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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  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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  pos - 2006 Honda Civic
  By jerry wienstein - October 30 - 7:49 pm

  Worst car I have ever owned , nothing but one failure after another and its only got 80,000 mi . Im not sure if Im going to fix anything more since the engine block could crack and render the car junkyard bound .

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  Avoid 2007 - 2007 Honda Civic
  By BV - October 1 - 8:12 am

  Tire wear is terrible because of a defective Rear Upper Control Arm. Honda did not do a recall but there was a class action suit forcing Honda to replace the defective parts and reimburse customers for premature tire wear. Unfortunately for me, I did not find out until after the expiration of the settlement which was January 16, 2014. That is after I spent more than $2,000 for new tires, struts, shocks, alignments, etc., trying to fix the problem. 2006 through 2009 models have extended warranties related to another serious issue where coolant leaks and can cause engine block damage and complete engine failure. The seats are wearing out much faster than any car I have ever owned and I am average size and the car only has 80,000 miles on it.

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  Do not buy a Civic / Major quality problems - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Doug Hilbert - September 28 - 10:06 pm

  Bought new, maintained 100% on time at a Honda dealership. MAJOR transmission problems, major paint problems, total engine failure without warning at 131,000 miles. DO NOT buy this car, at any price.

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  Do not buy this car - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Maggie - September 25 - 8:13 pm

  This is not a hybrid, do not pay the extra money! I previously owned a 2002 Prius but when it was up for renewal and had over 120k miles I thought it was a good time to trade it in. Thinking that Honda was a solid company I felt confident about buying the 2007 Civic Hybrid. It was the worst decision! Advertised mpg of 40+ I only get <27mpg - I could have spent thousands less for a regular Sudan with better gas mileage. The acceleration is also DANGEROUS with the IMA motor sometimes it will accelerate and then others it will barely move almost causing multiple accidents. Do not waste your money!!!

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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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  Never again, Honda. Never again. - 2007 Honda Civic
  By bdshell - November 3 - 9:54 pm

  I will never own another Honda. I own a 2007 with 77k miles. 1 owner, all routine maintenance done. The engine failed. Coolant leaked into the engine, the head is completely warped. This relates to a known issue but the dealership claimed the block wasnt fully cracked so they wont cover a cent of the replacement. Needing a new engine at 77k miles? That is unacceptable. I am completely appalled with the treatment I have received and will never own another Honda.

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  Civic SUCKs! - 2006 Honda Civic
  By bigblueguy2012 - February 6 - 12:10 pm

  I bought a brand new 2006 Civic I thought it would be cool because of their new design. I had this car for more than 6yrs now. Well, I had 2 Major problems with this car and bad service experience with the dealership. My first major problem with 06 Civic was an Engine Block recall. Secondly, 06 Civic broke down in the middle of the road due to computer/wire problem. This car has 55,000 mileage and never used it for a long drive and never been a abuse driver. Anyways, obviously this car is absolute FAILURE! and i will never drive/buy HONDA CARS ever! and NEVER RECOMMEND!.

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  inflated popularity hype - 2006 Honda Civic
  By angelwings1 - April 8 - 10:04 pm

  Do you know what car sales people do when its slow? They create free email accounts, fake user names and positive experiences and then post them on this and other consumer review web sites. Wow did this car put me on a financial roller coaster. If you think reliability when you think Honda, you have been brainwashed. Everywhere, I mean everywhere I took this car for a repair, I would get a report card of failing components with price tags and labor costs equal to 20 percent of the value of the car! I bought this car twice after 4 years, I mean, the same car cost me 22,000 in maintenance and purchase price was 22,000 4 years B4. Best advice if you like this car, buy one new, sell after a yr.

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  DO NOT BUY - 2009 Honda Civic
  By txsco - January 6 - 8:31 pm

  I usually keep cars 6-10 years got rid of this after one year, 7500 miles. Why? In a little over 12 months, car was in the shop four times-twice for Check IMA light, once for Check Engine light, once because entire drivers side window assembly failed-the whole thing, window, frame, motor for electric window. Vehicle was dangerously slow, and gas mileage was much worse than advertised(maybe because of the constant computer updates-see Edmunds forum for more info). Ive owned some really bad cars over the years-anyone remember the Chevy Monza?-but this was by far the worst.