T and the Malibu 1.5 Turbo have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Accord 1.5Ts have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Accord uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Malibu Premier requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Accord higher (7 out of 10) than the Chevrolet Malibu (5 to 7). This means the Accord produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Malibu every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Accord Sport/Touring’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Malibu:

	Accord Sport/Touring	Malibu
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11.8 inches

The Accord stops much shorter than the Malibu:

	Accord	Malibu
70 to 0 MPH	162 feet	171 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Accord has larger standard tires than the Malibu (225/50R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The Accord’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Malibu LS’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Accord has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Malibu LS.

Suspension and Handling

The Accord offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Malibu’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Accord has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Malibu doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Accord’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Malibu doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Accord Touring handles at .89 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Accord Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Malibu LT (26.4 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Chassis

The Accord uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Malibu doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Accord EX-L is quieter than the Malibu LT (39 vs. 42 dB).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Accord a Large car, while the Malibu is rated a Mid-size.

The Accord has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Malibu (105.6 vs. 102.9).

The Accord has .4 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Malibu.

Cargo Capacity

The Accord has a larger trunk than the Malibu (16.7 vs. 15.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Accord easier. The Accord’s trunk lift-over height is 26.5 inches, while the Malibu’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Accord offers cargo security. The Malibu’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Accord (except LX). The Malibu doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Accord Touring has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Malibu doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Accord’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Malibu’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Malibu LT/Premier’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Accord the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Malibu can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Accord has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Malibu doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Accord’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Malibu’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Accord Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Accord has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Malibu LT/Premier.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accord is less expensive to operate than the Malibu because it costs $209 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Accord than the Malibu, including $177 less for a water pump, $213 less for a muffler, $105 less for front brake pads and $113 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Accord, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Malibu isn't recommended.

The Accord was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 25 of the last 27 years. The Malibu has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Accord 2.0T Sport was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2018. The Malibu has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Accord as the 2018 North American Car of the Year. The Malibu has never been chosen.

The Honda Accord outsold the Chevrolet Malibu by over three to one during the 2021 model year.