Comparing the Camry against the Accord on safety means comparing two cars that both clear a high bar. Each earned an award from the IIHS for 2026, which alone puts them among the safer choices in the class. The distinction is tier: the Camry qualifies for Top Safety Pick+, while the Accord lands the standard Top Safety Pick. In a year when the IIHS made its criteria tougher, that difference is meaningful, even if both sedans are cars that a safety-conscious buyer can feel good about.
Kristen Brown
How the two awards differ
Understanding the gap requires knowing what separates the two honors in 2026. Both awards require good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests, plus acceptable or good headlights across all trims. That is the foundation both the Camry and Accord meet.
Honda
The plus is where the Camry pulls ahead. To earn Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle needs a good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test and an acceptable or good result in the institute’s updated vehicle-to-vehicle evaluation, with those systems standard. The Accord’s award indicates it met the core crash-test and headlight requirements but did not fully clear that tougher crash-avoidance bar, which is what keeps it at the standard tier.
What it means in practice
Both sedans protect occupants well in the physical crash tests, which is the heart of any safety evaluation. Neither shows a glaring weakness the way some rivals do, and both come with standard automatic emergency braking and a full suite of driver aids. In a real-world collision, a buyer would be well protected in either one.
Kristen Brown
The Camry’s edge is concentrated in crash prevention, the technology meant to avoid or soften an impact in the first place. Its systems met the higher pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle standards the IIHS now demands for its top award. For a shopper who weighs the ability to prevent a crash as heavily as the ability to survive one, that is a real, if incremental, advantage.
The rest of the safety picture
Beyond the IIHS, both cars perform strongly in federal NHTSA crash testing and offer generous standard safety content, so this is not a case of one clearly safe car against a risky one. Availability of specific features can vary by trim, and buyers focused on crash avoidance should confirm which systems are standard on the version they are considering.
Honda
Reputation favors both nameplates, and either would serve a family reliably. But when the question is which one has stronger current-safety credentials, the tie goes to the car with the higher award.
So which one is safer?
On paper, the Toyota Camry is safer. It earns the 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, clearing the institute’s toughest new crash-avoidance requirements, while the Honda Accord earns the standard Top Safety Pick, one tier down. The physical crash protection is comparable, so the Camry’s advantage lies in meeting the higher pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle standards. The Honda Accord remains a very safe midsize sedan, and its award confirms it, so buyers who prefer it for its driving feel or interior should not feel they are compromising on protection. But by the letter of the 2026 ratings, the Camry holds the higher honor and takes the win.
About the author
Kyle Edward
Editor-in-Chief, Autoblog