Used 2012 Honda Insight Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2012 Insight, so we've included reviews for other years of the Insight since its last redesign.
2012 Honda Insight with Engine Repair
Sarah, 05/26/2017
2012 Honda Insight EX 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
Yes, my Honda Insight had the notorious engine problem with high oil consumption. I bought a 2-year warranty and Honda also extended the engine warranty. When I started having problems, I took my car back to the dealership where I bought the car and spoke with the service manager. He was very prompt and helpful - they rebuilt my engine and even arranged a loaner car for me to use. The warranty coverage that I have did pay the entire cost of repair, labor and the loaner. I had about $6,000 worth of services, but didn't have to pay a cent. I was basically given a new engine at no charge. I definitely recommend knowing your warranty and speaking with a Honda dealer if you suspect that your Insight may be part of the group that has oil consumption problems. /// Regarding how the car rides, I will say that it is a lower end Honda and drives as such. The acceleration isn't very powerful so don't expect a quick getaway if you need to quickly pass another vehicle on a hill. It does drive smoothly at interstate speeds and has minimal engine noise. The interior is comfortable and has enough leg room for those of us with longer legs. The AC isn't as powerful as I would like. Overall, I do like my car. It works well for my day trips and my everyday driving. I don't think it would be powerful enough to really do a lot of mountainous driving. I live in a very hilly region and it does okay, but for the more rigorous driving areas, I would opt for a different car that offers more power.
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17K Miles later...
nickdapit, 11/13/2011
2011 Honda Insight EX 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
So far I couldn't ask for much more from the car, I bought the car specificlly for my job as I drive large stretches of the country. My latest trip took me from Los Angeles to Denver; then Denver to Seattle; then Seattle back to Los Angeles. I have had no problems with the car and average the EPA estimate for driving. (42 mpg) The only thing that dissappoints me is the rear seat area, a six foot man cannot fit even with a 5 foot driver in the front seat. Headroom is almost ridiculous to the point where Honda should have just made an inch or two higher for the rear seats even if that cost the vehicle 2 mpg's overall! The leg room is very tight in the rear. Don't buy if family is large.
Great car
jakata, 07/28/2011
2011 Honda Insight 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I've had my Insight for a week now and I'm very pleased. Very comfortable, I don't notice much road noise as mentioned in the Edmund review. Although it's a very small car it has a excellent ride and feel of a much larger car. I'm getting 45 mpg with air on all the time. I love it's looks and feel. After researching every car out there I feel I made an excellent decision.
Don't sweat the official reviews -it's a great car
Nick, 02/25/2021
updated 02/26/2024
2011 Honda Insight LX 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric mild hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I bought my Insight after a bit of trepidation. Everyone's a critic now when it comes to cars. We generally read so much about cars and form opinions of them without ever having driven them. Car mag reviewers seemed to hate the quality of plastics, harsh ride and excessive noise. Things are never enough for them when held up to the massively expensive cars they usually ride in. Jeremy Clarkson moaned about the CVT transmission. But Honda was early to the game with it on this car. Many cars have a CVT now. Clarkson even called it "biblically terrible" and "really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer." They also compare it unfavorably to the Prius, the worst cut of all. Well, challenge accepted. Consider this the contrarian's choice. Honda built this thing as the cheapest hybrid you could buy. Bombproof, easy to work on (when it needs work, which is never), enjoyable to drive and cheap. It won't do 0-60 in 7 seconds or carry 5 adults comfortably. What it will do is get you around comfortably enough 97% of the time. If you read the manual just for a few minutes you can adjust the settings to your liking. Want all the doors to stay unlocked when you start moving? You can do that. Want the engine to not turn off when you stop at lights? Turn off the eco button. I was a bit worried about the hybrid battery (aka IMA battery) failing at some point and being massively expensive to fix. 10 years later and it's working fine. You can't even find people talking about it in forums because it doesn't seem to happen much at all. The Insight forum is about the most boring one anywhere because nothing ever happens to these cars. They just work. All people find themselves talking about is responding to newbies asking how concerned they should be about the battery failing, what mileage they're getting, and answering other people who wandered in from the first generation Insight forum by accident. If you enjoy working on cars, get something else. This one will bore you because there's never anything to fix. Routine maintenance like oil changes gets done twice a year and that's all it needs. It does need 8 spark plugs (2 per cylinder) at 105K miles but that can be done easily after removing a couple of panels. CVT needs to have the fluid changed every 30K miles. But really, is that a big deal? If you do your homework you'll want to know if the IMA system had the software updated. There were some early problems with it when climbing hills that were fixed. The 2012-13 models have a slightly updated engine that had a nasty habit of burning large amounts of oil because of a new kind of piston ring that was supposed to reduce friction. Make sure those had the engine fixed. The 2010, 2011, or 2014 are the ones to get. You'll also want to make sure the regular 12V battery in the engine bay doesn't get more than about 3 years old as a low 12V battery causes issues with the IMA system. Update: It's been over 3 years and 40K miles that I've had this car and nothing to report. It simply works. I also learned that it was rated by Consumer Reports as the top pick for reliability. It was also the top selling automobile in Japan when released. Still no concerns about the IMA battery. I did replace the 12V battery recently as the last one was good for 3 years, as expected. I have winter tires on it now and it's been fun to drive in the snow.
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Best Bang For Your Buck!
mikeyt1818, 02/22/2011
2011 Honda Insight EX 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
I get better MPG's than EPA estimates (45.2 w/ mixed driving and AC always on). Great steering/handling! Awesome safety features, reliable. ITS NOT A PRIUS! Lol! Nothing against Toyota but way too many Prius drivers out there. I prefer to be distinct!
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