Honda Accord vs Chevrolet Malibu: which is more reliable?
The Honda Accord and the Chevrolet Malibu are level on the federal record — 66/100 against 68/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Honda Accord
- 14 model years scored
- 8,179 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 71 recall campaigns, 60 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (86/100) · worst 2018 (30/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Accord against Malibu
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 | Accord | Malibu | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | 89 BUY | — |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | 88 BUY | -2 |
| 2023 | 82 BUY | 87 BUY | -5 |
| 2022 | 69 CAUTION | 88 BUY | -19 |
| 2021 | 76 BUY | 88 BUY | -12 |
| 2020 | 68 CAUTION | 79 BUY | -11 |
| 2019 | 48 AVOID | 83 BUY | -35 |
| 2018 | 30 AVOID | 31 AVOID | -1 |
| 2017 | 73 BUY | 35 AVOID | +38 |
| 2016 | 70 BUY | 27 AVOID | +43 |
| 2015 | 74 BUY | 82 BUY | -8 |
| 2014 | 65 CAUTION | 72 BUY | -7 |
| 2013 | 49 AVOID | 31 AVOID | +18 |
| 2012 | 73 BUY | 43 AVOID | +30 |
| 2011 | 73 BUY | 40 AVOID | +33 |
What owners actually complain about
Honda Accord
- Electrical System — 2,005 complaints
- Engine — 1,493 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,106 complaints
Chevrolet Malibu
- Electrical System — 2,128 complaints
- Engine — 1,998 complaints
- Power Train — 1,040 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
Honda Accord — avoid: 2013, 2018, 2019.
Chevrolet Malibu — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018.
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 Honda Accord prices at about $25,800 and a Chevrolet Malibu at about $28,100 — the Honda Accord is roughly $2,300 less, and they return 32.0 against 31.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Accord or the Chevrolet Malibu more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Malibu scores 68/100 against the Honda Accord's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Accord and Chevrolet Malibu years should I avoid?
Honda Accord: 2013, 2018, 2019. Chevrolet Malibu: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Accord and the Chevrolet Malibu?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Accord is Electrical System (2,005 complaints); on the Chevrolet Malibu it is Electrical System (2,128).
Is the Honda Accord or the Chevrolet Malibu cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Accord prices at about $25,800 and a Chevrolet Malibu at about $28,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.