Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.
Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Honda Insight, and it carries 8 recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 14 | 14% |
| Forward collision avoidance | 10 | 10% |
| Unknown or other | 8 | 8% |
| Air bags | 7 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 7 | 7% |
| Service brakes | 5 | 5% |
| Engine | 5 | 5% |
| Electrical system | 4 | 4% |
| Seat belts | 4 | 4% |
| Service brakes | 3 | 3% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
The car was last driven and parked at about 8:30pm local time. At around noon the next day, we noticed that the dashboard in the vicinity of the passenger airbag was melted with an approximately 12-inch hole. There was s
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
The A/C evaporator failed due to a refrigerant leak caused by corrosion. The component is available for inspection upon request at the dealership where it was diagnosed. The failure resulted in complete loss of air cond
NHTSA complaint: Unknown or other
The daytime running lights started to fade it till there was nothing. I was told it would be over $2000 to fix
NHTSA complaint: Exterior lighting
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, several unknown warning lights
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
Car was put into reverse to perform a T turn to drive in the opposite direction on 1/14. The "D" button was depressed to place the car into Drive. The car quickly accelerated backwards and crashed into the mailbox. Serv
NHTSA complaint: Power train
Back up camera stopped working, no blown fuses and the system updates I can do on the car from the touch screen say everything is up to date. My car has no open/not repaired recall for this.
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
The Honda Sensing suite's CMBS uses a combination of a front-facing camera and a radar sensor, it detected a sewerage as a hole and steel plates as a hole and made a sudden unsafe stop. Collision Mitigation Braking Syste
NHTSA complaint: Forward collision avoidance
While stopped at a train track, I used the Brake Hold feature and it was on when suddenly without touching peddles the car went forward and I hit the car in front of me
NHTSA complaint: Unknown or other
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2019 Honda Insight. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura NSX, 2019 Acura RDX, RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R and HR-V, 2019-2020 Insight and 2019 Fit vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 22, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles. A software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components. This may result in malfunction
Risk: Various system malfunctions such as inoperative windshield wipers, defroster, rearview camera, or exterior lighting can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. H
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgelin
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note:
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018 Honda Accord and 2019 Honda Insight vehicles. In certain scenarios, the back-up camera center display may not function properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
Risk: If the rearview camera display does not show what is behind the vehicle, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the display audio unit software, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
| Reliability raw | 67 | good |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 76 | good |
| Maintenance | 86 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 89 | excellent |
| Performance | 39 | below average |
| Efficiency | 71 | good |
| Safety | 100 | excellent |
Percentile ranks against other midsize & large cars in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and fuel system is the most reported area with 14 of them (14%). There are 8 recalls on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 67/100 (good) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 76/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2019 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 76/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.