Honda Civic review

If you're one of those people who catches themselves muttering about cars looking 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 VW 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.

We’re focusing on the regular hatchback version with a choice of 1.0- or 1.5-litre petrol engines, but don’t forget that there’s also a stunningly quick 316bhp 2.0-litre Civic Type R that crowns the range (if that sounds more appealing, you can read our full separate report on it here). 

Read on through this suitably thorough Honda Civic review to find out whether the latest version deserves be at the top of your list if you're considering buying a family car, and how it compares with the key rivals we mentioned above. 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 you decide that the 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 service. You'll find plenty of great Honda Civic deals with no awkward haggling.