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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  Nice for Economy Car - 2001 Honda Civic
  By Phil L - February 8 - 2:00 am

  This has been a nice little car. Performance is great. The EX goes 0- 60 in 8.5 seconds, which is excellent for an economy car and is comparable to much more powerful cars. Rather harsh ride is an acceptable tradeoff for great handling and not out of line for an economy car. Funny thing I see here is the transmission that so many people complain about was built in Japan.

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  Ideal Commuters Car Thats Also Stylish - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Atomic Blue Civic - February 7 - 7:53 pm

  I was looking for a compact car with great mpg, enough room for 4 other passengers, lots of features, reliability, low-maintenance, and good resale value. Civic was the perfect fit. Just bought it a month ago. Many people complimented on nice atomic blue color. Im somewhat disappointed by the mpg. I realized that the advertised 30/40 mpg is unrealistic, but I still expected it to be better than what Im getting. I got only 21 mpg on the first tank, then average 28 mpg after that (combined city/highway). It doesnt seem to get any better, but Ill see. MP3/WMA player is nice. Audio control on the steering wheel is great. Must get used to not being able to see the front of the car.

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  Great Car for the Money - 1998 Honda Civic
  By JRHoyt - February 7 - 3:35 pm

  After 177,000 miles, The only repairs have been a new catalytic converter ($550) and an A/C compressor ($1300). This is a great car for a do-it-yourself mechanic. I now do 99% of the maintenance myself and I expect to keep this car until it reaches 300,000 miles. I bought it new in Jan. 1999. I havent even had to replace a head light or signal light bulb. I get 36.5 MPG at highway speeds, even after 9 years of use. Around town I get 29 MPG. I wish that was higher.

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  Exhaust Manifold Problems - 1998 Honda Civic
  By BigBri - February 6 - 10:00 am

  96 and 97 Civics had an issue with their exhaust manifolds cracking. The EPA forced Honda to extend their warranty. I had the exact same problem with my 98 Civic, but Honda did not assume any liability. I was unimpressed by their corporate customer service. The car is great, but that exhaust manifold was a pain!

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  New LX Sport - 2009 Honda Civic
  By oconn11 - February 6 - 5:26 am

  The new LX Sport is for those who do not want an EX (sunroof) but want upgraded class vs the LX. Just over 100 miles so far so good. Very peppy, comfy ride, handles very well.

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  No regrets - still happy after six years - 2011 Honda Civic
  By Fred - February 5 - 10:16 pm

  I bought this car new back in 2011 and have a little over 90,000 miles on it now. Other than the passenger air bag recall (which was free), Ive had exactly ZERO non-scheduled visits to the dealer, nothing but regularly scheduled services. This car has done multiple 3,000 mile road trips in summer across the California and Arizona deserts and winter, including blizzards (which I wouldnt advise no matter what youre driving). This car has always been dependable. On the long trips, Ive gotten as much as 39 mpg and never less than 35 mpg. Doing short hop, day-to-day driving, Ive never gotten less than 25 mpg and usually get in the 27 mpg range. The interior has held up including the driver seat (no holes worn into the bolster where I get in and out like in a previous car). Im a about 62", and I dont need to have the driver seat all the way back to be comfortable. The seats have been very comfortable on those long drives, much better than those in my wifes new Subaru Outback. My paint (white) has had no issues whatsoever with unusual chipping. No fading of the primary paint at all. The only paint thats faded at all is the paint on the black trim strips where the front and rear doors meet, but from what I can tell, thats very common with cars having that same black trim. My only complaints have been with the Honda dealer where I formerly had my car serviced. In winter, they filled the washer fluid reservoir with plain water which promptly froze when I drove up in the mountains. On another visit, they charged me $90 to rotate my tires, but they didnt actually rotate my tires (they were marked). I didnt notice this at first, but a week or two later when I did, I called the dealer, and they said they check to see if the tires need rotation but only rotate them if they need it, so they charged me $90 to look at my tires. That was my last visit to that dealer for service.

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  Wow, more bang for my buck - 2008 Honda Civic
  By onebigkid50 - February 5 - 8:36 am

  The Civic rides so smooth and is such a pleasure to drive. Feels like you are floating and for a car at this price range I was impressed and would have expected to pay a lot more for everything that was included. All the safety features were icing on the cake!

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  Great, dependable little car - 1998 Honda Civic
  By f150xltgirl - February 5 - 6:38 am

  I love my cCvic, it was the best vehicle purchase I have made. I drive it on a 97 mile round trip daily and have not had any problems with it in five years. I would highly recommend a 98 Honda Civic EX!

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  Honda Civic (Exceptional vehical) - 1998 Honda Civic
  By Mike McKinley - February 5 - 12:10 am

  Ive bought a Honda Civic Ex. 2dr coupe, manual trans. A little over two years ago. Even though the car was not in my posession for very long I am very pleased with its preformance as well as its reliablitly. The Civic is a common car which means upgrades/replacements and aftermarket tuning parts can be found any where and fairly cheap. It has an elegant design Both inside and out. However the performance of the viehical is fair. It sometimes can feel very slugish up large hills or with a full car load of people. Steering and handling however is exceptionaly better than other vehicals in made in 98. Overall Its a sporty fuel effecient car that is very fun to drive. Perfect for a first car!

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  One hot compact - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Graham06 - February 4 - 4:46 am

  This is an incredible little car. Honda has really produced a quality piece of equipment. The safety features are incredible for the price. Dont let other dealerships fool you. My wife and I have a Corolla and a Civic both 04 or newer and the Civic is by far the better deal. They even sell floor mats with the vehicle. Go test drive one if only for the incredible driving experience.