Family SUVs have become the default choice for buyers who want practicality, comfort, and efficiency, but that convenience often comes at a steep price. With many new compact crossovers now pushing well past $35,000, a growing number of lightly used alternatives deliver the same everyday usability, better fuel economy, and a more refined driving experience while costing thousands less.
One three-year-old Japanese hybrid sedan stands out as a particularly compelling example. It offers generous passenger space, premium features, exceptional reliability, and fuel economy that many new hybrid SUVs still can't match, all for less than the price of a new base-trim compact crossover. For buyers willing to skip the SUV trend, it's one of the smartest used-car values on the market today.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites, including the EPA, CarEdge, J.D. Power, and Edmunds.
It also undercuts its rivals and offers more luxuries than you'd expect.
There is no denying the popularity of compact crossovers, with the likes of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 dominating the market for some time now. We've been sold the idea that they are the ultimate affordable family cars, with spacious interiors and a car-like ride quality. However, we think you're much better off getting a solid mid-size sedan, like the 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid, which offers all the practicality you could need at a much cheaper price.
In our eyes, you don't get much better than the Honda Accord as far as family sedans go. The hybrid model is particularly good, offering a little more power and exceptional levels of efficiency. You can also easily get a slightly used three-year-old model for an absolute bargain, with it costing thousands of dollars less than a new model despite coming with a lot of the same features. It is also very dependable, with Honda having a fantastic reputation for reliability.
We think that spending a little more money and going with the EX-L is the way to go. The price gap between it and the cheapest trim is pretty small when you consider all the luxuries that you're getting. While the Sport-L might come with some sporty aesthetics and be a little cheaper, its larger, fancier wheels take a toll on the Accord's fuel economy, which is why we think the EX-L is the way to go.
Toyota's latest hybrid sedan pairs proven reliability with low ownership costs, making it one of the smartest long-term buys.
In terms of driving dynamics, the biggest selling points for hybrid crossovers are that they are super efficient and they ride comfortably. Because the Accord weighs less and sits closer to the ground, it is even more efficient and its ride is better. On top of this, Honda's family sedan is pretty peppy off the line, and quite a lot of fun from behind the wheel. Compared to SUVs, we think the Accord Hybrid is better in just about every way.
The 2023 Honda Accord is powered by one of the most refined and reliable hybrid setups out there. It combines a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with two electric motors to produce a pretty reasonable 204 horsepower. It sends power exclusively to the front wheels via an electronic continuously variable transmission. This is the same as the setup you would get in a brand new Accord Hybrid.
The Accord strikes a balance between ride quality and handling that is incredibly satisfying. When cruising on your daily commute, it will feel effortlessly smooth and will absorb any shocks without skipping a beat. Find yourself on a twisty section of road and give it some throttle, and you'll be impressed with how well it handles, and how precise the steering is. It also accelerates with plenty of urgency, getting up to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in as little as 6.5 seconds.
The Sport and Touring models come equipped with nice 19-inch wheels. While they look great, they do have a pretty clear effect on efficiency. This is one of the big reasons why the EX-L is our trim of choice. At 48 miles per gallon combined, it is much more efficient than any new hybrid SUV.
The EPA estimates that the average new car manages 28 miles per gallon combined. They also estimate that the average driver does 15,000 miles a year and that 45 percent of that is on the highway and 55 percent is in cities. With this in mind, they claim that you'll save around $4,500 in fuel costs over five years in the 2023 Accord Hybrid compared to the average new car.
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The one area where crossovers do have the edge is trunk space. Most people overestimate just how much space they need, and never really make full use of the cargo holds in their SUVs. This obviously isn't the case for everyone, and different people have different needs, but we think that a lot of buyers overspend on a crossover when a sedan will easily do the trick.