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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  Honda Headaches - when will I learn ? - 2009 Honda Civic
  By topsail33 - July 15 - 10:16 pm

  2009 Civic Hybrid. IMA light comes on (aka the Light Of Death). MPG instantly drops 10 mpg. Dealer says its throwing codes hes never seen before. Has to charge $140 to do further diagnostics. Calls and says the battery module fan is toast.....$700+ to fix. So, for $900, I can get my car back to where its supposed to be. $900 completely negated ANY fuel savings for owning a hybrid. Out the window. Never again, will I buy a Honda. They dont back up their brand for beans. This is not a fluke, either. I own an 08 Civic Hybrid also. Its battery crapped out, luckily with 2k miles left on the warranty. Otherwise, I would have been out over $3k for that.

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  Love my Honda but.. - 2009 Honda Civic
  By kiralee1 - July 14 - 9:01 pm

  I got this car used with about 25,000 miles on it and its at 62,000 miles now. Really fun to drive, nice handling, and exceptionally reliable. Ive never had any mechanical problems, just regular service. It does really good in the snow if you put beefy snow tires on. The biggest problem is the paint. Its peeling everywhere and rusting. Honda said they dont cover the paint because of where I live. Ive had a few older Hondas and they have all had paint issues. They are a more expensive economy car and I think they should have higher quality paint. If you get a lower end civic get better wheels put on. One pothole and the wheel will bend. Overall a really great car.

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  Dont Buy - 2010 Honda Civic
  By dabatangelo - July 14 - 1:17 pm

  Ive had my hybrid for 4 years. It gets about 26 mpg in the city and 32 highway. It is even worse in winter I had to replace the battery after just over two years and 27,000 miles. Im at 49,000 now and it feels like I need to do it again. The tire gauge is constantly going on even though the tires have full pressure. I recently bought new tires and they said that the gauge inside the tire was broken but a month later the tire light was going on again even with full pressure. I wanted to keep this car for ten years but dont look forward to having to buy a new battery every two years or so. I had better mileage on my gas Civic.

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  My 04 Civic is a dream - 2004 Honda Civic
  By em7rulez - July 10 - 1:26 am

  I remember when I wanted this car it was all i could think about. Owning a 1992 Camaro prior to this car made me appreciate the value this car offers. The civic is a VP and this model does a good job at offering great gas mileage, speed, handling, and overall quality. The previous reviews on this car is exactly right this car is the most efficient coupe you can buy today period. You can mod it to make it even better than what it is. I drive to work and I only have to fill up at least every other week and a half. I can go two weeks and 3 days without filling this car up. I purchased this car used at 65,000 miles and i have 86,000 miles and i plan to never get rid of this car.

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  SIfy Fun - 2014 Honda Civic
  By 370zsifi - July 4 - 8:58 am

  The lines on the car, to my eye, are well thought out and handsome. Although I have not put allot of miles on it yet, it is immediately apparent it is screwed together well. Just feels like a solid car. In the end if you are looking for a daily driver that is economical to purchase and own, one that is safe, that has got enough, "sport" to put a smile on your face, So far, for me, the SI nails it."

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  my 2nd civic coupe ex (after 8 months/6k miles now) - 2013 Honda Civic
  By thwipp89 - July 4 - 4:34 am

  i had a 03 civic ex with 131k miles and for 10 yrs, it was nearly perfect. in its 11th year it was showing its age just a little. i think i got spoiled at not having to put money into it, outside of regular maintenance. anyway, i figured almost 11 yrs was a pretty good run and honda had 0.9% for *60* months, which is rare for honda. also, the 2013 got really good reviews as a bounce back from a semi-disappointing 2012 model. the comfort of the seats (tho ive read some complaints) and the road noise is MUCH improved from my 03 model, aswell, imo. the technology made a big jump, too. i hope the reliability continues. my former civic was the best car ive owned, BY FAR.

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  Civic LX best engineered car I have ever seen. - 1999 Honda Civic
  By hans_pcguy - June 29 - 2:16 pm

  I was a mechanic previously. I bought a 1999 Civic new when I worked as a process server in Boston MA. I drove 200 mi per day for the first year. I got in a total accident with 2,400 miles on the car and the insurance wouldnt replace it. They paid more than new car price fixing it. I kept it. It now has 230k mi. Not only have I never had problems with it, as a mechanic I do my own maintenance. It is the easiest car I have ever worked on. Front brakes take me 15 minutes. The only work that was at all difficult for me was timing belt (the crank pulley bolt is hard to get loose.) With 230k miles I still only have to change oil (synthetic every 5 to 8k miles) never need to add oil!

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  Gets better... - 2013 Honda Civic
  By rick4924 - June 27 - 7:22 am

  I have had my 2013 Civic EX Sedan now for over 6 months. I initially had trouble getting comfortable in the seat but now that I have adjusted the horribly forward-tilted headrest and found a seat height and steering wheel adjustment that works for me, I find the car comfortable for my daily commute. Other than that, the car is flawless so far and has that "Honda Feel" behind the wheel that only a Honda can provide in my experience - like its connected to you in someway and always seems to know what you want to do!

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  Rattle rattle rattle - 2014 Honda Civic
  By music4life85 - June 24 - 1:32 pm

  Maybe its because They just redesigned the coupe for 2014, Im not sure, but before hitting 1k miles I have two incredibly annoying rattles - one coming from the steering column and one coming from the back shelf above the rear seat. Took to dealership and of course they cant find it (doesnt help that all the roads in the area are freshly paved). Gas mileage is....okay. Where I live in N Florida its incredibly hot and very hilly so not surprising that with the ECO Im still only getting 25mpg city. Otherwise the car is great. Honda really revamped the Civic to compete well with other small cars.

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  Bad Rear Control Arms - 2007 Honda Civic
  By kgoz - June 23 - 6:46 pm

  The 2007 Civics have been involved in a class action lawsuit involving the rear control arms. If you purchase a used civic make sure the rear control arms have the letter "C" stamped on them, otherwise you will rapidly wear out tires. The fix for this problem costs several hundred dollars (and Honda WILL NOT PAY for the repair). Fuel economy is excellent.