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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  Must be used to Driving an Accord - 2015 Honda Civic
  By S T - September 7 - 12:14 am

  Im very surprised at the consistently high reviews of this car, to be honest. Perhaps Im just used to the ride of an Accord, after owning three consecutive Accords (1993, 2001, 2010), but I cant seem to get over the fact that I feel every bump in the road in this car (2015 EX-L w/navigation). Perhaps theres a suspension or tire inflation issue with mine, but I didnt imagine buying a new car and feeling bumps driving over even painted crosswalks. Radio and heat controls are not intuitive (again, possibly just based on experience with Accords). Nice enough looking car, especially for a Civic, but will definitely be unloading this car once it is paid off in a few months, after owning Accords for an average of close to 15 years each.

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  Very Reliable. Cant get rid of it! - 2005 Honda Civic
  By Eli - September 5 - 10:31 pm

  After breaking 140,000 plus miles, I had to replace the alternator, ball joints, oil pressure switch and camshaft sensor. Besides these minor repairs, I change the motor oil every 3,000 miles, transmission oil every 20,000 miles, and the drive belts every 60,000 miles. I had to change the breaks about three times since the life of this vehicle, purchased back in 2005 with 4,000 miles on it. Overall, excellent reliable car. I still drive it every day to work, 60 miles round trip. I will only get rid of it once the new 2016 Civic Coup becomes available.

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  Best car for gas saving - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Mark - September 3 - 12:00 am

  Have had my car for a short time love the gas saving have been getting 44.5 miles per gallon, drives great enjoy driving my Honda Civic hybrid. Not as smooth of ride as some cars but every thing else about the car is great I dont think you can beat a Honda holds its value and will run for ever.

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  Worst Vehicle I Have Ever Owned (out of 22 cars)! - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Bob Woliver - August 30 - 1:24 pm

  I will try to start positive here: this car would get 42-45 MPG on a routine basis in city driving and I got a peak of 55 MPG on the highway. Unfortunately, that was the only positive point about this vehicle! Honda redesigned the Civic Hybrid in 2013 for good reason. Wind noise from poorly fitting doors, an interior door panel that would bow in about a half inch when the power window hit the top, deafening road noise which included the sound of fuel sloshing in the tank, stumbling and hesitation out of stops, a film that would appear on the windows about every 2 weeks requiring they be cleaned, oil accumulation in the air filter during heavy load situations (fully loaded, highway driving) and uneven, rapid tire wear. At 24K miles the transmission (a CVT) started slipping and I traded the car.

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  Honest review - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Bugs - August 23 - 6:01 am

  This is my first Hybrid car, first cvt transmission also. Bought this car for gas mpg and it has really impressed me on the mpgs. We just got back from a long vacation, 2565 miles with varies roads from Hilly, interstate, and city driving, it average 45.8.

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  It pays for itself in time and money saved! - 2005 Honda Civic
  By Ray - August 21 - 11:16 pm

  I bought this car in November 2014 from a dealer for a slightly high price of $10,000. The reason being the condition and mileage of the car, it was like buying a 2 year old car even though it was almost 10 tears old! The car was immaculate, owned by UCLA University in Los Angeles, California, and had been fleet maintained since new. I was already familiar with NGV vehicles, having driven one in my job, so I had no qualms about buying it. The car had only 30,800 miles and I have now driven it 15,000 trouble-free miles in 9 months! The Pros I average 35 mpgs in traffic and I pay $1.85 a ggl for natural gas at the local city yard, $1.46 a ggl at the neighboring city yard and...the price is stable, doesnt fluctuate like gasoline prices. Also, in California, I get to use the HOV lanes without a passenger AND, some toll roads are free to use for us "greenies". Now the Cons The fuel tanks are huge and take up a large amount of the trunks but, this a commuter car, not a travel car although some people have used it for that purpose. Although the tanks appear huge, they only hold the equivalent of 6.5 gallons of gasoline and so your mileage between fill ups is reduced to between 150 miles and maximum 200 miles, depending on your driving habits. The car interiors for this model year GX is pretty Spartan at best. Although it does have A/C, am/fm/cd, power windows, steering, and brakes, thats pretty much it! No navi, no leather, no tinted windows, no sunroof, no nothing else unlike the newer GX models. In all, I have to say that it is a great commuter car that gets you from point A to point B quickly and cheaply.

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  buy this car - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Brian - August 16 - 6:29 pm

  I have a 2009 civic sedan lx 5spd manual I purchased new ...336,005 miles later it has never had a single thing break (minus the a.c. somewhat recently). Mileage was always a calculated 40mpg up until it for real old and now I get 36mpg. I just had all major suspension components replaced because I hadnt ever replaced a single thing. Didnt need to...mechanic said all were in acceptable condition. I dont know what would possess ANYBODY to buy a GM, Chrysler or Ford when you can have Honda and Toyota quality. I will buy this exact same car again. Detroit cars are fine as long as you unload them before 80k and 4 years. Absolute junk beyond that. Honda is the way to go. Period.

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  Warning.. Will Not Recommend this Car To Friends. - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Aimar - August 14 - 10:50 am

  No Water Temperature Gauge is on this car. It has the idiot lite instead. I tell my friends to stay away from this civic. In my opinion, a water temp. gauge is critical to being able to prevent problems before things get out of control. Example: When in stop and go traffic or on trips where there are lots of hills you want to be able to monitor if your engine water temp. is starting to go up ... Why? because if you have your air conditioner on, you will want to turn off your AC for a while so the temp. gauge does not go up and stress out your water hoses and engine. When this car gets to be a few years older and i put stress on my old water hoses because i cannot see What the temp. is, the car will be less reliable.

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  Another Honda - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Joseph Fabian - August 14 - 5:55 am

  Was torn between Civic LX & Mazda3. But, with only 2 Mazda dealers in state, I opted for Civic with 3 dealers in Town. Front seat side bolsters are very firm and I find them uncomfortable after a while of driving. Plan on putting seat covers on with seat bottom cushion to ease the pressure of these. ALSO, why does Honda have to put the roughest material they can find on the armrest? Its like sandpaper to my poor elbows. Its like this in my 2009 CRV also. Had to find covers for the armrest to make comfortable. It is definately not a luxury car. I was looking for the lowest price high gas mileage car that I could find that was still enjoyable to drive and the Civic LX fits the bill. Shifts Great (5 Speed Manual) and handling is sporty. Overall, Im very happy with the car, with Honda overall, and our closest dealer. Compared Civic with Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra & Versa.

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  Great car as long as its a 5spd - 1994 Honda Civic
  By Joe scooter - August 6 - 7:18 pm

  Rip the front seats out for after markets and hotrod the engine to get better torqe and generly more fun,lower to handleing needs and beat the crap out of it on your daily commute,,love this Honda,its a shame cars arnt made like this one anymore,the 94 civic is a lego the happens to be a very relable car,,love it