2020 Honda Accord Hybrid: A short but detailed introduction

The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid is equipped with a lot of new technologies.

Honda Sensing is standard on all trims and includes Traffic Sign Recognition.

The latest Honda Accord Hybrid is here, literally in dealer showrooms as you read this. It’s worth noting this little gem gets nearly 50 miles per gallon, and can boast best-in-class horsepower. The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid has an EPA city and combined fuel economy rating of 48 mpg, and a highway rating of 47. That, in my book, counts as impressive. Especially considering this thing isn’t a 1979 VW Rabbit diesel that weighs 1,900 lbs.

Since this Honda Hybrid from 2020, you know it’s packing some serious tech, safety, and EV system weight. The curb weight of 3,315 lbs. to 3,386 lbs. (depending on trim) makes the fuel economy rating all that much more impressive.

How Much Does The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Cost?

Impressive Numbers

How Much Power Does The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Have?

Safety & Security

Infotainment & Connectivity

2020 Honda Accord Hybrid: Manufacturing

How Much Does The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Cost?

Equally impressive is the starting price of $26,400. Honda says it’s the most affordable midsize hybrid sedan in America; not “least expensive,” but hey, why argue at this point. The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid will run you between $26,400, up to about $36,000. No matter the trim level, you’ll still be getting around 50 miles to the gallon.

2020 Honda Accord Hybrid

MSRP With Destination Charge ($930)

Hybrid

$26,400

Hybrid EX

$30,300

Hybrid EX-L

$32,800

Hybrid Touring

$36,070

Impressive Numbers

Honda is quick to point out how the 2020 Accord Hybrid is, apart from that high-tech drivetrain, just like a regular Accord. The 10th-gen Accord was called “America’s Best Sedan” by Car and Driver. Accord is the all-time leader in the magazine’s “10 Best” awards with 33 appearances on the list. That will almost guarantee another sales bump for Honda. In fact, sales of the Honda Insight and Accord Hybrid are up a combined 139 percent for the first eight months of the year.

Related: The Honda CR-V is now available as a hybrid for the first time.

How Much Power Does The 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Have?

The hybrid drivetrain is the third generation of Honda’s two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain. The two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain joins a 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder that whips out 232 lb-ft. of torque. Total system horsepower is 212 which Honda says is class-leading. A neat side benefit of Honda’s two-motor system is how it operates without the need for a conventional automatic transmission, which is pretty trick.

2020 Honda Accord Hybrid. Photo: Honda North America.

Safety & Security

This hybrid has a fantastic level of safety and driver assistance technology on-board. All 2020 Accord Hybrids will cruise around with the Honda Sensing suite of safety gear. This includes safety doodads like a Collision Mitigation Braking System with pedestrian detection; Lane Keeping Assist; Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow; and Traffic Sign Recognition. Other standard, semi-safety stuff includes automatic high-beam headlights; a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera; and a driver attention monitor.

If that’s not enough, there are optional features like blind spot information and rain-sensing wipers.

Infotainment & Connectivity

Another thing on a buyer’s mind these days is connectivity and all that infotainment jazz. Honda says the 2020 Accord Hybrid is cutting-edge, and that’s not far from the truth. All Accord Hybrids come standard with Bluetooth and Pandora compatibility for a start. The Accord Hybrid EX and above trims add an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The host of connectivity features continues with things like HD and SiriusXM satellite radio.

At the top of the range is the Hybrid Touring. That will give you a HondaLink subscription for a wide range of remote services. You can do stuff like lock and unlock the doors from virtually anywhere via your smartphone. You also have automatic emergency calling, stolen-vehicle tracking, automatic collision notification, and roadside assistance.

The Accord Touring also comes with built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi and accepts in-vehicle deliveries via Amazon Key. Which is . . . wait, how does that even work? Does Amazon Key, like, track you down in the middle of a traffic jam to hand over those tube socks you ordered off Amazon Prime? This is puzzling. I guess it counts as progress, but I’m still trying to figure out how, exactly.

2020 Honda Accord Hybrid interior layout. Photo: Honda North America.

2020 Honda Accord Hybrid: Manufacturing

Like all U.S. market Honda Accords, the 2020 Hybrid is manufactured exclusively at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio, plant. The Hybrid’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder is manufactured at the Anna, Ohio engine plant. The two-motor hybrid system is assembled at the company’s Raymond, Ohio transmission plant.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of

Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format.

Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

Photo and photo source: Honda North America.