Honda Civic review

If you are one of those people – generally of a certain age, it must be said – who often catches themselves muttering "cars all look the same these days", you clearly haven't studied the Honda Civic very closely. We would argue it looks like no other car that's ever existed, let alone any other current family car. 

Whether you approve of its looks or not is another question entirely, and it's not one for us to answer here – after all, we're in the business of dealing with the objective facts, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Sticking with those facts, the Honda Civic has been a fixture on Britain’s roads for as long as the Volkswagen Golf, which means it has a greater heritage than many of its rivals ­– the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia are mere youngsters in comparison.

Here we’re focusing on the hatchback version, but don’t forget that there’s also the Civic saloon and the stunningly quick 316bhp 2.0-litre Civic Type R that crowns the range, both of which we have covered in detail in separate review.

The regular version of the Civic is available with a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel, and there are seven trim levels. That might sound like it's going to be a bit confusing, but the sheer variety of grades means that there's an option to suit the needs and budgets of most buyers.

Read on through this Honda Civic review to find out whether the latest version should be at the top of your family car shortlist, and how it compares with rivals including the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia we mentioned earlier. We’ll tell you how it drives, how much space there is inside and which engine and trim choices we think make the most sense.

If at the end of the review you decide the new Civic ticks all the right boxes for you – or, indeed, you decide to buy another vehicle of any make and model – we can help you save thousands of pounds simply by using the free What Car? New Car Buying, which has lots of great deals, including on new Hondas.