Performance
Winner: Honda
When it comes to performance, Honda comes out on top. Its overall brand performance score average of 8.3 out of 10 easily beats Toyota’s average of 7.6 out of 10. This performance gap can be explained in part by noting that the least powerful Honda Civic has 18 more horsepower than the most powerful Toyota Corolla, and in its most powerful version, the Civic exceeds the Corolla by 166 horsepower.
While the Toyota Camry did garner a performance score of 9.2 out of 10 and delivers more horsepower than comparable Honda Accords, four Toyotas, the Yaris, C-HR, Prius C, and Tundra, earned performance scores ranging from 6.2 to 6.9 out of 10. The lowest score for a Honda was the HR-V’s 7.3.
Interiors
Winner: Honda
Average our scores for interiors and Honda beats Toyota. Among Honda models, Odyssey minivan earned the highest score in this category, 8.8 out of 10. Credit its fresh design and use of soft-touch materials. The Avalon sedan earned the highest score in this category for Toyota, with an 8.6. However, more than a dozen Toyota vehicles have interiors that garnered scores ranging from 5.8 to 7.9. Blame uninspired designs and the use of hard plastics.
Price
Winner: Toyota
Among directly competitive models from Toyota and Honda, there would seem to be few significant pricing differences. However, Toyota is offering its Safety Sense equipment on many models as standard equipment, while Honda charges extra for comparable safety gear, or forces a buyer to purchase a higher trim level to get features like automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. This, and the nearly $4,600 price advantage for the Toyota Tacoma in the compact pickup truck segment, compared to Honda’s Ridgeline, tips the pricing advantage to Toyota.
Reliability
Winner: Toyota
Toyota, with an average predicted reliability score of four out of five for its model lineup easily exceeds Honda’s average score of 3.25 out of five. Only one Toyota, the Sienna, earns a reliability score that is below average, with J.D. Power assigning it a rating of 2.5. Thirteen Toyotas manage to earn reliability scores of four or higher, which is well above average. Of the latest Hondas rated so far, the Accord did best, with a reliability score of four out of five. Every other Honda earned a rating of three or 3.5 out of five.
Safety
Winner: Honda
Both Honda and Toyota models earned high average scores for safety, and we applaud Toyota’s decision to make an array of high-tech safety features standard in even basic models, but Honda’s average score of 9.7 out of 10 exceeds Toyota’s score by half a point. Only one Toyota, the Camry, earned a perfect 10 out of 10 score for safety. The lowest score in this comparison, 8.4/10, went to the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. In contrast, three Honda models, the Accord, Civic, and 2019 Insight (pictured above), earned perfect scores of 10 out of 10. The lowest score for safety earned by a Honda was the 9.0 for the HR-V.
Small Cars
Winner: Honda
Honda’s top selling small cars, the subcompact Fit (pictured above) and compact Civic, are ranked significantly higher than Toyota’s Yaris and Corolla. The 2019 Fit sits at the top of our subcompact rankings while the Civic is ranked third among compacts. Compare that to the Toyota Yaris, which sits at the No. 12 spot among subcompacts and the Corolla, which is ranked in the bottom half of compacts.
There are some exceptions that should be noted, however. The newer Toyota Yaris iA landed in second place in our rankings of subcompacts, while the new Honda Insight, a gasoline-electric hybrid, landed in the No. 19 spot among compacts. Nonetheless, based on the high rankings of Honda’s Fit and Civic, we give this category to Honda.
Midsize Sedans
Winner: Toyota
There is no arguing with the appeal of the new Toyota Camry (pictured above). It has the technology, safety features, and handling dynamics to place it at the top of our rankings of midsize sedans. The Honda Accord, however, follows closely, just one slot below in the rankings and with an overall score of 9.1 out of 10, just behind the overall score of 9.3 earned by the Camry. The Camry Hybrid, however, easily outranks the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Honda Clarity. This category belongs to Toyota.
Small SUVs
Winner: Honda
Honda’s small SUVs, the subcompact HR-V and compact CR-V (pictured above), have earned significantly higher rankings in our analyses of vehicles in these categories than Toyota’s subcompact C-HR or compact RAV4 SUVs. A look at these vehicles’ overall scores tells the story. The Honda HR-V earned a score of 8.2 out of 10; the CR-V 8.8 out of 10. In contrast, Toyota’s C-HR ended up with an overall score of 6.9 while the RAV4’s overall score was 7.8.
Midsize SUVs
Winner: Toyota
Toyota’s Highlander SUV sits atop our rankings of midsize SUVs, with Honda’s Pilot just behind. It is a tight race, but this alone should give the win in this category to Toyota. However, Toyota also offers another midsize SUV, the 4Runner, that is ready for rough off-roading. Honda has no direct competitor.
Hybrids
Winner: Toyota
Since the first faceoff between the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius way back in 2000, Toyota has taken the leadership position in the gasoline-electric hybrid arena. It is an advantage that Toyota enjoys to this day. The Toyota Camry Hybrid, followed closely by the Toyota Avalon Hybrid, top our rankings of Hybrid and Electric Cars. The Toyota Prius (pictured above) also ranks among the top models in this field. The best Honda can do is place in the middle of this grouping, with its Accord Hybrid. The new Honda Insight, a smaller hybrid sedan, falls to the bottom half of our rankings.
Not only do Toyota’s hybrid sedans outrank Honda’s offerings, Toyota also offers hybrid versions of the RAV4 and Highlander SUVs. Here, Honda offers no direct competitors. This category goes to Toyota, even though it also produced the bottom-ranked hybrid, the Prius c.
Minivans
Winner: Honda
The Honda Odyssey outscores and outranks the Toyota Sienna, which is Toyota’s least reliable offering, according to J.D. Power data. The Odyssey leads the Sienna with its critics’ rating and scores for its performance and interior. The Sienna does, however, have one option that is missing on the Odyssey: all-wheel drive. The Sienna is the only minivan to offer this feature as an option.
Pickup Trucks
Winner: Toyota
Toyota has taken the top slot in our rankings of compact pickup trucks with its Tacoma. The Honda Ridgeline, however, is just behind it, though the two vehicles appeal to different buyers. The Tacoma is ready for off-road adventures and hauling cargo. The Ridgeline, which comes only with a crew cab, places a greater emphasis on refinement with a cabin that is nicely done and a ride that is exceptionally smooth.
Toyota also offers a full-size pickup truck, the Tundra. However, the Tundra, with its older design, comes in at the bottom of our rankings of full-size pickups. Honda does not compete in the full-size pickup truck arena.
Vehicle Lineup
Winner: Toyota
With 23 models, Toyota overwhelms Honda’s more modest vehicle portfolio. Yet, both automakers compete in nearly every major product category. Both offer subcompact, compact, and midsize sedans and SUVs. Both also offer a minivan and some specialized vehicles, such as gasoline-electric hybrids and hydrogen-powered sedans. Honda offers a pure battery-powered electric vehicle in some markets, while Toyota has a sports car.
The most glaring weakness in the Honda lineup is in trucks. Honda has no model to compete with the full-size Toyota’s Tundra pickup and nothing to compete with the Toyota Sequoia or Land Cruiser, which are large SUVs. Honda also has no large sedan while Toyota has the Avalon.
The Winner Is …
Toyota
Of the 13 categories considered, Toyota claimed seven wins, giving it the overall victory. However, do not count Honda out. Honda was close to Toyota in many of the categories that Toyota won, such as midsize sedans, while Toyota trailed Honda significantly in several categories that Honda won, such as small SUVs, small cars, minivans, performance, and interiors. Only in reliability did Toyota stake out a significantly superior position, yet even here, no Honda fell below average. In the final analysis, both companies make some outstanding vehicles.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
You can see the entire Honda and Toyota lineups on their respective brand pages, which show each automaker’s full model lineup and each vehicle’s rank within its class. You can also check out the best deals offered by these automakers on our Honda deals and Toyota deals pages.
Then, when it is time to buy, use our U.S. News Best Price Program to find the dealership in your area with the best prices. Shoppers who use the program save an average of more than $3,000 off their new car purchase.
Toyota vs. Honda: Battle of the Brands
- Performance - Winner: Honda
- Interiors - Winner: Honda
- Price - Winner: Toyota
- Reliability - Winner: Toyota
- Safety - Winner: Honda
- Small Sedans - Winner: Honda
- Midsize Sedans - Winner: Toyota
- Small SUVs - Winner: Honda
- Midsize SUVs - Winner: Toyota
- Hybrids - Winner: Toyota
- Minivans - Winner: Honda
- Pickup Trucks - Winner: Toyota
- Vehicle Lineup - Winner: Toyota
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Which Japanese Automaker Builds the Best Cars?
For buyers who favor import nameplates, the purchase decision often comes down to this: Will it be a Toyota or Honda? Does one of these car companies deserve more consideration than the other?
For the answer, take a look at the following slides. While you do this, keep in mind that the scores on our site are updated constantly as new expert reviews and data become available. Therefore, the scores and rankings mentioned in this slideshow may not match our reviews.