The Best Driver-Assistance Features: The 2024 Chevy Malibu or the 2024 Honda Accord?

If you’re looking for a midsize sedan from a trusted name, there’s a good chance you’ve compared the 2024 Chevy Malibu vs 2024 Honda Accord during your search. Both known for their spacious interiors, classic styling, and smooth handling, these are two highly popular vehicles in the midsize sedan segment. Today, many drivers want to know what sort of driver assistance features are available in a vehicle. With car insurance always on the rise and traffic tickets being equally expensive, these features can prevent costly incidents that everybody hopes to avoid. So, how does the 2024 Chevy Malibu and the 2024 Honda Accord compare in the driver assistance department? Below, we’ll cover which driver-assistance features these vehicles have in common and how their features differ.

Which Features Do the 2024 Malibu and 2024 Accord Share?

First, we’ll go over the main driver-assistance features that these two midsize sedans have in common. No matter which model you choose, you can rely on these features to give you that extra layer of protection on the road.

Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking

Each of these models has its own version of a Forward Collision Warning (the Accord’s is called “Forward Collision Warning”). This will let you know when you’re at risk of crashing into the vehicle in front of you so you can take action, like steering around it or braking. Each one also has Automatic Emergency Braking (“Collision Mitigation Braking System” for the Accord), which will take over braking for you if the vehicle senses that you’ll fail to stop in time to avoid an accident.

Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist

Both models also have systems that help you maintain your position in your lane. Lane Departure Warning notifies you if you’re drifting out of your lane. Meanwhile, Lane Keep Assist will take the next step of taking over steering and gently guiding you back into your lane when you drift.

Blind Spot Monitoring

The blind zone is one of the trickiest spots to watch out for (hence its name). Fortunately, both the 2024 Malibu and the 2024 Accord have blind spot monitoring systems that will let you know when someone is approaching your blind zone; the Malibu’s is called “Side Blind Zone Alert,” while the Accord is called the “Blind Spot Information System.” This is especially useful when changing lanes.

Automatic High Beams

Sometimes, you might not notice how quickly the sun sets or that you have left the well-lit city streets for barely-lit country roads. Your vehicle will know, though, no matter which of these models you’re in. Whether you’re utilizing the Malibu’s IntelliBeam system or the Accord’s Auto High-Beam Headlights, the lights will turn on in low-vision settings to illuminate the road ahead. Then, when they sense oncoming vehicles, they’ll turn off to avoid interfering with other drivers’ visibility.

What Driver-Assistance Features Does the 2024 Malibu Have That the Accord Doesn’t?

Now, we’ll dive into the driver-assistance features you’ll get in the 2024 Malibu, but not in the 2024 Accord.

Rear Park Assist

Admittedly, the Accord does offer this feature, but only on the two upper trims of the EX-L Hybrid and Touring Hybrid. The Malibu, on the other hand, makes this feature standard across all trims, which we think is a nice perk of this model. So, if you are on a budget and want to stick to a starting trim, you’ll enjoy this feature.
Using multiple sensors on your rear bumper, this system can detect vehicles within eight feet of your rear. It activates when you’re moving in reverse at slow speeds. As you get closer to the vehicle, the system will emit warnings, starting with a slow beep and then faster beeps. Eventually, a display on your driver information center shows you how close you are to the object.

Teen Driver

This is a highly popular feature available in many Chevy vehicles, and it’s standard on every trim of the 2024 Malibu. As you might’ve guessed from the name, Teen Driver was designed for newly licensed drivers. It has several features that encourage safer driving habits and one special feature that even fosters open conversations between parents and their teen drivers about better driving habits.
Teen Driver allows parents to set speed limits that won’t allow the vehicle to exceed a certain speed. It also lets you set volume limits so teens don’t blast their music too loud and get distracted. The system’s Buckle to Drive feature won’t allow the driver to take the vehicle out of park until they put on their seatbelt. Then, there’s the report card. This displays stats like the distance driven, top speed reached, number of forward collision alerts, and number of overspeed warnings. Reviewing this report card with your young driver creates an opportunity to discuss safer driving habits.

OnStar

If you get the Chevy Malibu, you will also gain access to the OnStar Remote Access Plan. Drivers will enjoy three years of OnStar Remote Access, standard on all trims. This allows you to start and stop your vehicle from your smartphone, making it easy to turn on climate control before you get in. This plan also allows you to check your fuel level and tire pressure from your smartphone. So you can plan and decide if you need to hit the road a little earlier to stop at a gas station.

Additionally, OnStar Remote Access lets you lock and unlock your vehicle from your smartphone. So if you’re sitting in a restaurant several blocks from your Malibu and can’t remember if you locked it, just do so from your phone and get back to enjoying your meal. As a General Motors product, OnStar is unavailable on non-GM vehicles, so you won’t get it on the Honda Accord.

Which Vehicle Is Right for You?

Most of this decision will come down to the environments you most frequently drive in, and your own driving habits. If you’ve struggled in the past with parallel parking or tight parking spots, you could really benefit from the Malibu’s standard Rear Park Assist on all trims. We regularly work with drivers who say they’ve paid to clean up enough scratches and dents on their vehicles from parking jobs, and are ready for a vehicle that will prevent those issues.

Naturally, if a teen will get behind the wheel of your Malibu, the Teen Driver system is invaluable. Finding natural openings to discuss your teen’s driving habits can be difficult, and most teenagers won’t self-report their mistakes. So having that report card, which clearly displays your teen’s driving behaviors, is a great starting point for a conversation about better behind-the-wheel behaviors. The perks of the OnStar Remote Plan speak for themselves, as well. For many of our customers, once they’ve experienced these three perks that come standard across the Malibu trims, they can’t return to a vehicle without them. If you want to check out these features in person, visit us and take the Malibu for a test drive today. We’ll be happy to show you all of the unique features this midsize sedan offers, and how it can give you the added confidence that it’s looking out for you on the road.