7 Best And Worst Years For The Honda Fit

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With production starting in 2001 and continuing to this day, the Honda Fit has over the years become a very popular car with its five-seat hatchback design and monospace design, which grace the car with a forward located fuel tank and configurable “magic” seats that can fold in various ways to store cargo in varying shapes, allowing the car to store large volumes of luggage.

In this article, I have selected 14 of the best and worst years for Honda Fit, and I have ranked them according to my research, so make sure to read the article in its entirety to figure out everything you need to know about this lineup.

Best Years for the Honda Fit:

  1. 2017
  2. 2019
  3. 2020
  4. 2014
  5. 2018
  6. 2002
  7. 2011

Worst Years for the Honda Fit:

  1. 2015
  2. 2007
  3. 2009
  4. 2010
  5. 2008
  6. 2016
  7. 2013

Now, I will explain how I ranked these models and why each model is above or below the other.

List Of The Best Years For The Honda Fit: What Years To Buy

Is Honda Fit a good car to purchase? My guide will explain which years models are good and bad to drive

The best years for the Honda Fit are mostly problem-free and have a lot of great and distinct features, which make them very lucrative and appealing to buy.

#1 Best Year: 2017 Honda Fit

I placed the 2017 Honda Fit in the first place due to its impressive cargo storage, exceptional ride quality, speedy acceleration, and the sheer lack of any problems.

It is the dream car for people looking for a five-seater and, despite being mostly unchanged from the 2015 model, features a lot of improvements and got rid of many problems that the 2015 model suffered from, which is why it comes at the top of the list.

The 2017 Honda Fit is available in 3 different trims and comes in a 5-seat hatchback design, offering manual and automatic transmission and many premium features as standard.

These features include a backup camera, Bluetooth audio streaming, and the model’s special folding seat.

The main focus of the car was comfort and convenience, which it achieves in both regards without losing a lot of horsepowers, making it a quality family car.

#2 Best Year: 2019 Honda Fit

Honda adopted the mentality that if it is not broken, it should not be fixed mentality as the 2019 Honda Fit is almost identical to the 2017 model, which is why I decided to give this second place.

While it didn’t make any major improvements to the lineup, it remains a versatile car with a hatchback design that offers a lot of cargo room despite its small design, allowing it to fit in small spaces and maneuver quickly and remain agile.

However, this model did come in with an extra trim that brought in a lot of new active safety features such as lane departure warning and collision mitigation braking.

Overall, it is a solid car and deserves second place.

#3 Best Year: 2020 Honda Fit

Being one of the latest models on this list, the 2020 Honda Fit continues the tradition of bringing no major improvements to the lineup, which is why I placed it in 3rd place.

The car follows the trend of 4 trims and small body hatchback design and features most of the same features as the 2019 model.

Hence there isn’t much to elaborate on this model as it is almost the same as the 2019 Honda Fit, and I recommend it just the same.

If you enjoyed the 2019 model and think it is a great model, then you should feel the same about this model as well as it has no significant changes at all, which isn’t a bad thing as the 2019 Honda Fit is also a great pick.

#4 Best Year: 2014 Honda Fit

Being the second model of the 3rd generation, the 2014 Honda Fit offered a premium interior, a fresh new exterior design, and great driving performance, making it a good fit for being 4th on this list.

When checking out the exterior, the car featured the new redesign, which came with the 2013 model and stayed true to the lineup by having a small design that was more than capable of offering a lot of cargo storage and space due to the special folding seats the model is popular for.

Despite having a few inconvenient flaws, the 2014 Honda Fit remains a very convenient, stylish, and economical car that has the respect of most of its customers who have loved their vehicle.

#5 Best Year: 2018 Honda Fit

Before the introduction of the 2019 Honda Fit, which would influence the 2020 model as well, the 2018 Honda Fit brought a lot of new improvements to the table but promised a lot of changes that didn’t quite hit the mark, which is why I am placing this at 5th place.

Coming with four different trims and a slight price increase overall, the 2018 Honda Fit supported a lot of slight styling updates such as new bumpers and new sports models, which both were visually interesting.

In the power department, the Honda Fit would have the same 130 HP, 1.5L 4-cylinder for this and the next two models, but the 2018 model brought many handling improvements to the table.

#6 Best Year: 2002 Honda Fit

One of the oldest and first models of the lineup, the 2002 Honda Fit, was the model which boosted the popularity of the series and allowed the lineup to come into the spotlight and get the attention it deserves, which is why I decided to give it the 6th place on my list.

The five-seater hatchback offered around 6 inches of ground clearance and a large capacity for cargo storage which made it a nice overall vehicle for the whole family to ride in.

With a solid FWD system and a speed auto CVT gearbox, the vehicle provided a comfortable interior to its customers.

It was coupled with high-quality handling and road holding, which also played a factor in this model getting onto this list.

#7 Best Year: 2011 Honda Fit

At last place on my list, I decided to place the 2011 Honda Fit due to its high rating and appreciation among the community and because it brought an excellent package to its consumers, proving a lot of safety by having a lot of stability control and a lot of standard safety features.

This model only had two different trims, but both offered great quality handling and ride quality, which boosted the model’s reputation.

While it is a decade old and has a few negatives, the 2011 Honda Fit still has a lot to offer to its many customers and is generally reliable, which is why it was able to sneak into last place on this list.

List Of The Worst Years For The Honda Fit: What Years To Avoid

As is the case with any vehicle globally, the Honda Fit also had some rough years where the quality was not up to the mark.

Here are some of those years below:

#1 Worst Year: 2015 Honda Fit

Taking the top spot is the 2015 model of the Honda Fit.

This model is number one on this list of worst years is because this model received the most number of complaints compared to the other year models.

There were many different issues with this model. However, the most prevalent issues that were seen were mostly regarding electrical and interior accessories problems.

In terms of electrical problems, the car had a lot of cases where the car just would not start.

This problem was a byproduct of the two other major electrical problems that this vehicle faced, and those were that the vehicle’s starter tends to fail and the battery would run out faster than expected.

Other than this model also had problems with the interior, but a large majority of the complaints were regarding how uncomfortably the seats are designed.

#2 Worst Year: 2007 Honda Fit

Coming on second place in this list is the 2007 model of the Honda Fit. Compared to the successor above, the 2015 model, this model had much fewer problems.

However, there were still quite many of them, which is why it is placed on this list. The model faced issues ranging from engine problems to body and paint problems.

However, the one which received the most complaints was the steering problems.

The steering problem was a serious and extremely dangerous one. The power steering failure is not a good thing as it is.

However, if there is a high probability of it happening while driving, it is a completely different story. So, this model needs to be checked if that is the case when buying it brand new or used.

#3 Worst Year: 2009 Honda Fit

Next up on the list is 2009’s released model of the Honda Fit.

This model comes in third in this list as the problems faced by this model are relatively tame compared to the major issues explained in the previous two models.

The main problem for which this model received the largest number of complaints was issues with the body and paint of the vehicle.

The paint would not exactly whither or flake off over time.

However, it would still start fading rather quickly. The color would not remain as vibrant as when the vehicle was first purchased.

This was because of the clear coating of the vehicle wearing off, which would make the pain start to dull over time.

#4 Worst Year: 2010 Honda Fit

The 2010 model of the Honda Fit comes in at number four on this list, right after its predecessor, the 2009 model.

Although it did fix the major issue with the vehicle’s paint fading, it introduced its paint-related problems. Other than that, this model also had problems with the vehicle’s interior.

In terms of the paint problems, the clear coating problem being defective was still present in this model. However, instead of fading, the paint would start to chip and flake off very easily.

Along with this, the vehicle seats were uncomfortable, and the model received many complaints regarding this issue. All of this led to the car getting a bad reputation.

#5 Worst Year: 2008 Honda Fit

Coming on number five on this list of worst years is the 2008 model of Honda Fit.

This model was criticized for having problems with its body design. The body of the vehicle was designed to be too low.

Although a low body design makes the car more stable and much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, it also means that this car would get damaged whenever it tries to cross a speed breaker.

Other than that, this model had quite a lot of problems with the vehicle’s engine.

Although there were not a lot of complaints of either of the issues that I will explain, the issues were still present, which is why it is placed in this position on the list.

#6 Worst Year: 2016 Honda Fit

The sixth entry on this list is the 2016 model of the Honda Fit. This model has been put near the end of the list because of the smaller complaints received regarding this model.

However, the model did face its fair share of issues, mostly related to interior accessories problems, electrical problems, and some fuel system problems.

The trend that carried on until very recently when it came to the Honda Fit was the problem of uncomfortable seats.

And this model was no exception, as the seats in this vehicle were extremely uncomfortable.

Along with this, there was also the problem of fuel injector failure and electrical problems like the starter going out.

#7 Worst Year: 2013 Honda Fit

Last on this list is the Honda Fit’s 2013 model.

This is because out of all of the models mentioned in this list of being the worst years, this was the one with the lowest number of complaints.

However, the present complaints indicated some serious problems that could be quite expensive to get fixed.

This model faced some problems related to the engine of the vehicle.

There were problems like the check engine light indicating that there was something wrong with the engine when there was not.

The plugs were loose, and the coils would easily get damaged.

Other than that, there were serious problems like engine failure, which, if happened while driving, can cause some serious accidents.

What Are The Most Common Problems With The Honda Fit?

Among the many models of the Honda Fit, many of them had various defects and issues which brought down the reputation of the lineup.

These defects and problems were sometimes so persistent that they were seen in various models and were quite common.

I will be explaining these problems below so that you know what to expect when owning a particular model.

1. Uncomfortable Seats

This problem has plagued almost every model of the Honda Fit. The seats of the Honda Fit are uncomfortable on multiple levels.

First of all, the seats are not ergonomically designed.

This means that they leave you sitting in an uncomfortable posture, and sitting in this position for too long will cause some backaches and a sore neck.

Other than that, the space in the back seats is a bit too small when you pull the seats forward, even by a little bit. So this is not a vehicle that you want to be used for long trips.

2. Body And Paint

The problems with the Honda Fit’s paint have been a recurring problem, and they have taken many forms over the years.

Some of the models have seen only the color fading over time, while others have had problems where the paint flakes off, exposing the metal underneath, which can cause rusting.

In terms of the body, the car has been designed to look stylish, no doubt about that.

However, there have been times that the vehicle’s body has been a bit too low. Some models had such low designs that they would get damaged by even the slightest road bumps.

3. Airbag Issues

Among the various interior problems of the Honda Fit were the issues of the airbags, which were recalled under the Takata issue.

This infamous recall was responsible for calling back millions of cars across different companies and models.

The crux of the issue was that the airbags would explode once activated.

This explosion would also launch metal fragments towards the passengers, leading to serious injuries.

While the recall did occur of the Honda Fit, it could still be possible that a used Honda Fit might still have the problem, so make sure to buy accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How Many Miles Will A Honda Fit Last?

The answer to this question when it comes to any vehicle is highly dependent on the level of maintenance that the vehicle has gone through.

If kept on a regular maintenance schedule, the Honda Fit can easily last from 200,000 up to 300,000 miles. On average, this equates to about 13 to 20 years of usage.

The car has been known to show economic performance in terms of fuel consumption, so, with how long this car can last, it can have quite a bit of resale value.

Related: How Long Do Honda Fits Last?

Q2. Why Is Honda Discontinuing The Fit?

The Honda Fit had its debut in 2007, and since then, it has become one of the most favorite vehicles to be used. However, the demand for cars in the US has diminished over the years.

So, even though there is a new generation of the Fit being sold in other places of the world right now, Americans will not see the Honda Fit in the American automotive market after 2020, which is a huge disappointment for lineup fans.

Q3. Is The Honda Fit Noisy?

The Honda Fit has many appealing features like its excellent fuel economy and long lifespan.

However, when it comes to pure comfort and having a good experience while driving or riding in one, the Honda Fit falls flat on its face.

Along with the uncomfortable seats, the Honda Fit has a lot of sources of noise while driving.

There is a lot of cabin noise and vibration, but over time, the car’s engine starts to become louder. So, to answer the question, yes, the Honda Fit is noisy.

Q4. Is Honda Fit Good For Long Trips?

If you are talking about a half-day trip to the countryside, then you might be okay.

However, when it comes to longer trips that can span over multiple days, this car is not the ideal choice for you to be taking.

First of all, the car has a very uncomfortable interior, so you are sure to experience some backaches.

Secondly, the car has long been notorious for having engine problems so if I were you, I would go for a different vehicle for a long trip.

Q5. Which Is Better; Corolla Or Honda Fit?

To be honest, this isn’t a fair comparison because both vehicles are quite different types of cars.

The Honda Fit is a subcompact sedan, whereas the Corolla is a compact sedan. This means that the Fit is a much smaller vehicle than the Corolla.

The Toyota Corolla has a much stronger engine compared to the Fit as well. However, the Corolla is much more comfortable than the Fit in terms of seating.

So, the answer depends on which kind of vehicle you are looking for.

Conclusion

Overall, The Honda Fit is an amazing car that excels in its convenience, cargo space, and comfort, all while providing a good amount of performance and power without cutting any corners.

The models have received high praise from their customers and offer a lot regarding safety and storage.

Among the best and worst years for Honda Fit, you have the 2017 model, which is widely regarded as the best model, and the 2015 model, which was the most problematic of the lineup and the one I would recommend you avoid at all costs.

Hopefully, this article will help you in your decision to buy a Honda Fit and prevent you from buying the bad years of the lineup.