Honda Accord Turns 50! Celebrates Half a Century of Unbeatable Value, Performance and Efficiency

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 years¹ – 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 buyers².

“Reaching 50 years as America’s best‑selling car is a powerful testament to Accord’s fun-to-drive spirit, quality and value,” said Lance Woelfer, vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.“Built by American associates for generations, Accord reflects Honda’s long‑standing commitment to building close to our customers. As we look ahead, Accord will continue to evolve, while staying true to the principles that have defined its success for half a century.”

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.

About Accord
The name Accord was derived from the unremitting effort of Honda 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.

From its humble roots as a small hatchback, Accord has grown step-by-step both in 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 America³ 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 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 and Affordability
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 (TSP) rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

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. 

Accord Manufacturing
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 in 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.

Key Accord Milestones

• 1976 – Start of U.S. Sales
• 1982 – Start of U.S. Production at Marysville Auto Plant
• 1983 – First Car and Driver 10Best Win
• 1988 – 1 millionth Accord built
• 1989 – Accord topples domestics to become best-selling car in America
• 1994 – Accord wins Motor Trend Car of the Year
• 1995 – First V6 powered Accord debuts
• 2004 – 10 millionth Accord sold
• 2005 – First hybrid powered Accord debuts
• 2005 – Accord wins Car and Driver 10Best for the 20th time
• 2018 – Accord wins North American Car of the Year and Motor Trend Car of the Year
• 2025 – Accord wins Car and Driver 10Best for the 40th time
• 2026 – Accord celebrates 50 years & 15 million cumulative U.S. Sales

To view more about the 50 years of Accord history in America, including a detailed timeline and milestones, click here.   

For more information on the 2026 Honda Accord, click here.

About Honda
Honda offers a full line of clean, safe, fun and connected vehicles sold through more than 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The award-winning Honda lineup includes the Civic, Prelude and Accord, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport, Prologue and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan. The Honda electrified vehicle lineup, representing nearly a third of total sales in 2025, includes the all-electric Prologue SUV, hybrid-electric Accord, CR-V, Civic, and Prelude, and fuel-cell-electric CR-V e:FCEV.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for over 40 years and currently operates eight major auto manufacturing facilities in America. In 2025, around 99% of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, with about 60% made in America, using domestic and globally made parts.

More information about Honda is available in the Digital FactBook.

Important Notice
Although the information included in this press release is accurate as of the date of publication, this information is subject to change at any time without notice. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. assumes no responsibility for updating this information.

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1. Source: Wards Intelligence cumulative U.S. light vehicle sales among passenger cars, 1976-2025CY.
2. Source: Strategic Vision’s New Vehicle Experience Study, 2023-2025.
3. Source: Urban Science DataHub™ retail sales in midsize car segment 2026CYTD May.