Chevrolet Malibu vs Honda Accord Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Malibu and the Honda Accord Hybrid are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 67/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Malibu
- 15 model years scored
- 7,206 owner complaints on record
- about 47 complaints per year on the road
- 55 recall campaigns, 35 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (89/100) · worst 2016 (27/100)
Honda Accord Hybrid
- 11 model years scored
- 2,629 owner complaints on record
- about 33 complaints per year on the road
- 34 recall campaigns, 25 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (89/100) · worst 2019 (32/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Malibu against Accord Hybrid
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Malibu | Accord Hybrid | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 BUY | 81 BUY | +8 |
| 2024 | 88 BUY | 61 CAUTION | +27 |
| 2023 | 87 BUY | 47 AVOID | +40 |
| 2022 | 88 BUY | 88 BUY | +0 |
| 2021 | 88 BUY | 84 BUY | +4 |
| 2020 | 79 BUY | 79 BUY | +0 |
| 2019 | 83 BUY | 32 AVOID | +51 |
| 2018 | 31 AVOID | 80 BUY | -49 |
| 2017 | 35 AVOID | 89 BUY | -54 |
| 2016 | 27 AVOID | — | — |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 46 AVOID | +36 |
| 2014 | 72 BUY | 46 AVOID | +26 |
| 2013 | 31 AVOID | — | — |
| 2012 | 43 AVOID | — | — |
| 2011 | 40 AVOID | — | — |
What owners actually complain about
Chevrolet Malibu
- Electrical System — 2,128 complaints
- Engine — 1,998 complaints
- Power Train — 1,040 complaints
Honda Accord Hybrid
- Electrical System — 828 complaints
- Engine — 479 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 351 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Chevrolet Malibu — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018.
Honda Accord Hybrid — avoid: 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Chevrolet Malibu prices at about $28,100 and a Honda Accord Hybrid at about $28,100 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 31.0 against 48.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Malibu or the Honda Accord Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Malibu scores 68/100 against the Honda Accord Hybrid's 67/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accord Hybrid years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Malibu: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018. Honda Accord Hybrid: 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Malibu and the Honda Accord Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Malibu is Electrical System (2,128 complaints); on the Honda Accord Hybrid it is Electrical System (828).
Is the Chevrolet Malibu or the Honda Accord Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Malibu prices at about $28,100 and a Honda Accord Hybrid at about $28,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.