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 7384 List price £38,695 Price as tested £38,695 Official economy 56.5mpg Test economy 49.6mpg Dealer value now £26,857 Private value now £28,940 Running costs (excl. depreciation) £914.87 (fuel)

31 January 2026 – Live, loan, love

In football, they say you should never fall in love with a player you’ve only signed on loan. No matter how well they perform for your team, you know that they will end up leaving at the end of the season.

The same goes for my company cars. No matter how wonderful it is, you know that one day it’ll be leaving you for good. So let’s just say if the Honda Civic was a footballer I’d signed on loan, I’d be begging it to sign an eight-year contract at the end of the season.

Over my time with the Civic I’ve pushed the limits of its storage ability to tackle all my camera gear on video shoots around the country and abroad. I’ve tested its fuel economy to see how much a hybrid car like this really costs to run, and I’ve done thousands of miles on a variety of roads to really get a feel for how it drives.

In my final report I wanted to have one last trip in my Civic, with a drive up the M40 motorway to visit family for the weekend giving me the chance reflect on all the aspects of the Civic that have impressed me the most – and some which didn't. 

When I chose the Civic as my new company car, I knew that I needed it to be efficient for my many miles, practical for all my camera gear and comfortable to drive, and I can confidently say it covered all those needs very well indeed.    

The Civic’s boot offered me 408 litres of space, which was plenty big enough for what I needed. It easily took on any task I threw at it, whether that was luggage for a weekend trip away, the weekly big shop or my camera kit on a road trip.

A standout performance in this regard was on a filming trip to Cornwall, where I was ferrying around three lots of camera kit, three passengers and their overnight bags, and there was still space for a couple of smaller bags to squeeze in. The hatchback opening made it very easy to get things in and out of the boot, too.

Then there's the way the Civic drives, which, in a word, is joyous. The 2.0-litre hybrid setup made short journeys quiet, smooth and efficient, while on longer motorway journeys there was plenty of power to make overtaking easy. One disappointment was the amount of road noise at higher speeds, but it wasn’t ever bad enough to really get under my skin, because I could just turn up the Bose stereo by a few notches to drown it out.

In terms of fuel economy, I averaged 49.6mpg over my 7000 miles with the Civic. It wasn’t the official economy of 56.5mpg but I was still pretty pleased with the real-world efficiency of my car, because it meant I could go 370 miles between fill-ups – a big plus for someone in my line of work. This meant on a filming trip to Lille in France, there was no need to worry about having to think about fuel stops until arriving at our destination.

Back to my farewell trip to Birmingham, and it was very easy for the me and my partner to get comfortable for the long trip thanks to the vast amount of adjustment in the Civic's seats. The driving position is spot on for me, and my passenger was even able to lounge out and relax as if it was a long-haul flight in business class.

The Civic’s infotainment kept us entertained on the way, as it has done in the past few months. Wireless charging kept my phone topped up and wireless Apple CarPlay meant there was no faffing around with a cable. With the miles piling up behind us, the Civic proved its efficiency yet again, showing 48.9mpg on the way up and 49.1mpg on the return leg.

And on arrival to a snowy Birmingham, the Civic was as elegant as ever around the local roads, with the electric motor smoothly assisting on the way. No Civic has four-wheel drive, but I didn't find that I missed it, despite the icy conditions.

The weekend drive capped off all the things that I found so wonderful about the Civic, and whilst I can’t sign it up to a new contract like I could with my favourite loan player, I will always look back fondly on my time with it. Now if only I can get it to score some goals, that might help my team out too.

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