Honda Civic review

Broadly speaking, the Honda Civic is priced in line with the Volkswagen Golf. That means it's cheaper to buy than an Audi A3 but is quite a bit pricier than a Skoda Octavia or Vauxhall Astra. It won't hold onto its value quite as well as its German rivals, but depreciation isn't a big concern, either. Honda is also competitive when it comes to PCP finance deals.

Out of the petrols, the turbocharged 1.0-litre unit is the most fuel-efficient choice and emits the least CO2, so it's definitely the one to go for if you're a company car driver. That said, the equivalent A3 or Golf pumps out less CO2 and – officially, at least – is more economical.

We'd recommend the 1.0-litre petrol to most private buyers, too. The 1.5 is tempting if you're looking for something a bit nippier, but it’ll cost more to buy and run in almost every way.

The 1.6-litre diesel is one of the cleanest and most fuel-efficient oil-burners on the market and there's no doubt that the low CO2 emissions will keep company car tax bills down. It doesn’t, however, offer a compelling enough package to tempt us to change our pick of the Civic range. Our favourite 1.0-litre petrol version is cheaper, more refined and a better match for most buyers.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

Entry-level S trim has been discontinued in the UK because it, frankly, made no real financial sense, having the most basic of basic set-ups. Starting with SE trim, then, gets you DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, air-con and front and rear parking sensors. SR trim is our pick, though, which adds the 7in infotainment system with sat-nav, plus a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearknob, driver seat lumbar adjustment, and a reversing camera for not a lot more money.

EX trim adds extra safety kit including blindspot monitoring and cross-traffic alert, along with keyless entry and start, a leather interior, passenger seat lumbar adjustment and a sunroof. If you add the Tech Pack to EX, you also get wireless smartphone charging, LED headlights and heated rear seats.

If you want the 1.5-litre petrol engine, that starts at next-level-up Sport trim, which features heated seats, a sporty bodykit, twin centre exhausts and LED headlights. Sport Plus models then add an upgraded stereo, sunroof and adaptive dampers.

Finally, range-topping Prestige gets a full leather interior, heated rear seats and some chrome interior highlights.

The latest Civic seems to have suffered a few teething issues with it proving less reliable than almost all of its competitors in our 2018 What Car? Reliability Survey. Honda as a manufacturer finished 15th out of 31; something of a disappointment given the brand's reputation for reliability.

Thankfully, the Civic comes with a three-year/90,000-mile warranty as standard – that's about par for the course time wise, but its mileage limit is higher than the 60,000-mile limit imposed by Volkswagen and Skoda.

Honda has included an extremely competitive amount of safety equipment as standard across the Civic range. Beyond its six airbags, every car gets automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed assist. Meanwhile, blindspot monitoring is standard on EX, Sport Plus and Prestige trims.

As a result, Euro NCAP gave the Civic four stars out of five in 2017, held back by a disappointing score for child-occupant safety. Most other cars in its class received the full five stars, but bear in mind that some rivals, such as the Volkswagen Golf, were tested all the way back in 2012, and the tests are a lot more stringent nowadays.

On the security side, an immobiliser is standard on all Civics, while an alarm is standard from SR trim upwards, although security experts Thatcham Research has yet to publish its scores for how well the Civic guards against thieves.

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