Compare the2024 Honda AccordVS 2024 Subaru Legacy

The Honda Accord has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Legacy doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Accord EX-L/Sport-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 Legacy doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Compared to metal, the Accord’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Legacy has a metal gas tank.

Both the Accord and the Legacy have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Accord is much safer than the Legacy:

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Accord is safer than the Legacy:

The Honda Accord has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Legacy was last only a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023 but no longer qualifies.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Accord for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Accord’s warranty.

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 Honda Accord’s reliability 11 points higher than the Legacy and the Honda Accord Hybrid is rated 19 points higher than the Legacy.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Subaru.

The Accord’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (192 vs. 182) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (192 vs. 176) than the Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Honda Accord turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

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

Regenerative brakes improve the Accord Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Legacy doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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 Legacy doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Accord higher (7 out of 10) than the Subaru Legacy (3 to 7). This means the Accord produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Legacy every 15,000 miles.

The Accord stops much shorter than the Legacy:

For better traction, the Accord Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (235/40R19 vs. 225/55R17).

The Accord LX/EX/EX-L’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 Legacy Base/Premium’s standard 55 series tires. The Accord Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Accord Sport/Touring has standard 19-inch wheels. The Legacy’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Accord’s wheelbase is 3.1 inches longer than on the Legacy (111.4 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Accord Touring Hybrid handles at .87 G’s, while the Legacy Touring XT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Accord Touring Hybrid executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Honda Accord may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 pounds less than the Subaru Legacy.

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

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Accord Touring Hybrid is quieter than the Legacy Sport:

The Accord has .1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear hip room than the Legacy.

The Accord has a much larger trunk than the Legacy (16.7 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

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

The Accord uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Legacy uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Accord Sport-L/EX-L/Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Legacy doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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

The power windows standard on both the Accord and the Legacy have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Accord is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Legacy prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

On a hot day the Accord’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Legacy can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Accord has standard Smart Entry that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Entry and Start costs extra on the Legacy and isn’t available on the Legacy Base.

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 Legacy’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.

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

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

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its September 2023 issue and they ranked the Honda Accord EX first. They ranked the Subaru Legacy Sport fourth.

The Accord was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 25 more times in the last 26 years. The Legacy has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Accord outsold the Subaru Legacy by almost 8 to one during 2023.