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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  Most uncomfortable driving position ever! - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Lorax Lorax - November 12 - 3:08 pm

  The head restraints (mandated by the U.S. government?) push your head forward and down as if you are reading an iPad. In order to see the road in front of you, you must tilt your head forward and look through your eyebrows while cricking your neck. In that position, you will get a neck and backache in five minutes of driving. The head restraints are not adjustable, just up and down. You have to set the seat uncomfortably back to have any reasonable driving position. These restraints will probably save your neck and back in case of a collision at the expense of definitely wrecking your neck and back every day. A new Civic sedan should come with a lifetime free weekly visit to the chiropractor. The base of the front seats are also unusually thin and non supportive. I did not buy this car because I cant imagine driving it for any length of time. Also, there is significant instrumentation far forward (where the wipers are!) that make them impossible to read if your wear bifocals (too close for far vision and too far for close vision). Do not buy this car if you wear glasses or if you dont want to destroy your neck and back.

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  worst civic ever made - 2001 Honda Civic
  By jason - November 1 - 8:22 pm

  I was very excited to buy and own this car brand new from dealer. it wasnt until about 85000 miles the problem started. I started to lose the overdrive over a period of 5 to 10 thousand miles. The transmission would shudder while transfering gears from 4th to overdrive lockup. The check engine light then appeared with 2 codes, 0740 tcc circuit lock up solenoid and a honda specific code related to the ELD unit in the fuse box. I brought to the dealer, after auto shop said they cant repair that trouble code. The dealer plainly says that i need a new transmission even though the car drove fine, outside of the overdrive failure. I waited 2 years trying to decide if i should spend 3000 dollars on something that honda should repair, or take a loss and trade or sell it. Just when i decided to have them replace the transmission because the car was still in great condition and low mileage another problem, which i found is another common problem occured. The instrument panel now fails and find out that it will cost about a 700 to 1000 or more to repair. After researching online about hondas since 2000, that they have become one of the top ten worst cars to own. I will never again buy a honda

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  Total dissapointment - 2005 Honda Civic
  By Nevermore - October 28 - 10:58 am

  I was expecting this car to last for many miles without major problems. It just recently reached 97,000 miles and the transmission is making noise. It turns out the final drive (aka differential) bearings are shot. Since this is deep in the transmission, the transmission essentially will need to be rebuilt at a cost of approximately $2600 if the final drive itself is not damaged. This car was conservatively driven and maintained meticulously and it is really upsetting that it now needs a major repair like this at a relatively moderate mileage. There has been no help from the dealer despite hat there is a little known transmission campaign from Honda offering help to owners with cars that have less than 115000 miles. It appears that the dealer refuses to put in any effort to look into this for me and gives me the impression they dont care. The other issue is the front brakes on this car do not last more than 12K miles. There is nothing apparently wrong with the braking system yet the brake pad wear out prematurely. This would be a great car if it would have lasted longer but it seems I could have done better with a less expensive car. Based on my experience, this model is highly overrated. Ill never buy another Honda again.

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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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  [non-permissible content removed] - 2010 Honda Civic
  By Dan Sylvia - July 14 - 11:09 am

  This car I got a good deal on getting for about 14k used with roughly 35k miles. Gas MPG is way off, theres no way I get 36 highway or 28 city. Acceleration is very poor especially coming from a 6 cylinder maxima. Car is a good first car maybe because of its poor acceleration and ease to drive. Not really a fun ride, however it is reliable. I havent had to repair anything and now Im a little over 60k miles. Im personally not a fan of the car with the way it drives.

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  bad paint - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Jessica Jarvis - July 12 - 3:06 pm

  i love the way the car runs, very reliable. research the paint color you are buying because there are some that have had problems cracking. Nighthawk black pearl is the color of my car and the hood and front bumpers look aweful. They are cracked more than any car that i have seen this age, and i have taken good care of the car. interior is decent. exterior gets 0 stars, the paint stinks.

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  Bad idea.. - 1999 Honda Civic
  By big_clocks - April 22 - 11:40 pm

  Bought this car a couple months ago thinking it would be a good investment because of how reliable civics are known to be and because of their gas mileage. Well, I get 30mpg all day, but this car has not been reliable for me. Had fuel issues when I bought it and now has a vacuum leak that has been impossible to trace, and my transmission shifts sloppy as well. Forgot to mention I bought this car with only 132k miles. Will definitely be staying away from civics from now on, only Honda I would own again is a Prelude, which I owned before this car. Stay away from this car unless you have money to throw into it.

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  i hate my 07 honda - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Heather Strausbaugh - April 13 - 10:37 am

  this car was bought by my father brand new in 06. since driven off lot we have had nothing but problems. visors (extended warranty) engine, e break handle has fallen apart. faulty air bag sensors $500 to replace. new starter at 70k miles $300 new drivers door lock chamber at 80k miles $300 weather stripping needs to be replaced its completely fallen down always pushing it back up. no interior lights work on radio selection/heating and cooling lights. auto window controls for passenger window no longer work ether side. paints chipping. faulty wire connections caused power steering to go out while driving!! 25k new asking 6k now. 107k miles and selling now. will never own another honda. EVER!

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  Honda Civic?? (2013 DX) - 2013 Honda Civic
  By jonpipe - February 12 - 8:10 pm

  This car is driven in northern Ontario.Mileage city 33.8 mpg US, Mileage hwy (60mph) 1.5mpg City mpg is better than the sticker claim but hwy is much less. The wind blows this car off clear off the highway. The front pillars are so thick you can hardly see around them (creates more blind spots). The rear brakes are seized by the minute with snow and ice. The car will not back up in 1" of snow on a slight slope. The wiper design and front windshield/pillars are insane. All this all does is create problems with rain/snow/visibility. The traction control is useless, it basically stops the wheels from turning completely. Not exactly peppy.

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  Worst car I ever owned - 1992 Honda Civic
  By stuckinutah - January 31 - 7:27 pm

  I purchased this car on its reputation. That was my first mistake, the second was keeping it. I have owned it for two and a half years and about 40,000 miles, but it seems like it has been in the shop more than on the road. Items fixed/replaced, head gaskets, water pump, timing belt, alternator, radiator and hoses. Plus I have to check the oil and radiator fluid every 100 miles to top them off. I put 5 quarts of oil in between each oil change, which I get every 3000 miles. It is going to be sold ,or driven off a cliff, this spring when I get a more reliable car.