Used Honda Civic 2022-present review

The Godfather and the Honda Civic: what do they have in common? Well, the answer is they've stood the test of time, having both been initially released in 1972 and still appreciated to this day.

The Civic has undergone many changes over the years, though. This is the eleventh-generation model and it's a thoroughly modern family car. In fact, it's only available as a fuel-sipping hybrid – unless you go for the Honda Civic Type R hot hatch, that is.

Engines and performance: As part of the hybrid set-up, you get a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a healthy 181bhp. You'll see 0-60mph in 6.8sec, which is quicker than a lot of family cars (the Ford Focus, for example) can complete the sprint.

The engine keeps itself very hushed most of the time, due to the Civic's ability to run on electric power at low speeds. The single-speed automatic gearbox always maintains smooth progress, too. Fairly prominent road noise is really the only thing that somewhat spoils the serenity.

Ride and handling: There are more comfortable riding cars out there as well – the Volkswagen Golf being one of them. The Civic is never crashy or tiring to drive, though, so we'd call its ride firm but fair.

An upside of its suspension being quite dialled in that the Civic handles well. It isn't as playful or sharp as the Focus is, but the Civic is very capable in the bends, nonetheless. It has little body roll to speak of and its meaty, precise steering gives you confidence.

The performance-focused Type R version is on another level, but we'll leave its brilliance to its own, bespoke review.

Interior and practicality: You sit fairly low down in the Civic, allowing for a sporty feel. The comfortable driver's seat has electrically adjustable lumbar support, too. 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.

Space in the front is pleasingly accommodating, with the driver and front-seat passenger getting plenty of room (even those measuring above six-feet tall will be comfortable).

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 Focus or Seat Leon.

Seating flexibility is nothing special, with 60/40 split-folding rear seats. The Civic has a bigger boot (410 litres) than the current Toyota Corolla and Golf with space for six carry-on suitcases below its flexible load cover (which pulls out from the wall of the boot). It matches the Leon and beats the Vauxhall Astra by one case.

Trims and equipment: On entry-level Sport trim, the Civic has a 7.0in digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel accompanied by an analogue speedometer. Range-topping Advance has 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.

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

You get 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 trim levels, while top-spec Advance trim gets a 12-speaker Bose stereo upgrade.

Advance trim also gets a heated steering wheel, synthetic leather upholstery and a panoramic glass roof. Sport trim has all the essentials, though, including climate control, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, privacy glass, 18in alloys and parking sensors. Elegance trim initially sat below Sport as the entry-level trim – it doesn't get a lot of kit and it was swiftly taken off sale.

"I really like the Civic's interior. Honda clearly hasn't tried to cut costs inside like VW has with the Mk8 Golf, with a classy design and a generous use of soft-touch plastic. The metal-finished climate controls are a lovely touch, too." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

If you're interested in finding a used Honda Civic or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Prices start at around £22,000 for a used 2022 Civic in Sport trim. This will often be one bought from a franchised Honda dealer, too, with all the back-up that entails. Spend between £24,000 and £26,000 if you want a higher trim, or over £26,000 on a 2023 or 2024 car. That still represents a good saving over the price of a new 2025 car, which costs from £34,000.

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MPG

The hybrid tech helped the Civic average around 60mpg in official tests. We saw a respectable 49.5mpg when we put it through our True MPG test.

Road tax

Being a hybrid, the Civic attracts a road tax fee of £195 per year.

Insurance and servicing

Bar the Type R, all Civics fall into insurance group 28 (out of 50).

Honda will sell you a service of the Civic for £285.

Warranty

From new, every Civic coms with Honda's three-year/90,000-mile warranty. That's better than most brands, which cover you for 60,000 miles, but it can’t match Toyota’s 10-year/100,000-mile cover (if you regularly service with them). The Civic’s hybrid system has its own five-year/90,000-mile warranty, plus Honda offers corrosion cover on some parts for up to 12 years.

Safety

The Civic comes with a long list of safety equipment, including 11 airbags, automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and blind-spot monitoring. It was also awarded five stars out of five for safety when it was tested in 2022 by Euro NCAP – outperforming the Golf and comprehensively beating the Astra and Peugeot 308 (both got four stars).

Reliability

The 2022-present Honda Civic has shown strong reliability in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, based on real-world owner feedback.

Only one respondent reported a fault – a hybrid system warning light – which was swiftly fixed under warranty. All other owners experienced trouble-free motoring, pointing to a reassuringly dependable car.

Honda’s dealer network also earned praise, with repairs completed efficiently and staff described as helpful and professional. One owner highlighted the smooth handling of a routine software update.

Find out more about Honda Civic reliability on our dedicated reliability page.

The e:HEV hybrid set-up is the only engine available in the regular Civic, but that's no bad thing, because it's great. The most affordable used Civics feature the Sport trim, but we believe you'll appreciate the extra creature comforts of Advance for a reasonable £2000 more.

Our favourite Honda Civic: e:HEV Advance

The Toyota Corolla is a family car that's powered by a similar hybrid set-up to the Civic. It isn't as quick or as fun to drive, plus its interior isn't quite as plush as the Civic's, but you can find used examples from 2022 for as little as £14,000, making the Corolla considerably cheaper to buy.

The Ford Focus is another tempting option. It's similarly priced to Corolla when buying used, yet it's just as fun to drive as the Civic. While its mild hybrid engines aren't as efficient as the full hybrid system in the Civic, it's not far off. Reliability isn't as good.

The current versions of the Seat Leon and VW Golf are obvious alternatives to the Civic, but both cars suffer from poor reliability, according to our latest Reliability Survey.

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If you're interested in finding a used Honda Civic or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.