Honda eighth generation Accord sat somewhere between the Mondeo mainstream and the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4-dominated compact executive sector.

The original version of this 2008 model never really caught the imagination of business buyers, so in 2011, the brand updated it, creating the smarter, quieter, cleaner and more frugal version we’re looking at here.

If you’re one of the few looking at a used MK8 model Accord, then this is the version worth stretching to.


What you see here is pretty much what you get.

Glimpse an Accord and you’re conscious of something a little more up-market than the usual Medium range market Mondeo fare but not quite as classy as the shapes provided by the prestigious German brands.

To change that, Honda would have had to do a lot more to this facelifted version than they did.

If you’re interested, the changes amount to clear front indicators to flank the Bi-HID lights you get on plusher versions with their clever Active Cornering Lights. And an all-red light treatment at the rear with a chrome finish above the rear licence plate.


Honda’s output isn’t known for niggling faults or mechanical mishaps and the Accord should be as reliable a medium range saloon as you’ll find.

Many Accords will have lived former lives as company cars but don’t be put off by well cared for high mileage examples. Reliability should be up to snuff.


Like other cars in the 2011 to 2015 era trying to make the jump into the premium sector this Accord remained a minority choice here in the UK when it was new.

For significantly less than something with a premium German badge, this Honda, for us offers a smart package for the clever used car buyer who doesn’t care what others think. And it makes more sense in this facelifted, more efficient post-2011 guise than it did in its original post-2008 form.

It certainly isn’t an obviously choice, but we’re prepared to bet that it’s one you won’t regret making.