2021 Honda Accord Gets Light Refresh

The 2021 Accord receives styling and tech updates along with upgrades to the hybrid powertrain. And it officially drops the manual transmission.

• The 2021 Honda Accord receives minor visual updates, including a revised grille with more effective LED headlamps, and more standard tech equipment.
• The manual transmission has been discontinued. The 1.5-liter models get a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and 2.0-liter turbo models are paired with a 10-speed automatic.
• Honda increased the 2021 Accord's price by $500 over 2020. The new model goes on sale on October 13.

As the 10th generation of the Accord reaches the middle of its lifecycle, the popular family sedan is getting a light refresh for 2021—but it doesn't change many of the features that make it a favorite. As we reported in July, the manual option drops off the list of transmission options, which now include a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and a 10-speed conventional automatic.

The base model of the 2021 Honda Accord starts at $25,725 and comes with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and a CVT. The Accord hybrid starts at $27,325. Both prices are up $500 from the prior model year, which is one of the largest price increases across the Accord lineup. The top Accord Touring is priced at $37,655, and the Accord Touring hybrid model costs $37,195.

There are six trim levels of the 2021 Accord and four for the Accord hybrid. The top two trim levels, Sport 2.0T and Touring, get the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and 10-speed automatic, while the four others (LX, Sport, Sport SE, and EX-L) get the turbo 1.5-liter and the CVT. The Sport SE, new for 2021, replaces the previous EX 1.5T and includes leather seats—heated in front—plus a 12-way power driver's seat and a remote-entry system, none of which is offered on the Sport. The hybrid powertrain, Honda says, has been updated to deliver a more "direct and immediate throttle response," along with a more natural acceleration.

For 2021, features including a 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability are now standard on every Accord. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard on the EX-L and Touring and on all but the base Accord hybrid. Other new standard equipment includes rear-seat-occupant and rear-seatbelt reminders, with the former reminding the driver to check the back seat for passengers, and the latter alerting drivers if a rear-seat occupant isn't using their seatbelt.

Visually, the grille is the main cosmetic change to the 2021 Accord; it's slightly wider, with new LED headlamps that Honda says have "longer and wider down-the-road illumination." That's a notable change because headlamps were the only area in which the 2020 Accord fell short of the top rating in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) testing. Depending on model, the 2020 Accord received Acceptable or Marginal ratings for the lights, which kept the car from achieving the Top Safety Pick+ rating for 2020.

The 2021 Honda Accord will go on sale on October 13.