Used 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid Consumer Reviews
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honda clarity plug-in hybrid, great car
kenL, 08/04/2018
updated 11/27/2023
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
The clarity plug in hybrid is basically an electric when driving around Tucson. We have gotten over 55 mile range on a charge, and never use gas except for longer road trips. The car has good power, stable handling, comfortable seating, and is fun to drive. It is quiet, has a good sound system, and some great safety features. When switching lanes on the highway, you don't have to crank your head around to move right. When you signal a right turn you get a complete picture on your monitor of everything on the right. Charging at home is simple. I plug in to a regular outlet at night when electricity is cheaper. I haven't had any problems in 3 years and and 35,000 plus miles, and the quality seems very high. After over 4 yers it’s still great. Best car I ever drove especially on cross country trips.
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Outstanding value! Perfect for my needs.
dacash, 05/24/2019
updated 06/17/2024
2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I wanted to purchase a plug-in, not to save the earth, but because it costs about a quarter of what it costs per mile to run compared to gasoline. But I also needed room for at least 4 adults to ride comfortably, and so the Prius and Volt were out. If you live in CA, there are lots of options. If you want to spend the cash, Tesla is an option. But if you would rather spend in the high $20K's (after rebate) rather than more than $50K, *this* is your best option. Charging at home using a normal household outlet kept my gasoline use to a minimum, but installing a 220V charger has virtually eliminated my need for Dino-juice in day to day travel. After a year, I've found I generally get more than 1,000 miles out of my 7 gal tank, even with the occasional road trip. Ordinarily I only run the gasoline engine once a week to keep it lubricated. The beauty of being a hybrid means that when I do have to make a several day trip, I still get a range of almost 400 miles. Around town, I get premium parking spaces for EV's and have only had minor issues with charge stations (there was a small learning curve). Having owned and driven many luxury cars (Audi, Mercedes, Acura. etc.) I know the interior could be more plush - it is a Honda, not an Acura - however it is nice and comfortable with plenty of room of 4 adults, 5 for shorter trips. The only time I hear any engine noise is when using the gas motor at surface street speeds. but what really sets this vehicle apart is acceleration. In most hybrids you could finish your coffee waiting to get up to freeway speeds, not in the Clarity (it was by far the quickest 0-60 in all the models in my comparison group). I was a bit worried about the looks when I read about (not like I got to see these on the road before buying), but most folks seem to really like it, I find it unique, which suits me well. Pros: quick, quiet, inexpensive to operate, distinctive styling, prem. parking spots Con: not the best implementation of adaptive cruise control, Android auto requires physical cord (won't operate in BT). Typical first impression from others: "Wow, this is huge inside." and then "Its so quiet" typically followed by "How much did you pay for this?... that little?" One year later: I've put on over 10k miles, only needed the yearly service (where they updated some of the software so that range is now calculated correctly). I've bought maybe 75 gallons of fuel, mostly operate on electrons. People still ask if it is new, it is wearing exceedingly well. Still loving those premium parking spaces! One more year: Still a great car. Battery has not fatigued (I still get into the high 40's and sometimes even over 50 mi per charge). It is wearing exceedingly well (it is garage kept and not very high mileage). On my 2 yr service the tech asked if I really wanted to replace the perfectly white air filter! Still whisper quiet inside. 2023: Mileage on "battery only" has dropped, but it may be the new tires or a combination of the batt age & new tires (the factory tires were not as grippy). Despite only getting about 40 mi per charge, I only buy gas about 4 or 5 times a year. I have yet to have any mechanical or structural problems. I typically replace after 6 years, and they no longer make this model. But nothing on the market (except the Volvo S60/90) are even close so I may hold onto this car a bit longer as it is still comfortable, quick and quiet. 2024: Still thinking about changing but so few PHEV sedan options! I wish Honda still made this car. I'm still getting just over 40mi/charge and still only buying gas every few months (really, around times we have visitors that want to make multiple longer day trips) but day to day I'm all electric. Maintenance costs have still been nominal, and car shows minimal signs of wear.
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Great car!
DRP, 01/14/2021
updated 01/27/2025
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This car delivers on just about anything that I would want in a vehicle. After 2 years of ownership, I am impressed by the savings of rarely buying gas. Maintenance has been little. The ride is very smooth. Nothing has changed.in my opinion of the car.
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Great car with Fantastic Gas Mileage!
Dan Snyder, 04/04/2024
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Very comfortable with lots of room. Nicest car in the Plug-In Hybrid spectrum.
Never buy gas
Reese’s pieces, 09/04/2024
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
It’s a fun car to drive. Very well built. No one knows about this car. You have to have a home charger. The touring package comes with everything. The sound system is awesome. It’s quiet and quick.
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What a great car!
missionbg, 12/21/2024
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is not go kart PHEV car. It can carry 5 adults easily and is a great car for everyday driving. I operate most days on electric only but when I have to use the hybrid function the gas mileage is great. Smooth riding car with lots of technology to suit any car enthusiast
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Best vehicle ever. Highly recommend test driving.
Bear, 03/17/2025
2018 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-In Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
For those of you interested: please just go test drive one. Your whole perspective on Clarity changes once you test drive & see it in person. But call ahead of time to make sure they charge the EV battery full first. Diamond in the ruff. Love this Clarity plug in hybrid touring. Bought a clean 1 owner touring for a steep discount at my local Honda dealer with 136k miles. I i Intend on driving it way up over 200k miles. Main reason I bought was the $4k discount (received only at time of sale now… don’t let the salesman tell u to pay full price now & get that $4k discount later on taxes!) & it had over 35 service history records all at same dealer where it was bought new. Also the 17 kWh high voltage battery (made by Panasonic) was at 99% capacity compared to when new! You can easily check this with a $30 OBD2 port dongle & free app, just search in clarity forum. After 7.5 years & 136k miles 99% HV battery capacity. Crazy reliable. So far in my 1st few months, in the middle of cold winter temps, I’ve been averaging 44 - 61.1 EV only miles (w/no heater). Expected to go well over 60 miles in warmer temps. Driving my 1st 900 miles (mostly city), I’ve only added 2.8 gallons of gas?!? That means I can easily go 2100 miles on 7 gallons of gas, which is a full tank. I will only be using ethanol free gas due to possible long intervals between tanks. The gas tank is pressurized for this reason & Clarity will force u to burn fuel when it deems it’s been sitting too long. I Charge at home with solar & at free public chargers. Tried paying for a charge once & it cost more $ per mile than standard gasoline! So always do the math 1st. Never paying for a charge out in public ever again. This Clarity is assembled in Japan. I prefer to only buy made in Japan. The reason for the older infotainment is bcuz Clarity PHEV was for sale in Japan several years b4 it came to USA in 2018, which is a great thing for reliability. Prefer the touring model to get the added leather memory seats, leather steering wheel, softer touch materials on dash/doors, Gamin navigation, etc. Can use the HondaLink app on all Clarity models to pre condition interior to comfortable 72* temp zone (will be warm in winter/cool in summer), can schedule pre conditioning everyday at certain time b4 work, can also set up charge schedule during off peak low cost electric hours, can lock/unlock car, track gps location of car. ALL WITH NO MONTHLY FEE (like other brands like to charge for Toyota Subaru). The interior is the best part, as it’s basically an Acura - all windows are 1 touch up/down. There’s soft touch materials everywhere, even in back seats. The Windshield & side windows are made of acoustic glass, there’s sound deadening insulation everywhere thru out cabin, including inside each wheel, also has Active Noise Cancellation-all standard. The body is made up of 40% (1623lbs.) of ultra high strength steel & aluminum - which doesn’t rust, & is very strong/safe. Also this car has knee airbags standard too in addition to 6 other airbags, so 7 total. Every single light is an LED & this was in 2018. Love the driver aids, especially on freeway with LKAS & ACC, this car basically drives itself, which isn’t as fatiguing I hear. Cruising 65mph it’s easy to get 48-50mpg. Standard charging speeds are 6.6kwh, but on my charge point app it says 7.1-7.2kwh, other cars in its class (Prius, volt, Hyundai) are much less at 3.3kwh standard. I have easily been averaging close to 4 miles per kWh driving around town. Standard MPGe is 110 combined, but I think I’ve been getting better than that for the couple tests I’ve done (free car scanner app tells me miles per kWh). Also, why did this Clarity “compete” with volt & Prius… which are way smaller & lighter? The Clarity is basically the size of a Toyota Avalon, yet gets the same mpg as the volt & very close to Prius in MPGe. With 2x the EV only miles than a 2018 Prius prime. Love the way the front end looks, not so much the back, but whatever…it’s for aero - This car is helping me save a ton of money. The Clarity isn’t slow either! nor is it fast… it’s just right. At 212HP and 232TQ, it does 0-60 in 7.5-7.7 sec. I always keep it in sport mode, which makes a big difference & it remembers the regen level. Also love that Honda does not pipe in fake engine sound when in sport mode like new Honda hybrids lol. Also, this Honda hybrid has an eCVT, which is much better than those regular CVT’s for ICE. The ICE CVTs have rubber belts inside of them which can break easily if not maintained properly. The eCVT inside all honda hybrids are connected by solid metal gears from the electric motor to the wheels - so it’s great for reliability. Overall, I’m very impressed by Hondas 1st introduction into the plug in hybrid technology of this Honda Clarity. It has taught me that I will never buy anything else other than a plug in hybrid in the future. I do not want an EV. Love to be able to pick dual fuel. 75% of the time it’s EV only, but it’s nice to know I can pack up & drive across the USA tomorrow if needed & not have to wait to charge. Come on Honda… please produce the successor to this Honda Clarity PHEV. I’d buy one brand new asap.
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