Alternator OEM Honda or Denso
I have a 2007 CRV with 132,500 The car has been reliable and I'm currently dealing with replacing parts due to the age. Since the last quarter of 2025 I replaced the tensioner/belt,mid pipe, muffler/hardware and alternator.
I have a 2005 XLS and upgraded to the 130a one, no issues at all. I bought a Denso (oem) one on rockauto for $170, sent my old one and got $40 back. The Toyota one (also denso) was like $450. The 130a was actually cheaper than the 100a too. Did it myself in about 3 hours
I’ve used denso remans and not had issues
Please please please, get a remanned or new Denso. Do not buy anything else. You WILL regret it.
Unless you love electrical quirks and replacing alternators, get a Denso.
I ordered a new (reman) denso alternator from RockAuto and also got a replacement alternator belt too. I\u2019m almost done with the job (took out the old alternator, mounted the new one) and it\u2019s been surprisingly easy, just a matter loosening 3-5 bolts and fiddling with a belt.
For the alternator I would only go with a reman denso personally
My alternator just died at 83k miles but otherwise it’s been painless I love the car
I replace just as many aftermarket alternators that are 'new', as I do 10+ year old OEM. Aftermarket alternators, unless denso's, fail often.
Horrible mistake with the aftermarket alternator. You likely will need to redo the job really soon.
As someone pointed out, don't expect the 150 dollar alternator to last that long. I threw on my 4runner a few months back because that's all that was in stock locally and I'm gonna have to replace it again, it's already whining. I'd definitely spend $350 or whatever it is on a denso unit
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Which alternator to choose — OEM Honda or Denso?
If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which alternator are better — Denso or OEM Honda?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Denso were overall better than OEM Honda.
- OEM Honda received a PR Score of 66 out of 100, and Denso scored 81 point.
- OEM Honda ranked 6 in the overall ranking, and Denso ranked 1.
- The average rating is higher for Denso (4) than for OEM Honda (3.5).
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Alternator Denso have better feature ratings than OEM Honda:
- Noise - owners believe, that this property for Denso is better than OEM Honda.
- Warning light - drivers claim, that this property for Denso is outperforms OEM Honda.
- Lights - reviews suggest, that this property for Denso is preferred to OEM Honda.
Which alternator are more popular — OEM Honda or Denso?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Denso were overall more popular than OEM Honda.
By vote balance, alternator Denso surpassed OEM Honda:
- For OEM Honda, the ratio of positive (77) to negative (38) votes is 39 votes.
- For Denso, the ratio of positive (548) to negative (125) votes is 423 votes.
By number of reviews, alternator Denso surpassed OEM Honda:
- For alternator OEM Honda there are 36 reviews: 21 positive, 7 neutral, 8 negative.
- For alternator Denso there are 218 reviews: 170 positive, 19 neutral, 29 negative.
Which alternator do car owners prefer — OEM Honda or Denso?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Denso led more car-specific ratings than OEM Honda:
Denso are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Civic, Honda Element, Honda Odyssey, Toyota 4runner, and others.
OEM Honda are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Accord, and others.
Other comparisons of alternator
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator OEM Honda with: Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan, Motorcraft.
Also available: comparisons of alternator Denso with: Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan, Motorcraft.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, OEM Toyota or Denso, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO.