Crash Test
Not Tested
Source NHTSA
MPG (up to)
42 -126 City / 42 -103 HWY
Horsepower
161 -212
Seats
5
Front passenger 3/4 w/ wheels turned.

Positive Owner Reviews

accountCircle Donald Rapp
100% Electric for Local Driving
I find my 2018 Clarity comfortable, and a joy to drive. I do almost all my driving locally and I run 100% electric except for the two long trips I take each year when I go hybrid at 40 mpg. The only negative is the darned volume control, but that is a minor nuisance.
accountCircle Al P
It is very quiet and minimizes wind noise with it is low drag shape.
Very nice for city use, brisk acceleration from stop. In nice temperatures over 65 degrees it exceeds quoted 47 mile electric range. One feature I wish it had would be lumbar support. I achieve about 45 mpg freeway speeds in hybrid mode. I like the function of the led headlights.
accountCircle Maddy J
The Honda Clarity offers an environmentally friendly, yet flexible option for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint - without giving up the features of a cool car.
I love my Honda Clarity. It's great to have the option to charge it, which is way more environmentally friendly, but also be able to use gas if I'm in an area with no chargers (for example, at my parents cabin in small-town Wisconsin.) The seats are comfortable, the trunk is spacious, and the bluetooth features work great. My only complaint is that the Apple CarPlay doesn't always work - I may just need to get that checked out at a shop, though.
accountCircle Jan H
Plug in hybrid is worth it!
I love this plug in hybrid. It saves me a ton on gas and is fun to drive and operate. It is luxurious yet economical. I cannot remember the last time I put gas in it. I get 50 electric miles per charge. I have a home charger and my work charger. I get to ride in carpool lane too.
accountCircle Ursula E
Very affordable electric car.
The performance is excellent, the car is super comfortable and super quiet. It uses very little gas or electricity. It plugs right into my house with no special requirements. The car is almost 2 years old and has not required any repairs except standard maintenance which is less often than regular fuel cars.
accountCircle Teresa M
I love that my vehicle is a plug-in hybrid. It saves me gas when driving to work. The technology is upscale. What I dislike is that it takes over 12 hours to charge the electric vehicle battery with a level 1 outlet.
Having a hybrid saves me a lot of money in the long run.
accountCircle Kassie P
Plug-in hybrid works for city driving and cross country road trips.
We really love our Honda clarity because it is the perfect combination of Electric City driving, with the ability to take road trips on gas. We really enjoy the smarter features of the car like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure information, and the android auto app. The car has great acceleration and is fun to drive. We have driven the car from Austin to Indiana, as well as from Austin to Georgia and it was great for both trips. We haven't had any major issues, the only small thing is sometimes android auto acts up.
accountCircle Arthur Haviland
Long electric range and good gas mpg
I have owned my 2018 base Clarity for 27 months and it is the best car I have ever owned. I regularly get over 60 miles on a charge. On road trips using the gas engine I got 47 mpg. I chose the base model because I have an Apple IPhone for navigation and it works great with Apple CarPlay. On a recent trip my highway exit was closed forpaving for the weekend and google maps knew this and directed me around it. The standard navigation would not have been so smart. I now have 11,000 miles on the car and have only needed two oil changes. I have only bought gas once in 2020. This car can save you a bundle even with cheap gas prices.

Negative Owner Reviews

accountCircle Petra
Issues with EV and HV use
We were absolutely thrilled when we got the car in February of 2019. Got about 46 miles on electric only and 119 mpg on average a month. After about 8 month the EV charge went down to about 29 and the average monthly mpg to 48. It felt like it was in HV charging mode but it was set in regular HV mode only. Also had an episode of it revving up with loose of gas power. Had to come to a stop and turn it off,afterwards it was fine again. Took it to Honda, they couldn’t find any problems.
accountCircle Timothy Dougherty
Start/stop intermittant, radar will follow cars exiting the freeway and you will slow also even though your in the fast lane.
Intermittent start/stop feature with accompanying high revs from ice engine even when car is fully charged and nothing being used like the heater or a/c or radio, etc. Honda denies this exists. 2) Radar will slow the car down as the car you were following exits and slows from the freeway, the car thinks your still following that car. Several times I have had the car slow from 70 mph to 35 mph when on the freeway and this is hazardous. Honda denies this occurs, (several dealers) will tell you they cannot duplicate this on their "test drive". Its so common that its a honda policy to deny, deny, deny!
accountCircle Nick
Do not buy this car you will regret it!!!
While on EV the engine turns on randomly and stays on for no reasons + when on HV you will get high revs like being stuck wide open in first gear! Sucks gas like crazy, super scary and most important very dangerous as you also lose speed and power. Fantastic when you are going 75 mph on the freeway. Honda says it’s normal. Stay away, get something else and not a Honda. Extremely disappointing experience especially being treated like c**p. Wish I could put zero star rating.
accountCircle John T
Riddled with issues
Could be a good car if it was not having multiple electronic issues: engine turning on constantly and not shutting off, high revs up to 5200 rpm (impossible to go up a canyon) and sudden loss of speed on freeways, constant issues with EV and HV, radio not working, etc etc... And Honda not doing anything. So disappointed by this company that I used to idolize. Will never buy a Honda ever again! Buyers beware.
accountCircle Ben L
2006 BMW 325xi great gas mileage.
2008 BMW 325xi is a great vehicle. Other then where the starter is. It is located underneath the intake manifold. Very difficult to get at when the starter goes out. But all around great gas mileage is about 2935 miles per gallon and I'll be able drive is another great feature handles very well on the roads highly recommend.
accountCircle Ki L
Decent but not worth the price.
There are constantly issues with system shutting down while driving. The car will not always accelerate. This car is very comfortable and roomie although it has the other issues. The windows are barely tented. Double window on trunk causing you to be able to see more when you are in reverse.

Honda Clarity Models

Models also known as Trim Levels, are used to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features.

car
Base Fuel Cell
174 HP 5 Seats
car
Base Electric
161 HP 115 MPG 5 Seats
car
Base Hybrid
212 HP 42 MPG 5 Seats
car
Base
212 HP 42 MPG 5 Seats
car
Touring Hybrid
212 HP 42 MPG 5 Seats
car
Touring
212 HP 42 MPG 5 Seats
Photos may not match model

2018 Honda Clarity Owner Reviews

4.33
46 Reviews
close Write Review
5 stars 65%
4 stars 22%
3 stars 2%
2 stars 2%
1 star 9%
accountCircle Joe M on June 25, 2021
It has about a 40 mile electric range.
I love that it has 40 miles of electric range and is spacious. I wish it had better safety features. I like the console and features that are provided. It has great trunk space for the size of the vehicle. I love that it is environmentally friendly and that I can use electric only on my commute to work.
accountCircle Gisele N on June 23, 2021
Honda clarity, the height of luxury.
It feels luxurious and eco friendly! I have only had it for 3 months but it is an amazing car. I just use electricity around town and can still drive around on road trips without any concern. I has the acceleration that is needed for getting onto the highway or passing someone while still on ev mode.

Pros from Owners

likeFilled Jessica B.

It is electric- low gas usage and $ spent on gas. I feel like I am playing my part to help the environment. It also has a fairly large trunk space and plenty of legroom in the back for the kids. The diamond white color is very pretty as well.

likeFilled Ursula E.

Incredibly fuel efficient, luxury comfort, sleek look, low maintenance. It is extremely easy to plug the car into a house outlet and have it fully charge overnight with an average range of 53 miles. For local driving it means you never have to get gas.

Cons from Owners

dislikeFilled Jessica B.

I do not like the radio volume button. It is very hard to work and not very user friendly. Since the economy is not doing very well, I am not saving as much money as others because gas is so cheap. It is actually cheaper right now to use it with the gasoline portion than with the electric portion.

dislikeFilled Ursula E.

There are not really any cons. I guess the biggest thing is that it does have a limited long distance range and so you have to make sure to fill up and watch your usage. It could charge faster at a supercharger as well.

Ranks #13 Hybrid & Electric by Owners

The 2018 Honda Clarity has an average owner rating of 4.55 out of 5 which ranks it #13 of 22 other Hybrid & Electrics.

1
car
5
2
car
4.86
13
Tie
car
4.33

Ranks #3 Hybrid & Electric by Fuel Economy

The 2018 Honda Clarity has a combined MPG of 128 which ranks it #3 of 22 other Hybrid & Electrics.

1
car
150 MPG
2
Tie
car
128 MPG
3
Tie
car
126 MPG

Safety & Reliability

NHTSA Logo
NHTSA Crash Test
(Not Rated)
*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
IIHS Logo
IIHS Crash Test
(Not Tested)
*Insurance Institute for Highway Safety