From free-spirited seventies hatchback to nineties hot hatch hooligan, the Civic has been through many transformations over the decades and it is now firmly in its hybrid era. While it may look a little more grown up and understated than previous generations, the Civic is not ready to bow out just yet and Honda has recently given it a few subtle tweaks to keep it fresh. We genuinely struggled to work out what was new, but we are pleased Honda has stuck with its winning formula. The Civic remains one of our favourite family-size hatchbacks because it’s frugal, spacious and satisfying to drive. You could have a Volkswagen Golf, a Peugeot 308, Toyota Corolla or a Skoda Octavia but the quality and class of the Civic should not be overlooked.
Honda manufactures a whole range of products including cars, bikes, lawn mowers and even snowthrowers. Currently Honda doesn’t build any cars in Europe where its uses 100 per cent renewable electricity in its plants, but at a global level renewables make up around 42 per cent of the energy mix. While Honda has been slow to transition to fully electric cars, all its models have a degree of electric assistance and the Civic is now only offered as a self-charging hybrid. As a result, the Civic delivers impressive fuel economy and it is also lighter than larger family SUVs which helps to reduce its environmental impact. Honda says it is working on solid state batteries and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, but for now the Civic along with most of its other models are still heavily reliant on petrol and this is reflected in our score.
Running costs for a Honda Civic
“Autotrader data predicts the Civic will hold its value better than key rivals like the VW Golf or Peugeot 308 for up to six years”
The Civic comes with just one engine option, a self-charging e:HEV hybrid. This is the same system also used in the CR-V, yet in a much smaller car this means the Civic can achieve around 60mpg on a good run which is certainly not to be sniffed at. True, the Civic is more expensive to buy than most of its rivals and if you want all the bells and whistles prices climb quickly. However, all cars are well-equipped, so you don’t need to splash out on the range-topping model to get a good range of creature comforts. Additionally, Autotrader data predicts the Civic will hold its value better than key rivals like the VW Golf or Peugeot 308 for up to six years – useful to know if you intend to change your car in few years’ time.
Expert rating: 4/5
Reliability of a Honda Civic
“Honda’s reputation for reliability is one of the best in the business”
Honda’s reputation for reliability is one of the best in the business. Based on this and the consistently favourable results in owner surveys, we’d say the Civic is a safe bet. For peace of mind Honda offers a standard three-year warranty and it will extend this for a further year each time you get your car serviced at a Honda approved retailer or service centre for up to eight years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first).
Expert rating: 5/5
Safety for a Honda Civic
“The suite of driving aids even includes the genuinely useful stuff like blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control”
Honda bundles up safety features like emergency braking and lane keeping assistance into its Honda Sensing package which comes as standard on all Civics. The suite of driving aids even includes the genuinely useful stuff like blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. We are also pleased to report these various systems were blissfully quiet throughout our test drive and we didn’t find any of the features overly intrusive. If you find using touch-screen controls distracting to use whilst driving, another major plus for the Civic is its array of traditional buttons and dials which are all logically laid out and easy to use when on the move.
Expert rating: 5/5
How comfortable is the Honda Civic
“From the squishy yet supportive seats to the way the car deals with lumps and bumps, life in the Civic is smooth sailing”
Honda is great at making comfy cars. From the squishy yet supportive seats to the way the car deals with lumps and bumps, life in the Civic is smooth sailing. The Civic is much longer than a VW Golf or Vauxhall Astra, so it provides plenty of legroom wherever you are sitting and the saloon-like shape doesn’t eat up too much headroom in the back. The boot is roomy, too, and while the shape might be a little awkward if you are loading particularly large items, it provides slightly more space than a Toyota Corolla. Out on the road the Civic is generally composed and refined, but if we were to make one small complaint it would be about the amount of road noise which disturbs the peace on all but the silkiest of surfaces.
Expert rating: 4/5
Features of the Honda Civic
“You are rewarded with tactile physical controls for all the car’s key functions which are refreshingly easy to use”
Honda has subtly tweaked how the Civic looks by swapping out fog lights for fancier LED headlights, there’s also a new Seabed Blue Pearl paint option and higher trim levels gain updated wheel designs. Inside the changes are very small so the digital driver display and central touch-screen remain decidedly old-school. The infotainment is rather clunky, but you can bypass it with wireless Apple CarPlay or by fishing a cable out to use Android Auto. This is no real hardship as you are rewarded with tactile physical controls for all the car’s key functions which are refreshingly easy to use. Overall quality is very solid and the honeycomb grille dashboard adds a sense of style to the Civic's substance. We particularly liked the electrically adjustable leather seats and panoramic sunroof fitted to our range-topping Advanced trim test car. However, even entry models get plenty of kit as standard including front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, heated front seats and keyless entry.
Expert rating: 4/5
Power for a Honda Civic
“The Civic’s calm and refined nature makes it a very relaxing car to drive”
Large SUVs may make you feel like you are king of the road, but low-slung hatchbacks like the Civic are much more graceful around corners. We wouldn’t go as far as calling the Civic sporty – you’ll need to seek out a pre-loved Civic Type R if you’re after something spicier – but its well-weighted, precise steering makes it more engaging to drive than you might expect. The Civic’s hybrid system balances impressive economy with smooth acceleration and while it is not designed for straight line performance, it is nippy around town, and it won’t run out of puff if you need a burst of power for overtaking or joining motorways. A complex combination of the engine and motors generally helps to avoid a jarring switch from electric to petrol power and though you will hear the engine kick in if you really put your foot to the floor, the Civic’s calm and refined nature makes it a very relaxing car to drive.
