Sell your 2012 Honda Insight for cash

The 2012 Honda Insight is a compact car that came with a 1.3L 4-cyl engine. At 14 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.

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2012 Honda Insight at a glance

Body styleCompact Cars
Engines1.3L 4-cyl
TransmissionsAutomatic (variable gear ratios), Automatic (AV-S7)
DriveFront-Wheel Drive
FuelRegular Gasoline
Fuel economy40 city / 42 highway / 41 combined MPG
EPA annual fuel cost$1,650 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles)
Tailpipe CO₂217 grams per mile
Gross vehicle weight rating3,638 lb
Versions tested by EPA2 configurations
Age14 years

Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.

What affects its junk value

  • Age: at 14 years old, most of a 2012 Insight's value comes from reusable parts and scrap metal, not resale.
  • Weight: as a compact car, it weighs less than a truck or SUV, so its value leans more on parts than on scrap weight. See how scrap prices by weight work.
  • Catalytic converter: like all gas and diesel cars, it has a catalytic converter containing precious metals, one of the most valuable parts on a junk car. An offer assumes it's still in place. More on catalytic converters.
  • Hybrid battery: hybrid versions also carry a high-voltage battery pack, which recyclers and rebuilders pay for.
  • Recalls: NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2012 Insight. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking it.
  • Known problems: owners reported the most issues with the engine, typically around 72,000 miles. If that's what failed on yours, it can still be sold as-is.

How junk car offers are calculated

2012 Honda Insight recalls

NHTSA lists 8 safety recalls covering the 2012 Honda Insight. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.

Air BagsJun 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V502000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsMay 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V378000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front…

Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Air BagsSep 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V661000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsApr 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V268000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed…

Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Air BagsJan 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V042000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsAug 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V545000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement…

Risk: In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal air bag inflator may deploy the air bag improperly, increasing the risk of injury.

Air BagsJan 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V030000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsFeb 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V061000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Common 2012 Insight problems

Owners have filed 59 complaints about the 2012 Honda Insight with NHTSA. 1 report involved a crash.

Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.

Most-reported components

  • Engine36
  • Air Bags11
  • Unknown or Other6
  • Fuel/Propulsion System3
  • Vehicle Speed Control3
  • Seats2

Typical mileage when problems were reported

  • Engine72,000 mi
  • Fuel/Propulsion System112,000 mi
  • Vehicle Speed Control34,000 mi
  • Seats8,000 mi

2012 Honda Insight crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2012 Honda Insight.

VersionOverallFrontal crashSide crashRolloverRollover risk
5 Hb, FWDNot rated——★★★★☆11.3%

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP). Ratings from different model years or rating systems aren't directly comparable.

2012 Honda Insight service bulletins

Manufacturers have filed 73 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 2012 Honda Insight. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.

Most common bulletin topics

  • Air Bags21
  • Equipment8
  • Engine and Engine Cooling6
  • Equipment Adaptive/Mobility6
  • Electrical System4
  • Service Brakes4

Recent bulletins

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsFeb 2026 · A18-048

    Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Driver's Airbag Inflator for 2007-11 CR-V and Other Listed Years and Models.

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsFeb 2021 · APaS02262021902

    Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsFeb 2021 · APaS02102021902

    Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsJan 2021 · A07-030

    "Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA opened 1 defect investigation covering the 2012 Honda Insight.

Electrical SystemDP22005 · opened Jan 2023, closed Aug 2023Led to recall 22V063000

Pedestrian alert sounds

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pe

Selling a 2012 Insight: questions

How much is a 2012 Honda Insight worth for junk?

It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. Its parts make up much of its value. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.

Can I junk a 2012 Insight that doesn't run?

Yes. We buy 2012 Insights that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.

Can I sell a 2012 Insight with open recalls?

Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2012 Honda Insight; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What paperwork do I need to sell my 2012 Insight?

Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.

Sources

Data retrieved October 2026.

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