Honda Civic review

Sometimes when you’re caught up in the whirlwind of family life, it pays to keep things simple – and that's something the Honda Civic does very well indeed.

This latest Civic – the 11th-generation model – has just one engine option (unless you go for the Civic Type R hot hatch), one bodystyle (a five-door hatchback) and three trim levels to choose from. That might sound rather restrictive, but what you do get covers all the family car bases very well.

Indeed, the 2.0-litre petrol engine gets hybrid technology to make it more efficient, the trim levels come with plenty of standard equipment and the hatchback design is decently practical against rivals including the Audi A3. 

Speaking of which, the Civic has some pretty formidable foes, and will need to beat the likes of the Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla if it wants to come out on top. Does it have what it takes? Read on to find out how it compares with the best family cars...

The e:HEV hybrid set-up is the only engine option for the regular Honda Civic and produces a healthy 181bhp. There should be enough performance for most buyers: we managed 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds during our testing, which is comfortably quicker than any Toyota Corolla.

The Civic can run on electricity alone at low speeds, driven by its electric motor and hybrid battery. When the 2.0-litre petrol engine chimes in, accelerating up to higher speeds is effortless, and the single-speed automatic gearbox always maintains smooth progress.

The engine is much quieter than the 1.5-litre unit in the Honda HR-V family SUV (which has a similar hybrid system) and wind noise is well muffled.

Unfortunately, there's a fair amount of road roar on a motorway, exacerbated by the panoramic glass sunroof fitted to range-topping Advance models. As a result, the Corolla and VW Golf are quieter at a 70mph cruise.

The Civic has a more settled ride than the Seat Leon FR Sport fitted with the same size – 18in – alloy wheels and is more comfortable if you stick to the entry-level car’s 17in wheels. For maximum comfort, try the Corolla and Golf, which are even more supple.

If you opt for a Civic with 18in wheels, the ride improves at higher speeds. While it's not as enthusiastic about turning in to corners as a Ford Focus or Seat Leon, it’s still fairly good fun to drive because it grips well and the meaty steering is precise enough to let you place the car on the road with confidence.

Meanwhile, the hot hatch version of the Civic is absolutely brilliant – for more information about that see our Honda Civic Type R review.

"I enjoyed driving the Civic along a winding road, but my passengers remarked on how comfortable it was. It's a good balance." — Dan Jones, Reviewer

You sit fairly low down in the Honda Civic, which gives it a sporty feel, and the comfortable driver's seat has electrically adjustable lumbar support as standard. Adjusting the angle of the backrest is a bit more fiddly than in most family cars because you have to pull a lever and shift your weight back or forth.

Forward visibility is good because the windscreen pillars are slim and the dashboard is set low. Over-the-shoulder visibility is good too thanks to the narrow, sloping rear pillars and large side windows minimising blind-spots.

The Civic’s boot sticks out further than on many rivals but all versions have a rear-view camera, and front and rear parking sensors to help with reversing.

Powerful LED headlights are standard. Top-spec Advance trim brings an adaptive set-up that can automatically adjust the light output so you can stay switched to main beams without dazzling other road users.

The cheapest trims – Elegance and Sport – come with a 7.0in digital driver's display accompanied by an analogue speedometer. Range-topping Advance cars get a full 10.2in display, which has sufficient clarity but can't show you a full-width sat-nav map like the digital display in the VW Golf can.

All versions get a 9.0in infotainment touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. It’s not as user-friendly as the system in the BMW 1 Series and Mazda 3 but it's more intuitive than the Toyota Corolla and Golf systems.

It’s easy to operate the Civic’s air-conditioning system because it has physical controls for adjustment, which makes it far less distracting to operate when you're driving than the touch-sensitive controls in the Seat Leon and the Golf. 

You get sat-nav, wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, plus two USB ports up front and an eight-speaker sound system. Wireless phone-charging is standard on all trims except Elegance while top-spec Advance cars get a punchier 12-speaker Bose stereo rather than the standard eight-speaker system.

The Civic isn’t as plush inside as the 1 Series or Mazda 3 but it's still excellent by the standards of the family car class. Hard plastics are used lower down on the dashboard, but there are lots of soft-touch materials and attractive trim finishes.

The knobs and buttons feel reassuringly expensive, and the honeycomb-look air vent across the dashboard is a smart touch.

"I found the physical buttons and rocker switches on the steering wheel to be particularly easy to locate and operate by feel without looking away from the road" – Mark Pearson, Used Car Editor

The driver and front-seat passenger get plenty of space in the Honda Civic, so even those measuring over six feet tall won’t need to worry about head or leg room. The wide interior ensures there’s enough space for a pair of broad rugby players to not rub shoulders.

The Civic's glovebox is a decent size, and the front door bins can easily hold a large bottle of water each. The centre console contains a pair of cupholders, a large storage box and a tray that's ideal for phones.

Two six-footers sitting behind similarly tall front-seat occupants won’t have any complaints about rear leg room, but they might wish they had more head room. If you regularly carry tall adults in the back, you might want to consider the roomier Ford Focus or Seat Leon.

As with most family cars there's a large hump on the floor in front of the middle rear passenger, which robs them of some foot space.

Seating flexibility is nothing special, with 60/40 split-folding rear seats. The Civic has more boot space (415 litres) than the Toyota Corolla and VW Golf with space for six carry-on suitcases below its flexible load cover (which pulls out from the boot wall). It matches the Leon and beats the Vauxhall Astra by one case.

It’s worth noting that Advance trim versions of the Civic lose boot space due to the upgraded stereo system.

There's a useful 12V power socket and side-mounted hooks in the boot and the wide tailgate gives decent access, but the lip at the boot entrance is quite high, which is a pain if you need to lift in heavy items.

"I carried two six-foot passengers in the back seats. Whilst they had plenty of leg room, their heads were brushing the roof lining" – Neil Winn, Deputy Road Test Editor

As an outright purchase, the Honda Civic sits towards the pricier end of the family car class, costing more than the BMW 1 Series M Sport and most versions of the VW Golf. To make up for that, you’ll want to make sure you get the best price by checking our Honda Civic deals page. 

It’s also encouraging to know that the Civic is predicted to lose its value pretty slowly, with only the 1 Series losing its value slower. That can have an effect on PCP finance rates, keeping the Civic competitive with its cheaper rivals. 

Then there's its efficiency. The hybrid tech helped it to average around 56.5mpg in official tests, and we saw a respectable 49.5mpg when we put it through our Real MPG test. Just bear in mind that the Toyota Corolla is even more frugal (50.5mpg in our test), while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) rivals can travel much further on battery power alone, and have lower company car tax rates.

The Civic range starts with the well-equipped Elegance trim, which has all the essentials including 17in alloys, climate control, cruise control, heated front seats, privacy glass, parking sensors and a touchscreen infotainment system. 

If you can, we recommend spending a bit more to get the mid-spec Sport trim, which improves the car's handling because of the bigger, 18in alloy wheel and gets wireless phone-charging, adaptive cruise control, synthetic leather and fabric interior trim, air-con in the rear and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. 

At the top of the tree sits Advance trim, which includes all the bells and whistles. Its equipment list includes a heated steering wheel, full synthetic leather upholstery, an upgraded stereo and a panoramic glass roof. Still, unless you really want those items, we don't think it's worth upgrading from Sport trim.

Honda finished a very respectable sixth out of 32 manufacturers in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey and its three-year/90,000-mile warranty is slightly better than average (most brands cover you for 60,000 miles) but can’t match Toyota’s 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, if you regularly service with them. The Civic’s hybrid system comes with its own five-year/90,000-mile warranty.

Every Civic comes with a very impressive list of safety equipment, including 11 airbags, automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and blind-spot monitoring. A pop-up bonnet is fitted to minimise the risk to pedestrians.

The Civic scored five stars out of five for safety when it was tested in 2022 by Euro NCAP – outperforming the Golf and comprehensively beating the Peugeot 308 and Vauxhall Astra (both got four stars).

"Honda traditionally fares well in our reliability surveys, but I can't help thinking the Civic's three-year is too short, compared with the Toyota Corolla, which can stretch up to 10 years." — Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

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