2021 Toyota Camry vs 2020 Honda Accord

Bringing a new or redesigned vehicle to market isn’t easy, even if Honda makes it look that way. The 2020 Honda Accord Touring is the family midsize sedan perfected, from its rakish good looks and delightful driving dynamics to its huge back seat and giant trunk. The 2020 Honda Accord also boasts plenty of tech, including Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and adaptive cruise control.

Sure, you can quibble with a few things related to the 2020 Accord. After all, no car is perfect. But the Honda Accord Touring sure does come close in so many of the ways that matter most, from usability to fuel efficiency.

The Toyota Camry has long been many new-car buyers’ default choice—but not because it’s interesting. Reliability and practicality have traditionally been the Camry’s strengths, not sportiness or style.

Toyota tried to change that for the 2018 model year, when the Camry was last redesigned. The current-generation Camry adopted more extroverted styling, and engineers tried to make the driving experience more exciting, too. While Toyota’s approach has changed, the Camry still competes against the same array of midsize sedans, including the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, and Volkswagen Passat.

Changes for the 2021 model year include subtle styling tweaks, new infotainment displays, an upgrade to the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+) package of driver aids, and some changes to the dashboard trim.

The Camry offers buyers more choices than many rivals, encompassing three powertrains (inline-four, V6, and hybrid), four trim levels (LE, SE, XSE, XLE), three packages available on select models (Upgrade, Nightshade Edition, and TRD) and the choice of front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Our test car was an AWD Camry SE Nightshade Edition, positioned close to the middle of the lineup.