Honda Accord vs Hyundai Sonata (2023-2026 vs 2020-2026): Which Should You Buy?

On the documented record, the Accord is the stronger buy: reliabilityScore 8 vs the Sonata's 7, and every known Accord issue (fuel pump recall 24V-763, seat belt pretensioner recall 23V-782, telematics 12V-drain TSB) is a free fix with no severe-cost failure mode on file. The Sonata's file carries a "severe"-severity problem the Accord's doesn't have: a documented oil-consumption pattern on its volume 2.5L engine that can mean a $7,000-$8,500 out-of-warranty engine replacement if it's not caught early, on top of its own safety recalls (2020-2023 fuel-tank check valve, N Line's DCT and fuel-pipe recalls). Both files land on the same shape of verdict — "buy it, but verify the paperwork" — so this isn't a blowout, but the Accord's problems are all recall-and-done while the Sonata's headline problem is engine wear that can get genuinely expensive. If you're set on the Sonata, insist on documented oil-consumption history on any 2020-2022 2.5L; otherwise the Accord is the safer default per what's actually written up here.

• •Cost exposure differs in kind: the Accord's documented issues are all $0 recall/TSB fixes; the Sonata's oil-consumption problem is rated 'severe' and can run $7,000-$8,500 out of warranty for an engine.
• •The engine at risk on the Sonata is the naturally-aspirated 2.5L volume engine, not the turbo — meanwhile the Accord's 1.5T shows no documented oil-dilution pattern on this generation (unlike its 10th-gen predecessor).
• •Sonata N Line trims stack two extra safety recalls (wet-DCT oil-pump fault, fuel-pipe leak) on top of the shared fuel-tank recall; the Accord has no trim-specific recall split. Also worth weighing: the Sonata generation has ~6 years of production data vs the Accord's ~3, so its record (severe issue included) is more complete — the Accord's cleaner file is also a younger, less-tested one.