10 Cars That Rival the Mighty Camry

Despite what you may have heard to the contrary, sedans still absolutely do sell in fantastic numbers in America. Just last year, the best-selling Toyota Camry racked up nearly 310,000 units sold and was the sedan sales leader by a mile, doing nearly double the sales of the next-best-seller in the midsize sedan segment, the Honda Accord. While popularity is often a good indicator of how good a vehicle may be, it also makes it hard to stand out from the crowd if you’re surrounded by a sea of other Camrys. If you happen to be one of those people that likes the venerable qualities of a mainstream midsize sedan but want something that doesn’t blend in quite as much as a Camry, here’s a list of ten alternatives that might do the trick.

For this list, we stuck (almost) exclusively to mid-size sedans that are currently on sale in the summer of 2025 as either new or used vehicles.

1

Toyota Crown

The first Camry alternative is one that you may have completely forgotten about, or never even knew existed. And either way, you’d be forgiven for this oversight because Toyota’s Avalon replacement tip-toed onto the scene and has been quietly hanging out in the background ever since, with low supply and therefore low sales numbers, with less than 20,000 units sold in 2024. This rarity and obscurity combined with the familiarity of the Toyota brand makes this arguably the best Camry alternative if you don’t want to wander from the Toyota fold.

The Crown’s higher positioning is a bit odd though, because it actually has about 3 inches less rear legroom than a Camry and a less roomy interior overall. You do get a measly 4 more horsepower at least, and a higher ride height, so much so that it’s viewed by some as somewhat of a crossover and a sedan at the same time. And if you spring for the top Platinum trim, you get a lot more power, 108 more horsepower to be exact, which fills the void that Camry left when it dropped its TRD trim for its new generation. It’ll cost you though. Comparing the base XLE Crown to the XLE Camry AWD, the Crown costs over $6,000 more, and when loaded with that Hybrid Max powertrain, that gap balloons to over $14,000 for the Crown compared to a loaded Camry.

2

Honda Accord

For those that don’t need to stay loyal to Toyota, the Honda Accord is likely to be the best midsize sedan alternative. And sales numbers seem to prove this, with the Accord consistently occupying the 2nd place spot in midsize sedan sales for years. For this current generation of the Accord, Honda played it safe, with conservative styling inside and out that’s unlikely to rock the boat (or get your blood pumping). But if you’re someone who thinks the Camry has gotten too sporty in recent years or just want a non-hybrid option, the Accord is ready and waiting for you.

If you do want to avoid hybrids for whatever reason, just keep in mind that with this new generation of the Accord, Honda drew a line in the sand, requiring everyone that wants a trim higher than the lowest two into the hybrid powertrain. Other perks of the Accord are a plusher interior than the Camry, nearly 3 extra inches of rear legroom, a bigger trunk and a softer ride. But the Accord only starts at $450 less than the Camry, making it a worse value when you factor in the fuel savings the standard hybrid in the Camry will provide, and at the top end of the lineup, the Accord is a few hundred dollars more, and gives you 21 fewer horsepower than the Camry. And lastly, Honda stubbornly refuses to offer all-wheel-drive on the Accord, disqualifying it for those that need or want the extra confidence of all-wheel-drive that Camry and others offer.

3

Hyundai Sonata

On the opposite end of the styling spectrum, another great Camry alternative is the Hyundai Sonata. For 2024, it got a very impressive refresh that drastically improved its styling, catapulting it to being arguably the best-looking sedan in the segment now. Like the Accord, Sonata also offers a non-hybrid base engine still on the lower trims, but higher trims require you to either go hybrid or, deviating from Honda, go for the punchy 290 hp turbo 4-cylinder that’s happy to scoop up former Camry TRD and Accord 2.0T buyers.

That Sonata N-Line is a riot of front-wheel-drive madness and certainly separates itself with a character and attitude that almost all the other competitors lack. For those on the more practical end of the spectrum, Sonata also gives you the peace of mind of a much longer 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and a sticker price savings of about $2,000 as well compared to the Camry. Like the Accord, though, if you’re after all-wheel-drive, you’ll have to look elsewhere, including, surprisingly, Kia’s sedan that’s on the same platform as the Sonata.

4

Kia K5

Like I mentioned above, if you’re after an all-wheel-drive midsize sedan, the K5 is a great option that just got a nice refresh for 2025 as well, with revised styling and Kia’s newest screens and software. Keep in mind though that there’s just one trim that offers AWD, the GT-Line. The K5 also only gives you the choice of a turbo or non-turbo gas engine, with the K5 not yet making the leap to hybrid for some reason. This allows it to stand out from Sonata and the others though by offering a fully-loaded trim without hybridization.

For the enthusiasts, they do thankfully offer the GT version with the same tire-shredding 290 hp 2.5L turbo 4-cylinder as the Sonata N-Line as well. The K5 is also the only other one that gives you that 10-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, and it does it all with a nice discount of about $1,330 when comparing base vs. base, with that gap swelling to about $3,600 less expensive than Camry when comparing the top end trims.

5

Nissan Altima

The Nissan Altima is a slightly less exciting alternative these days since Nissan dropped the VC-Turbo powertrain, but it’s still a great option, especially if you’re on the hunt for a deal. It has about the same power as the other non-hybrid alternatives, gives you agreeable styling and an interior that’s actually quite plush, even more so than the other new mid-size sedans, with more soft-touch materials and padding. You also get Nissan’s fantastic Zero Gravity seats to round out the top-notch comfort, and it has all the technology you need.

It also offers all-wheel-drive and is priced comfortably lower than Camry, between $1,755 to over $5,000 less depending on the trim, admittedly with fewer features, less power and less efficiency. But that’s also before you even get into discounts, which Nissan typically does much more of than Toyota. Nissan’s reliability typically isn’t regarded as highly as Toyota’s, but if you avoid driving with Big Altima Energy and maintain it well, it should be good enough, especially if you don’t plan to keep it forever. And if the reports are true, your window of opportunity to experience a new Altima may come to an end soon.

6

Subaru Legacy

One mid-size sedan that is officially on its way out is the Subaru Legacy, with production ending this fall and the 2025 model year being the last. But if you’re in the market this year, the Legacy is a decent Camry alternative that does give you all-wheel-drive as standard. Its infotainment system is large, but slow at times, and otherwise it’s a roomy and comfortable place to be. The drive qualities mirror that, with a smooth ride but uninspiring handling, and a bland powertrain as standard.

Here is the option for the XT trims that significantly increases the horsepower thanks to a slightly smaller, turbocharged motor, but unfortunately, that’s the only performance enhancement it gets these days. And there’s no hybrid option for this one either. At least you get a nice discount here too, with the Legacy starting $3,440 less than a base Camry with all-wheel-drive, and even fully-loaded, the Legacy XT Touring with the extra turbo punch tops out right around the same price as a loaded AWD Camry XSE.

7

Chevrolet Malibu

The Chevy Malibu is another one that’s riding off into the sunset (pardon the pun) this year, with production actually already ended back in November 2024, and Chevrolet even pulling it off of their website already, but there’s still over 800 new 2025 Malibus sitting on dealer lots nationwide. Unfortunately, the Malibu didn’t go out at the top of its game, offering the least amount of horsepower and the smallest engine in the segment, a dated interior, and bland styling, among other shortcomings that led it to this fate. But if all you’re after is a soft and smooth ride and a good amount of space at a lower price (some are being advertised in the low $20,000 range), then the Malibu might fit the bill just fine. Just make sure you keep up with the maintenance.

8

Toyota RAV4

You might be confused about the inclusion of an SUV in this list of Camry alternatives, but with the best-selling non-pickup truck in America sitting right next to the Camry on the showroom floor, and more and more people moving to SUVs, the two Toyota siblings are likely cross-shopped quite a bit. The RAV4 will join the Camry with an all-hybrid lineup when the 2026 model arrives later this year, but in the meantime, you have the option of a regular gas vehicle, which might be enough to sway some buyers, along with not only a hybrid powertrain, but a great plug-in hybrid powertrain that Camry still doesn’t offer. If you’d like real electric range beyond a parking lot or coasting, the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid does what Camry can’t.

Beyond this, all RAV4s obviously offer more practicality, that higher seating position that so many SUV buyers love, and more ground clearance. It does command a slight price premium, especially if you want a hybrid like the Camry has, but with the 2025s needing to be cleared out to make way for the 2026s, there may be more deals on RAV4 than there are for Camry, bringing pricing closer to being equal, for now.

9

Used Toyota Avalon

The Toyota Avalon hasn’t been in production since 2022 (unless you live in China), and it’s not fair to compare used versus new, but it’s too good of an alternative to pass up. If you want something a little less common and/or a little bigger, the Avalon is a great choice. They have held their value well, but low-mileage examples from 2020-2022 are going for slightly less than new Camry money, from the mid-$20s to the mid-$30s.

They offered both a hybrid 4-cylinder and a V6 powertrain, which you can also get when you go for the spicier TRD variant, and all versions were well done, even if the hybrid felt a little slow. You could even get that hybrid version with AWD, although those appear to be very rare on the used market these days. Still, for those wanting Toyota reliability and build quality in a more unique and grander package, the Avalon could be the perfect Camry alternative.

10

Used Lexus ES

The Lexus ES is the other used Camry alternative that’s worth highlighting because it actually shares some components with Camry and is on the same platform as the Avalon, just with the usual Lexus upgrades and sharper styling. Unlike the Avalon, there are tons of ESs on the used market, meaning a current-generation ES with under 30,000 miles can be yours for under $30,000, making it not only a great Camry alternative, but also a phenomenal value on the used market in general.

The ES offers an unimpressive 203 hp 4-cylinder in the ES 250, a slightly stronger hybrid in the ES 300h, and lastly, the good ol’ Toyota naturally-aspirated 3.5L V6 in the ES 350. They all give you that plush and comfortable Lexus interior, a smoother, softer, and quieter ride and a whole host of other upgrades over the Camry. If you’re not opposed to used cars, a lightly-used ES is, at the very least, well worth checking out.

Sources: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, Chevrolet, Autotrader