Honda Civic Review & Prices
The latest Honda Civic is great to drive, well put together and is fuel efficient too, but it just looks a bit dull
- Cash
- £34,371
- Monthly
- £426*
- Used
- £27,495
What's good
What's not so good
Find out more about the Honda Civic
Is the Honda Civic a good car?
If you’re in the market for a mid-size hatchback, the Honda Civic is likely to have crossed your mind to some degree. It’s a stalwart of the category, alongside other well-known cars like the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Toyota Corolla. But unlike those cars, the Honda was highly commended in the Comfortable Cruiser category of the 2024 Carwow Car of the Year Awards.
The Civic is a bit like the Subway sandwich chain, though. Undoubtedly more popular over in the States, it’s a well-known name on UK shores but it’s also rarely anyone’s immediate choice. Is this new model set to change that?
Styling-wise, probably not. Though by no means a bad looker, this iteration of the Honda Civic feels a little uninspiring. Even more so when compared with the rather wildly-styled previous model. 18-inch alloys on higher-spec models do sharpen it up a bit, but not drastically.
You might get a sense of the same thing by looking at the interior. There’s a lot of greys and black — not exactly bold — and it’s pretty conservatively styled.
That’s where the negatives end really, though. Build quality is really impressive, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any scratchy plastic. There’s a nice, low-set driving position as well and Honda sticking to physical controls for most functions pays off here.
Video group test: Honda Civic vs Vauxhall Astra vs Ford Focus vs Volkswagen Golf
All versions of the Honda Civic come equipped with a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The base software is easy to use and comes with satellite navigation, but you’d be better off connecting your phone to take advantage of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Top-spec Advance versions get a fully-digital driver’s display with configurable displays, but lower-spec models need to make do with a clunky half-analogue solution.
Space in the back of the Honda Civic is pretty good, even for the tallest adults. Headroom is a tad compromised by the sleek roofline, but legroom is very impressive.
As for boot space, you’ve got 404 litres to work with. Compare that with 361 litres in a Toyota Corolla, 380 litres from a Volkswagen Golf and 375 litres with a Ford Focus — it’s pretty impressive.
More impressive though is the way the Civic drives no matter the situation. It’s a delight around town with well-judged steering and decent visibility, plus manoeuvrability is really good.
It rides rather nicely over bumps and potholes in the road too, which favours it both at low speeds and when taking on a motorway. The latter is helped even further with decent sound insulation, and standard-fit adaptive cruise control.
Like opting for a korma at a curry house, the Honda Civic may seem a boring option on the face of it — but once you tuck in, there’s plenty of flavour to unlock
None of that compromises fun, either. You get the sense Honda developed the Civic with the Type R firmly in mind. The car is quick to respond to movements in the steering wheel, and the car remains pretty flat through corners — there’s no wobbliness to it.
All versions of the Honda Civic use a hybrid setup, combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor. Together, they produce 184hp, which is plenty for the car. Official tests have the Civic as returning 60mpg, with a few hours of mixed driving routes for this test returning an impressive 58mpg.
Low running costs are guaranteed, but you’ll have to be ready to stump up a fair bit of cash. Honda doesn’t offer a cut-price, lower spec version of the Civic at the moment so its starting price is considerably higher than its alternatives.
That said, this new-generation Honda Civic is set to be a serious contender as the king of the mid-size hatchbacks. You’ll just need to live with the anonymous looks.
Keen to make the Honda Civic your next car? Check out the latest deals through Carwow to see how much you could save, or browse the latest used Honda Civics and other used Honda deals. And if you’re looking to sell your current car, see how Carwow can help you with that too.
How much is the Honda Civic?
With the Honda Civic having a limited selection of trims, each with a lot of equipment, its starting price is higher than key rivals like the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf. However, once you compare like-for-like specs, the Civic is competitively priced.
The Honda Civic has a RRP range of £34,970 to £39,795. However, with carwow you can save on average £2,223. Prices start at £34,371 if paying cash. Monthly payments start at £426. The price of a used Honda Civic on carwow starts at £27,495.
Our most popular versions of the Honda Civic are:
Model version | carwow price from | |
---|---|---|
2.0 eHEV Sport 5dr CVT | £34,371 | Compare offers |
Performance and drive comfort
The Honda Civic is comfortable around town, great on a twisty road and comfy on a motorway, with occasionally groaning brakes the only real downside
In town
In town, the Honda Civic is effortless to use. Visibility is fantastic thanks to a low-set dashboard and a big windscreen, making it easy to see out of junctions and park too.
Light steering helps with that too, and it rides nicely over lumps and bumps in the road. You’ll find the Civic’s hybrid powertrain spends a good amount of time in electric-only mode which keeps it pretty quiet. In fact, the only real noise that might bother you is an occasional groaning sound when you’re crawling along - though by no means a dealbreaker.
As standard, every Honda Civic is equipped with a reversing camera, along with front and rear parking sensors.
On the motorway
At a cruise, the Honda Civic remains quiet and composed. There’s little in the way of bumps coming into the interior and, despite running in EV mode a lot of the time, you don’t get much in the way of road noise coming in. You’ll get a little bit of noise coming from the engine under heavier loads, but nothing unbearable.
Adaptive cruise control comes as standard across the range as well. This allows you to set a speed, which the car will maintain while also managing a safe distance from the car ahead. It’s a really handy system for longer, more tiring journeys.
On a twisty road
You might think the town and motorway capabilities would hamper the Civic on a back road, right? Well, no. It’s absolutely fantastic when taking on the twisty stuff too.
The steering feels near-pinpoint, and the engine does a fantastic job of simulating a real automatic gearbox despite having none at all.
There’s real composure in the chassis, too. There’s very little lean through the bends and the suspension doesn’t send any jolts through to your hands.
Despite being a hybrid with a focus on fuel economy, the Honda Civic’s engine performs remarkably well when you’re giving it the beans, too. There’s no real delay to speak of in the throttle input, power delivery is really smooth and consistent - and there’s plenty of poke to it too.
Space and practicality
The Honda Civic offers a big boot and a decent amount of space for your passengers, though taller occupants may desire more headroom
Space in the back seats
Thanks to the Civic’s growth in size, it’s now even more spacious in the back. Kneeroom is very good, and there’s lots of space to stretch out - though if you’ve got three passengers in the back, shoulder space against the doors can get pretty tight.
That sloping roofline does have an effect on headroom, though. Passengers over six feet won’t want to spend much time in there, but if you’re just ferrying the kids, there’s loads of space.
There are a couple of USB-A charging points of the rear (no USB-Cs, sadly) as well as some decent-sized door bins. You’ll also have a central armrest with two cupholders integrated, along with ISOFIX mounting points for the rear seats.
Boot space
You’ve got 410 litres of boot space to work with. That puts the Honda Civic well ahead of the Toyota Corolla’s 313 litres, the Ford Focus’ 375 litres, the Volkswagen Golf’s 381 litres… you get the picture. It’s massive, and up there at the top of the class. The exception being the Skoda Octavia, which has a giant 600-litre load space with the rear seats in place.
It’s worth noting range-topping models with the upgraded Bose sound system do have the total space knocked down to 404 litres. This hit is taken in a small space on the right-hand side of the boot, where the subwoofer resides.
You do have to contend with a slight load lip, but it’s nothing ruinous. Just something to keep in mind if you’re regularly loading big items.
There’s a little bit of storage under the floor, although it’s recessed for a spare wheel — something you can’t get for the Civic in the UK.
You’ll also find a few tie-down points scattered around, along with a 12v socket to allow you to charge smaller electrical devices.
There’s no separate latch to fold the rear seats, but you can reach them easily from the boot to drop them down so it’s not a huge issue. However, they don’t fold completely flat - making it a little bit of a pain to pack in larger items.
Interior style, infotainment and accessories
The interior of the Honda Civic feels great and is packed with features, but there’s an argument that it looks a bit too dull
The interior of the Honda Civic isn’t much to get excited about visually, but the design is very neat and tidy.
There’s a strong use of high-quality, soft-touch materials throughout which give it a premium edge. It’s also worth noting that the Civic has separate, physical buttons for the climate control system — much appreciated in a world of manufacturers moving these into the infotainment system.
Top-spec Advance versions get a fully-digital driver’s display with configurable displays, but lower-spec models need to make do with a clunky half-analogue solution.
All versions of the Honda Civic are equipped with a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The base software is easy to use and comes with satellite navigation, though you’d be better off connecting your phone to take advantage of the standard-fit Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Efficiency, emissions and tax
There’s only one engine choice for the Honda Civic. It’s a hybrid setup, combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor. Together, they produce 184hp, which is plenty for the car. Official tests have the Civic as returning 60mpg, with a few hours of mixed driving routes for this test returning an impressive 58mpg.
For comparison, official tests of an equivalent engine Toyota Corolla hatch have it returning up to 57.7mpg.
Emissions figures weigh in at 108g/km. According to 2022 vehicle tax rates, this means a £160 first tax payment when the car is first registered. Each year following will be a £155 annual payment.
Safety and security
When Euro NCAP tested the Honda Civic in 2022, it awarded the hatchback a maximum five-star rating. It excelled in adult occupant protection, and scored highly across the board for child and pedestrian protection, along with its high level of standard-fit safety equipment.
Reliability and problems
With the Honda Civic fresh on the market, it’s hard to say if reliability will be a concern in future. However, Honda typically has an impressive track record with reliability.
Each Honda Civic is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile warranty from the manufacturer, which is the basic level offered by mainstream manufacturers in the UK. Some, including Kia and Hyundai, offer as much as seven and five years respectively.
- Cash
- £34,371
- Monthly
- £426*
- Used
- £27,495
Configure your own Civic on carwow
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*Please contact the dealer for a personalised quote, including terms and conditions. Quote is subject to dealer requirements, including status and availability. Illustrations are based on personal contract hire, 9 month upfront fee, 48 month term and 8000 miles annually, VAT included.