In June 1976, as Americans buzzed about the approaching U.S. Bicentennial celebration, the first Honda Accord arrived—a fun, fuel-efficient three-door hatchback that would launch a five-decade-long success story in America.
Today, as the country prepares for its 250th birthday, the Honda Accord is also marking a historic milestone as America’s best-selling car over the past 50 years, earning the trust of nearly 15 million American buyers since its introduction.
While Accord built its success through the loyalty of the baby boomer generation, its focus on delivering the highest levels of value has maintained its popularity with buyers of all ages. Today, the award-winning 11th-generation Accord is America’s most popular midsize car with Millennial, Gen Z, first-time, and multicultural buyers.
Lance Woelfer, vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., stated reaching 50 years as America’s best-selling car is a powerful testament to Accord’s fun-to-drive spirit, quality, and value.
Built by American associates for generations, Accord reflects Honda’s long-standing commitment to building close to customers. As Honda looks ahead, Accord will continue to evolve while staying true to the principles that have defined its success for half a century.
Origins and Brand Philosophy
The vast majority of Accords—over 13 million—have been produced at the company’s Marysville, Ohio auto plant, using domestic and globally-made parts. The name Accord was derived from Honda’s unremitting effort to use advanced technology to achieve “accord” between people, society, and the automobile.
The introduction of the first Accord on June 7, 1976 was significant for both Honda and the auto industry. After the economical Civic first established Honda with American car buyers on a substantial scale, Accord represented the next step toward a major presence in America—a practical automobile combining economy and value with sporty style and spirited performance.
Segment Leadership Across 11 Generations
From its humble roots as a small hatchback, Accord has grown step-by-step in both size and stature, earning a legacy of leadership unique in the industry.
For 11 generations, the Honda Accord has consistently set the passenger car benchmark for the U.S. auto industry, earning a reputation as a segment-defining product, delivering class-leading durability, quality, and reliability with outstanding fuel efficiency and low emissions, along with refined and responsive driving dynamics and top-class safety performance.
Today, the Honda Accord is a midsize sedan available in six trim levels, starting with the turbocharged LX and SE, and topped by the hybrid-electric powered Sport, EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring. Accord makes up 25% of all retail midsize car purchases in America, and more than 50% of Accord sales over the past three years have been electrified, a significant driver of Honda’s decarbonization efforts.
An important measure of its consistent success is the fact that Accord is the most awarded vehicle in Car and Driver 10Best history by a wide margin. Accord has been named to the magazine’s prestigious “10Best” list a record 40 times—including the last 28 years in a row—an incredible feat unmatched by any other automobile.
Value Proposition and 2026 Updates
A core element of Accord’s enduring success is the ability to deliver a high level of value to customers. Today, the average transaction price for a new turbocharged 2026 Accord is below the industry average transaction price for a used vehicle in America. Like every new Honda model, the 2026 Accord is equipped with the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies as standard equipment, helping Accord earn a TOP SAFETY PICK rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The significant upgrades on the refreshed 2026 Honda Accord include more standard tech features, including a larger and easy-to-use color touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a wireless phone charger.
American Manufacturing Heritage
Accord was the first Honda model and first vehicle from a Japanese automaker to be manufactured in America, based on the company’s commitment to build products close to the customer.
Since Honda began U.S. automobile manufacturing at the Marysville Auto Plant on November 1, 1982, Accord has been in continuous production in Ohio for 44 years, joining Honda plants across North America in East Liberty, Ohio; Birmingham, Alabama; Alliston, Ontario, Canada; and El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico, as Honda production facilities that have combined to produce more than 13.5 million Accords.
Accord was also the first U.S.-made automobile from a Japanese automaker exported overseas, beginning with the shipment of Ohio-made Accords to Taiwan in 1987, followed by the landmark export of the U.S.-made Accord Coupe to Japan in March 1988.
Five Decades of Key Milestones
U.S. sales began in 1976, followed by U.S. production at Marysville Auto Plant in 1982. Accord earned its first Car and Driver 10Best win in 1983 and built its millionth Accord in 1988.
In 1989, Accord toppled domestics to become best-selling car in America. Accord won Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1994, and the first V6-powered Accord debuted in 1995.
The 10 millionth Accord sold in 2004, with the first hybrid-powered Accord debuting in 2005, the same year Accord won Car and Driver 10Best for the 20th time. In 2018, Accord won North American Car of the Year and Motor Trend Car of the Year. Accord won Car and Driver 10Best for the 40th time in 2025, and in 2026 celebrates 50 years and 15 million cumulative U.S. sales.