2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid consumer reviews

This car has it all. Power, quiet interior, great head and legroom. Great mileage, state of the art technology, smooth comfortable ride. Leather interior soft, supple, Good controls, brakes excellent.

The car is technologically advanced and very comfortable to drive. Only thing to my dislike is the estimated mileage range displaced for hybrid gasoline engine (HV) is not based on the gasoline in the tank, rather it is based on your past average use of EV and HV combined. For instance, when I have only half full gas tank, which is only about 3.5 gallons, it shows a ridiculous mileage range such as 550 miles.

I've been driving hybrids for about 10 years and change cars every 2 to 3 years. My Prius was too low end for me so my last hybrids were Lincoln MKZs. Before that I owned a lot of near luxury cars (BMW 3s; Acura; Infinity M; Volvos; Mercedes 300). I really wanted to go full electric or at least plug in. After much research I decided that the electrics were either too low end (Leaf), quirky (Bolt, BMW i3), too short of a range and just not practical for the East coast. Saw the Clarity Plug In commercial and it looked like the perfect solution overall - midsize; good 47 mile all electric range; good 340 mile total range; good (Honda) build. I compared it to other plug ins on the market and I didn't think there was a better option for me. I lowered my expectations so I wouldn't be disappointed in my decision to move from a Lincoln to a Honda. I've had the Clarity for about 1 month and 600+ miles now and it has far exceeded my expectations. It's comfortable. quiet, roomy, and nicely styled. When I put it in all electric Sport mode, it is very quick, handles well and fun to drive. Almost all of my driving is full electric. I've only used about 1/2 tank of gas. All cars have their pros and cons. For example, it doesn't drive and handle like a BMW. But when you look at the whole package, it's a really great car. It's definitely one of the best cars I've owned.

High miles per gas when it runs only on gas, plug in saves a lot of gas money, extremely quiet, acceleration like a 6 cylinder car, a lot of new technologies to make driving safe

I stepped into 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV after trading in my 2010 Lexus ES. The upscale interiors, space, and the comfort-level is at par or better as compared with the previous generation Lexus. The car has adequate power in Eco mode, and it begs to go in the Sport mode -- which I don't use much since I take some pride in driving in the most economical fashion. The pickup is smooth and quick -- thanks to the electric engine which is whisper quiet. Even with engine running in hybrid mode, you really can't hear much of engine noise. It is designed for a driver to just sit and drive without worrying about various modes, but more geeky drivers will have a lot of fun experimenting with the numerous bells and whistles. Overall, very happy with the purchase and plan to keep it for a while.

My first most fun car was a 1971 Dodge Charger R/T with a 440 ci engine. I'm a techie so this car is a lot of fun to play with. It has numerous different drive modes and they all make the car behave differently. In ECON mode it has the smoothest drivetrain of any car that I have ever driven. While driving in solely electric power it is extremely quiet except for the slight road noise that is typical of many Honda's. When in SPORT mode , this car is fast. I don't care what the so called experts say, and I know it is subjective, but in my opinion this car will definitely get up and go. It is very close to my Mercedes V-6. I got a laugh when Consumer's Reports knocked the handling saying that it leaned too much in the corners. That, in my opinion, is a complete falsehood. I've driven this car on many curvy mountain roads and it handles like a slot car with little or no lean at all. I have driven quite fast on these roads and it has always taken all the curves with complete confidence. For such a heavy car (4000+ lbs), it handles with aplomb. The car rides smoothly (smoother than my Mercedes which has AMG sport wheels) and is really, really fun to drive. The interior exudes quality. All the materials are soft to the touch and fit together very tightly. No squeaks or rattles, except for the minor intermittent buzz that I was able to fix very easily myself. In order to keep the price within reach for the masses, Honda did leave out some amenities. To name a few: no sunroof, no lumbar seat adjustment, no heads-up display, older version of software, no USB ports in covered console compartment or rear seat area, no auto high beams, no rain sensing wipers. All these things are really insignificant, however, when I get in this car and start driving. I just love to drive this car. This car is rated at 47 miles on electric power only. I have never gotten less than 50 and usually average between 55 and 65 miles with the air conditioning going full blast (95 to 105 degrees this past week). I haven't tested the gas mileage yet but I'll bet that it's better than the 42 MPG set by the EPA. I've only had this car for 2 weeks and have less than 600 miles on it. Only time will tell if I feel the same way a year from now but right now I really love this car. Even the strange exterior styling is starting to grow on me. For anyone needing or just wanting a car that will go 50+ miles on a charge with a gas engine backup for longer trips, this car is a winner.

I like the car a lot. The size of the car and the premium interior are what I want in a vehicle, and at 4,052 lbs it really absorbs bumps in the road. It is fun to drive, and the full tax rebate is certainly attractive. That said, there are four shortcomings that will probably keep me from buying the car. First, there are complaints on the NHTSA website about the minimal headlights that poorly illuminate the road. I am surprised as my wife's Acura MDX has LED headlights and they are really bright. I want bright headlights. Second, the windshield washer nozzles are mounted on the wiper arms, and several owners have commented how poorly they work. That to me is a significant design deficiency. Third, there are several NHTSA complaints about the drive computer malfunctioning leaving the car virtually undrivable. That needs to be addressed as it could be a real safety issue. Fourth, many owners have complained about the slow response of the radio and navigation system, and the lack of a volume knob. I'm sure I would learn to use the steering wheel volume control, but my wife's MDX has incredibly slow response when setting the navigation system, and it is incredibly annoying. So, I am holding off on buying. I live SW Ohio, and for the last two months I have been monitoring Clarity inventories at all the dealers within a hundred miles. Clarities seem to be just sitting on the dealers' lots. They are not hot sellers. I suspect the model won't last beyond a couple of years, and I am afraid, being a plugin that really needs a 220 volt service to charge efficiently, the resale value will suffer.

I was glad to part ways with Big Oil when I bought this car! I have driven my new Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid 900 miles since I bought it new; and I have only burned two and a half gallons of gas so far... And most of that gas was used over the first weekend I owned the car, while I was learning how to best drive it in electric-only mode.

We love the Clarity Plug-in. We rarely use gas anymore, but it is nice to have the flexibility of using gas on longer road trips. The car is really quiet and comes with all of the bells and whistles. When you factor in the tax credits and the gas savings the Clarity is really a great deal.

Very roomy innside - great stying - and save gas - No key - has many safety features - and have choice of battery only for quick in town errand -and Push the ?sport? button and Go!