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2026 Honda Ridgeline ReviewNissan Altima vs Honda Accord
The Nissan Altima and Honda Accord are long-standing practical sedans. But which one is the best choice for you? We break down the details here.
Two of the Best Sedans for Families
The Nissan Altima and Honda Accord have been engaged in an automotive deadlock for decades. Along with the Toyota Camry, they’re the three mid-size sedans most responsible for Japan’s market takeover in North America. Now, the 2025 Accords and Altimas offer similar packages but with mystiques that are distinctly Honda and Nissan.
Today, we’re breaking down two of the most popular mid-size sedans in North American history, trim by trim, to see which one comes out on top this year. It’s usually a tight race, so let’s get cracking.
Specs
There’s something to be said about an affordable family sedan that delivers a good driving experience to boot. The Accord and the Altima are practically the two founders of this discipline, even if they aren’t technically the first “affordable” sporty-ish sedans ever built. Though less aggressively sporting than Accords of the past, the 1.5-liter base turbo four-cylinder engine puts out 192 horsepower, which is enough to suit most people’s needs. The fuel economy is pretty solid, with 29 MPGs in the city and 37 on the highway, thanks to a CVT.
For the genuine sporty Honda experience, the available 204-horsepower electric-hybrid drivetrain, complete with 247 lb-ft of instant torque, brings that zippy factor past Accords brought in spades. With the hybrid, you’ll sprint to 60 in 6.5 seconds and get 29 MPGs in the city and 37 on the highway out of the straight ICE drivetrain. Meanwhile, the Accord Hybrid brings home 51 MPGs in the city and 48 on the highway.
The Altima counters with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and no turbo, 188 horsepower, and 180 lb-ft in FWD configuration, or 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft with AWD. The fuel economy is on par with the base engine Accord, at 27 MPG in the city, 39 on the highway in FWD, 26 in the city, and 36 on the highway with AWD. Though it splits the difference between Accord engines in performance, the Accord Hybrid’s clever drivetrain and superior fuel economy see it win the day this time around.
Driving and Performance
Jumping off our last point. It’s a real bummer that no 2025 Accord can be bought with AWD. That’s especially true when you remember the Altima offers it, as well as the Camry, for that matter. It’s a real downside, especially in climates where AWD or snow tires are reccomended to drive through all four seasons safely. Still, the Accord is a competent-handling machine, just like the Accords before it.
At the same time, the Altima is well-known for its distinctive driving experience. Countless videos online show people using 100 percent of an Altima’s usable horsepower, in spectacular fashion. For those who drive more sensibly, the multi-link rear suspension in a 2025 Altima gives you that engaging road feel you’re after. For two grocery-getters, that’s about the most you could expect.
Trims and Features
The 2025 Altima brings a range of four unique trims with $6,330 in optional extras separating the bottom S trim from the top SL. Meanwhile, the Accord brings six, two gas-powered engines and four hybrids, and just over $11,000 in features between the bottom LX and the top Sporting Hybrid. Starting with the Accord, the entry-level LX still packs good features at $28,295 to start.
You get the same digital gauge cluster and Wi-Fi hotspot as the rest of the range, dual USB ports up front and in the back, with the downside of undersized 17-inch wheels and only four stereo speakers. Up trim up, the $30,560 Accord SE brings black exterior body cladding, dual-zone climate control, a total of eight stereo speakers, and a handy rear cross-traffic alert function added to the driver assistance suite. At $33,655, the Accord’s entry-level HEV, the Sport Hybrid, offers 19-inch black wheels, leather wrapping for the gear stick and steering wheel, plus wireless charging inside the cabin to match the addition of a rear spoiler outside.
For not much more, the $34,940 EX-L Hybrid bumps you up to leather seats, heated side mirrors, and parking sensors front and rear for more peace of mind in parking lots. The Sport-L Hybrid’s up next at $35,375 and adds a black finish on the rear spoiler, black rims, black leather interior, plus Amazon Alexa built-in. Finally, the range-topping Touring Hybrid at $39,300 cranks up the refinement with a Bose audio unit, a six-inch heads-up display, Google built-in alongside Alexa, and even heated rear seats on the left and right. Save for the drivetrain, the Touring Hybrid is Acura levels of refined inside.
All the criticisms in the world could be true of Nissan recently, but their trim lineups are typically delightfully straightforward. The Altima is no different with its modest four trims. The base $27,000 S trim is competitive with the equivalent Accord and even packs two extra stereo speakers, plus a remote engine start and an eight-inch center screen. For $430 extra, the SV ditches steelies and plastic covers of 17-inch alloys, keyless entry, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, plus a two-tone cabin and a digital gauge cluster to match the screen on the Accord.
The sport-tuned SR trim at $28,830 adds 19-inch alloys, dual exhaust tips, red cabin stitching inside, plus a lowered suspension to bring out the Altima’s inherent affordable sportiness already on hand normally. Finally, at $33,330, the Altima SL adds heated leather seats, climate vents for rear occupants, wireless phone charging, plus a surround-view monitor built into the larger 12.3-inch center display. It’s not quite a luxury car without the badge like the range-topping Accord is, but it has some really solid features regardless.
Comfort and interior
The 2025 Accord has a 111.4-inch wheelbase, regardless of the drivetrain, and the Altima’s is 111.2. That means comfort, legroom, and cargo area should be within the margins of each other for both sedans. The Accord comes out with 41 inches of second-row legroom and 17 cubic feet of cargo space. It beats the Altima’s figure of 38 inches of rear legroom and 15 cubic feet of cargo space. Heck, the Accord even beats the Camry in both camps, for that matter.
The Altima makes up for this with uber-comfy Zero Gravity seats, but we’re not sure it’s enough to say definitively it compensates for its shortcomings compared to the Accord in legroom and trunk space. So, we’ll go out on a limb and say both are sufficient, but the Accord is slightly more sufficient.
The Verdict
Nissan has done a commendable job keeping the Altima right in the sweet spot of affordability. Still, a lack of a hybrid drivetrain, plus the smaller interior space, isn’t sufficiently compensated for with positives in other areas. At least, compared to the Accord, it isn’t.
Still, that won’t stop Altimas from being sold in their thousands this model year, the very last for the sixth generation. But mono a mono, the Accord is flat-out better in most respects. The win goes to team Honda, but not without a valiant effort on the part of Nissan.
