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Mileage records have been a part of automotive history for decades, with some cars succeeding in hitting the sought-after million-mile mark and gaining their place in the automotive hall of fame. Some brands known for their exceptional reliability record, such as Toyota and Honda, are widely represented in the high mileage club: in this article we will focus on Honda, with the highest mileage Honda clocking in at an impressive 1.6 million miles.

It’s not alone in its achievement, either, because there are several other cars from the same model lineup that also have collected high mileage figures over the years, which speaks volumes about the brand, and that model specifically.

The 1.16 Million Mile Honda Accord EX

The car that currently holds the title of highest mileage Honda is a 1991 Accord, more specifically from the EX trim level. Although not much is known about this car, we do know that it has been in the same family for two generations. Most of the miles were accumulated by the original owner. After his death he left the car to his son, who continued to use it as a daily driver and eventually reached the seven-digit milestone. As of 2023, its last known mileage was 1.16 million miles. Sadly, there have been no further updates on the car since then, but we can only hope it’s still being treated as a family heirloom and has continued accumulating further miles since then.

The Fourth-Generation Honda Accord

The record-breaking car that racked up all these miles belonged to the Accord’s fourth generation, which was launched in 1989 and lasted until 1993. Here is an overview of the history that led up to this generation, as well as the lineup of engines and trims that were available alongside the EX version.

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Leading Up To The Fourth-Gen Accord

The Accord nameplate has a very long history: the model’s first generation arrived in 1976, four years after its Civic sibling. While initially the only body style available was a three-door hatchback, a year after the Accord’s release, a four-door sedan was added to the lineup. The second generation of the Accord, released in 1981, was the first version of the model to be built in the United States, rather than being imported from Japan.

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The 1981 Accord was also notable for one other feature: it was equipped with the first automatic in-car navigation system. It is true that the first car equipped with a modern, GPS-based navigation system was the Japanese-market Eunos Cosmo, which wouldn’t arrive on the market for another nine years; however, the second-gen Accord was equipped with a different type of navigation system that did not use GPS. The “Electro Gyrocator” used a helium gas gyroscope, as well as a mechanism connected to the transmission, to obtain approximate information about the car’s movement and direction; transparent maps located inside the bulky unit would scroll past an illuminated CRT screen.

The model’s third generation (released in 1985) brought about a modern, redesigned style, as well as pop-up headlights and a double wishbone suspension. A three-door shooting brake version, called the Accord AeroDeck, also made its debut on the market during this generation, alongside a two-door coupe variant.

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The third-gen Accord only lasted four years before being replaced by its successor. The 1991 car that currently holds Honda’s mileage record belongs to the first half of the model’s fourth generation: the following year (1992), the Accord received a facelift, with minor styling updates and a reworked engine and trim lineup.

The 1991 Model: Engines, Trims And Features

Aside from the EX, two other Accord trim levels were available in North America for the 1991 model year: the DX and LX. The EX was, however, the top-level trim, with a slightly more powerful engine and several extra features that were not available in the other two.

The DX and LX received a 125-hp version of the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine, while the EX got a 130-hp variant. The slight difference in horsepower came from the EX’s differently designed exhaust system, which featured a different manifold design, larger piping, and a twin outlet muffler.

The EX was also equipped with 15-inch alloy wheels, premium upholstery, a sunroof, and an upgraded 4-speaker stereo with cassette player as standard. Other features, such as air conditioning and power windows, were also standard on the LX. The DX was the lowest trim, with air conditioning available as an option and no cruise control (which had previously been available) for the 1991 model year.

The Runner-Up: Another Accord…

The Honda with the second-highest mileage is also an Accord. Further cementing the model’s solid reputation for reliability, this car is also part of the fourth generation, only a year older than the record breaker: the 1990 Accord accumulated one million miles as of 2011.

Its achievement is largely due to the amount of care put into its maintenance by proud owner Joe LoCicero, a mechanic from Saco, Maine who adopted a meticulous routine to keep his 1990 Accord running for as long as possible. This included regular fluid replacement, the exclusive use of original equipment and parts, and the replacement of several components, including the fuel pump, cooling fans and radiators.

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The car’s high mileage was accumulated thanks to LoCicero’s work: after spending several years working as a technician, he also worked as a loss adjuster, visiting dealers all over the country. He accumulated an average of 62,000 miles a year, and broke through the million-mile barrier in 2015. Honda heard the news about his achievement, and decided to celebrate “Million Mile Joe” in style, throwing a parade through the streets of his hometown.

…And Another One: The Highest-Mileage Honda Hybrid

Hybrid and electric cars are not often associated with high mileage figures: as they are a relatively recent addition to the market, and include more complex components, they are less likely to reach the kind of figures a combustion car might get. However, there are some exceptions.

The Accord’s record-holding streak continues with a hybrid example of the same model, albeit from a much more recent year. A 2017 car, from the Accord’s ninth generation, holds the title of highest mileage Honda hybrid. In 2021, a Reddit post on the “JustRolledIntoTheShop” community (where mechanics post interesting or weird cars they come across at work) revealed the 2017 Accord had come in for some maintenance and repairs with a very high mileage: 582,000 miles.

One might think that, as is generally the case with high mileage cars, the Accord would have been treated with the highest level of care, however according to the post, that appeared not to be the case. The post revealed the car had a large number of problems when it arrived in the shop:

It looks like, in this particular case, the exceptionally high mileage is simply the result of blind luck and the Accord’s ironclad reliability even when treated poorly. The author of the post did not reveal any further details regarding the owner or how the Accord accumulated all these miles, but we can guess the most likely scenarios are that the car was used for work purposes, such as delivery driving, or that it was part of a fleet of sorts. All three these examples are a testament to Honda’s incredible durability and dependability.

Sources:
CBS News, Honda, Reddit