Every 2021 Honda Accord has a trunk that measures 16.7 cubic-feet in volume, including the Accord Hybrid whose past versions had severely reduced cargo capacity. That means it should have the best cargo space of any midsize family sedan. Although I’ve found during these luggage tests that relying on cubic-feet is an imperfect means of comparing one vehicle to another, in this case, a real-world test confirms the Accord’s trunk supremacy.
Having done a similar cargo capacity test during our midsize family sedan comparison test, this was really a foregone conclusion. Still, I hadn’t done the exact test with all six bags, so I could only loosely state that the Accord would be better than the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, VW Passat and Subaru Legacy. How much better is still to be answered. Other members of the segment? Well, the Mazda6 was included in that comparison and was clearly the smallest. The remaining two family sedans, the Kia K5 and Nissan Altima, have not been luggage-tested, but their volume figures would indicate they should be behind the Accord.
Let’s see how it does it.
Yep, sure looks like a big trunk to me. Note how much space there is behind the wheel wells and how there aren’t any unusual and/or large protrusions that can result in volume measurements not corresponding with actual real-world luggage-storing space.
You can also see here that there aren’t any large things hanging down from the parcel shelf, hidden impediments that effectively cancel out available volume. The gooseneck “egg-crusher” hinges, meanwhile, do not reside in their own sheathed tunnels (as in the Subaru Legacy), but also don’t seem to significantly impede space (as in the VW Passat).
OK, on to bags. As in every luggage test I do, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife’s fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).
Clockwise from top: 2021 Accord, Toyota Camry, VW Passat, Subaru Legacy, Hyundai Sonata
First, as I have with all these midsize sedans, I tried to fit the four biggest bags on their side in between the wheel wells. Interesting, I could not in the Accord … ish. I could instead fit one of the biggest bags then the three carry-ons. This would be similar to the Passat (lower right). HOWEVER! The Accord’s trunk is also uniquely tall, meaning I could instead stack the four biggest bags to make them fit. How thrilling.
Either way you cut it, you’re left with an awful lot of space behind the bags as well as behind the wheel wells. Let’s see what you can fill it with.
Yep, all the bags fit. With room to spare. And in that room to spare, you can fit …
A whole damn cooler! A 38-quart one. This sucker usually only makes appearances in really spacious stuff like the Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback, Land Rover Defender, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. But here it is in a family sedan.
Now, it should be said that the weirdly rigid ends of the fancy bag didn’t allow it to fit alongside the cooler. However, the blue duffle bag is the same volume as the fancy bag and managed to fit, so let’s just go ahead and live with this result. There’s even some room left over.
Of the family sedans tested, this was by far the biggest extra item that could be added. The Hyundai Sonata managed a Pack ‘N Play, and the Camry fit a small folded stroller. All of the above is better than numerous compact crossovers who struggle just to accommodate the basic set of six bags.
So there you go: The Honda Accord trunk is big enough to fit six pieces of luggage and a whole damn cooler.
Related video: