Overview & Reviews

Since its launch in 1973, the Honda Civic has been one of the most popular compact cars sold in America. Its success can be attributed in large part to its consistently high level of quality inside and out and its long-standing reputation for reliability and low running costs. Impressive fuel economy and engaging performance have also played a role in making the Civic a top choice for many Americans.

The competition has largely caught up with Honda, though, and there are now many excellent small cars vying for your attention. Still, we continue to recommend the Civic due to its ergonomic interior layout, wide range of models and high resale value. For small-car shoppers in search of a solid used vehicle, the Honda Civic is certainly a smart choice, as its long production run and many variants make it easy to find what you want.

User Reviews:

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  Lock actuator - 2013 Honda Civic
  By Miguel V - December 22 - 1:29 pm

  I bought my 2013 Honda Civic new. Its a good car, the only proble that I have is the lock actuator. I all ready replace all 4. Does any body have the same probles with the look actuators?

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  A piece of junk - 2011 Honda Civic
  By J. Aiello - December 21 - 12:48 am

  This is my second Honda and I regretted buying both. Our troubles started immediately with the A/C. The dealer replaced the compressor TWICE (Honda replacement parts are rebuilt!!) and then replaced almost every other part of the A/C system, including the 3rd compressor. I took it to another repair shop and they found a broken expansion valve, but the system failed again a short time later. I also had issues with the rear window lifts. After the dealer tried to fix the problem numerous times I finally called Honda HQ and they replaced both rear window registers. The paint on the top was beginning to wear off!! Gas mileage dropped from 32 MPG to less than 28 for no reason. I finally traded it in with just 11,000 miles for a new 2015 KIA Soul which we love.

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  Yes yes yes - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Oreo - December 21 - 12:12 am

  I went into purchasing this car and was hesitant at first. I started looking for cats with Hyundai and such before, and did not like them one bit. I started researching other cars such as Chevrolet Cruze and just Honda in general. Less than 5 minutes at the dealer and I was offered a test drive. The car is fantastic, have had it for 2 months and still love it. Great first new car. (Got rid of my 2004 Ford Taurus - wanted an upgrade)

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  Shifts great, seat is more ergonomic that 2010 - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Marian Schwenk - December 19 - 5:40 pm

  Great little car. Instruments and controls are just where you expect them to be. Love the bluetooth. The car shifts great, and the seat is more ergonomic and comfortable than the 2010 Honda Civic. It also allows short to see over the steering wheel (this is a big deal). Theres also a neat little display showing your mpg at all times. Very peppy and hugs the road.

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  Bought a car to flip. Learned to Love it! - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Ryan - December 17 - 10:28 pm

  I bought this car and owned it for a year only because I needed a truck. What a blast! The car came with two problems, which allowed for me to afford it at a discounted price. 1. Radio was crazy. changed stations by itself occasionally. Cost: $40 2. Clear coat was fading and flaking off of black paint. Cost: $0 because Honda extended their paint warranty to 7 years Unlimited miles for all affected models with this defect. WOW! I was so impressed with Honda, they repainted almost my entire car with almost no questions asked. It was so easy, and once I found the right dealer they put me in touch with customer service which went flawlessly. I cant stress enough how easy and streamlined their warranty process was. Not only is Honda great, the car was great. This was my first economy car and once gas was no object I piled the miles on, without care for my mpgs. Every drive I made exciting, because I could rely on my Honda even under hard use, and it was fun to use hard. While its not overly powerful, the motor loves to rev. The Transmission shifts well. The car is surprisingly easy to drift. E brake used on a regular basis! Steering was instant and crisp and there was 0 body roll, unless you loaded it to the brim. I definitely felt a connection to this car. Steering feel was excellent, even over 100 mph. I cant explain how much the engine just likes to go. Its not powerful, not fast, but its so reactive and fun to drive in the curves, and can cruise happily at 90 mph all day. My only gripe was the transmission. Dont get me wrong, it was a fine unit. If you ever wanted to drive and have fun you needed to manually shift it though. It was not so much a performance thing as some economy setting. I had to practically floor it to get a responsive down shift. Once the Honda decides its time, its lightning quick. But until then, your stuck out of the power band. Other then all that, the only creature comforts my car had was a base model radio (acceptable), AC (worked great), and the heater. The little aluminum block doesnt warm up unless you drive and work it in the winter, but once its up to temp....That heater is a FURNACE. I swear, it could burn you if you hold your hands too close for too long. Awesome heater. Car holds a surprising amount of cargo too. I filled so full it was practically a truck one time. Fold down seats. In summary, I really expected to hate this car, but after owning it for one year I would never have sold it had I not needed offroad capability and towing. (trust me I tried) I truly enjoyed driving it, which is really saying something for a boring economizer like a Honda Civic. I can see now why ricers like to ruin them. I brought the maintenance up to date, and the car was better off when I sold it after over 20k miles. Extremely low cost of ownership. I tried to drive the beans out of it but it just asked for more. Surprisingly tough for its size. Id also like to add that I have drove later model Hondas that were not as peppy as my 2009 1.8.

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  Even Honda knows they screwed up - 2012 Honda Civic
  By MLark - December 15 - 8:04 pm

  What more evidence do you need that the 2012 Civic was a half-baked effort than Honda refreshing the car every year following 2012? Their only performance-driven model during this MY neutered the fun of the previous generation, put in the boring engine from the CR-V, and eliminated the light and nimble experience in favor of unconfident bodyroll and numb steering. The exterior is odd AND impractical. By extending the windshield angle and adding small quarter-panel glass to the side windows, the front pillar creates a front blind spot during turning of any kind. The car feels heavier than it should. Thanks Honda for destroying the resale value of the 2012s by immediately updating the interior/exterior the very next year. Worst of all these cars come with a faulty clutch plate with defective springs that loosen and make a horrible grinding noise at 30K mi. I was lucky enough to get it changed under warranty, but many owners werent so lucky. Dont bother with this model, especially the 2012 version.

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  Funky styling to stand out - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Paul B. - December 15 - 2:38 am

  I love this little coupe but I would definitely save the money and go for the new 2016 coupe. I have two complaints with the car. Getting in and out is a hassle as the doors open very wide, but that comes with the territory of a coupe. The CVT isnt a favorite transmission. It is constantly hunting for a good RPM to keep speed and jerks like a normal automatic transmission. It becomes very annoying on the highway with cruise control on. The touchscreen is clear and easy to use and I love the Passenger side LaneWatch camera. My Civic has been very reliable, coming from a very unreliable 2014 Dodge Dart. I will own this car for a few more years before I trade up to a new Civic SI or an Accord Sport.

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  1990 honda civic - 1990 Honda Civic
  By Ken Winkler - December 6 - 4:38 pm

  Small car, great gas mileage, dependable

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  Midlife speedster - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Bob - December 5 - 6:49 pm

  Test drive it get into the drive and see this handle its fun its great on gas only when your being good... Very hard to do. I bought this car for me and wife nobody sits in back.. Lol no tickets

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  Loved My Little Car - 1998 Honda Civic
  By Patti - December 5 - 2:37 pm

  Bought my car at 90k miles, sold at 115k after owning a couple years. Never had a problem with it, sold it for $200 more than I bought it for. Took it down the Alaska-Canadian Highway, no problem (though it is very small and the seats are not the most comfortable in the world). Calculated out 47mpg on some of these road trip stretches. I had the manual, and really liked the fine, smooth way it shifted. It was a very fun, responsive, maneuverable little car. I dont have kids, so the coupe was perfect for me and my dog. Im also in the shorter/smaller/younger range, so getting in and out was no problem. That said, my husband with his back/hip problems disliked riding in it, and my 50 yo father climbed in and out of it once and said that was it for him, no more, my car was going to give him a hernia. To be fair, if you park it at a curb, youll actually be climbing UP out of it. Also, it should be noted that its not the best/steadiest on snow and ice (probably because of its short/narrow wheel base and light weight), though I drove it two winters in AK and never wound up in a snow bank. If you want to zip from place to place and do so reliably and efficiently, I highly recommend this car. Watch who youre buying it from, though. Mine was all OEM, and I know most of them out there have been modified (unless thats what youre into).