Honda Civic long-term test

The Car Honda Civic Advance 2.0 iMMd Automatic Hybrid Run by Tom Goodban, videographer

Why it’s here To prove that a modern family hatchback can be both stylish and practical

Needs to Cover the miles efficiently and offer plenty of room for a videographer and all of his kit, while also looking stylish in the corporate car park

Mileage 6412 List price £38,695 Price as tested £38,695 Official economy 56.5mpg Test economy 51.6mpg 

13 December 2025 – Camera car

I need my Honda Civic to do a lot of things. I need it to be fuel efficient for my high-mileage travelling around the country, comfortable (especially on the motorway) and, most importantly, I need it to be spacious with plenty of storage.

In short, I ask a lot of it and you might assume that, being only a family hatchback and not an estate car or big SUV, my Civic might struggle. But the truth is it doesn’t, even considering that my car is an Advance trim – meaning it has a slightly smaller boot than lesser models due to the presence of the Bose sound system’s subwoofer.

There’s 408 litres of boot space available, which is enough for all my camera gear and overnight bags. In fact, on a recent filming trip to Cornwall, the amount of things I could get in the Civic surprised me. 

Three lots of camera kit, three overnight bags, three crew members and copious amounts of road trip snacks all managed to fit into the spacious Civic. There was room for everything and everyone, and still it seemed like another small bag could squeeze in if needed. It was an impressive performance.

Getting things in and out of the boot was easy, too, thanks to the Civic’s huge hatchback opening, which makes it easy to quickly find a piece of camera kit or access the all-important snack stash. And while the load lip is quite high, it’s easy to lift things over it due to the Civic being low to the ground.  

Keeping my valuables hidden is a necessity too, to stop prying eyes when I am parked up. The Civic thankfully has a removable storage cover built into the side wall of the boot, and this is easy to extend across the width of the boot to keep my kit out of sight.

Unfortunately, the same isn't true when you try to put the cover back, because it can be quite fiddly. A more traditional cover, which retracts with the boot lid, would be preferable.

As for the clutter my passengers bring them, the Civic has a large glove box which is great for keeping valuables out of sight or for storing loose items. There are a couple of door bins for keeping small water bottles in and two cup holders on the centre console which are perfect for storing one of a videographer's most crucial pieces of equipment – coffee. 

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