Compare the2022 Honda AccordVS 2022 Lexus ES

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Accord Sport 2.0T/Sport SE/EX-L/Touring are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ES doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 ES’ airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Accord and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Lexus ES:

	Accord	ES
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	24%
Neck Stress	184 lbs.	239 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	231/338 lbs.	524/628 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	266	319
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	140 lbs.	159 lbs.
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	62 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	378/216 lbs.	473/518 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 Lexus ES:

	Accord	ES
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	152 G’s	160 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	428 lbs.	541 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	242	326
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	36 G’s

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Accord, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.2% less likely to roll over than the ES, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

There are over 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Accord’s warranty.

Engine

The Accord has more powerful engines than the ES:

	Torque
Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	192 lbs.-ft.
Accord 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	273 lbs.-ft.
ES 250 AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	184 lbs.-ft.
ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
ES 350 3.5 DOHC V6	267 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Accord	ES
Zero to 60 MPH	7.2 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	90.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Accord
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/32 hwy
ES
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/32 hwy
		F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy

Both the Accord 1.5T and ES 300h have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Accord has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The ES 300h does not have a disable feature for its start/stop.

The Accord has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (14.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Accord has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The ES doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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 Lexus ES (5 to 7). This means the Accord produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ES every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Accord 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the ES.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Accord Sport/Touring	ES
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	12 inches

The Accord stops much shorter than the ES:

	Accord	ES
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	140 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Accord has larger standard tires than the ES (225/50R17 vs. 215/55R17).

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 ES’ standard 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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 ES doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Accord Touring handles at .89 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Accord Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (26.4 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Honda Accord may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 550 pounds less than the Lexus ES.

The front grille of the Accord Sport SE/EX-L uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ES doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

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

The Accord has 5.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ES (105.6 vs. 99.9).

The Accord has 2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES.

Cargo Capacity

The Accord has a much larger trunk than the ES (16.7 vs. 13.9 cubic feet).

The Accord’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Towing

The Accord 2.0L Turbo offers up to a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The ES has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

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 ES’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Accord’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the ES’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Both the Accord and the ES offer available heated front seats. The Accord Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the ES.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Accord owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Accord will cost $1425 less than the ES over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accord is less expensive to operate than the ES because it costs $364 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Accord than the ES, including $84 less for a water pump, $63 less for a muffler, $34 less for front brake pads, $11 less for a starter, $195 less for front struts, $1111 less for a timing belt/chain and $340 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Accord will be $12125 to $12784 less than for the Lexus ES.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Accord and the Lexus ES, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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

The Honda Accord outsold the Lexus ES by over four to one during the 2021 model year.