The Steadiest Car Wins: Why the Camry Took the Crown by a Single Point

Consumer Reports names the Toyota Camry Hybrid the best sedan of 2026, beating the Honda Accord Hybrid 88 to 87. Here is how price, reliability and value split the field.

Toyota Camry Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid have once again gone head to head for the title of best sedan. In the Consumer Reports ranking, the Camry came out on top, scoring 88 points out of 100 against 87 for the hybrid Accord. The gap is razor-thin, yet for buyers the difference goes beyond the number.

The Camry is now offered only as a hybrid. The base price in the US is $29,300. It earned 89 points in the road test, a predicted reliability score of 74 and an expected owner satisfaction rating of 74 as well. Toyota did not top every single category, but it cleared them all evenly: efficiency, comfort, reliability, safety and residual value.

The Honda Accord Hybrid finished just behind. It posted the best road-test result of the group — 93 points — and its price starts at $33,795. This Accord drives more pleasantly, unfurls its hybrid torque more smoothly and remains a roomy family sedan. But its predicted reliability is lower, at 64 points, owing to a more complex hybrid system.

The conventional Honda Accord took third place with 80 points. Next come the Hyundai Sonata with 76 points and the Nissan Altima with 75. The Sonata’s strengths are its design, equipment and the 290-hp N Line version, though its predicted reliability and satisfaction trail the leaders. The Altima wins on comfort, efficiency and affordable all-wheel drive, but loses out on emotion and resale value.

The main takeaway is not that the Camry won again. The crossover market is growing, yet good sedans still offer plenty of car for the money: a lower seating position, lower fuel use, more predictability and often a better cost of ownership. The Camry simply reaffirmed Toyota’s old rule: the winner is not the flashiest car, but the one that raises the fewest questions after you buy it.