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 Reliability? Dont think so. - 2005 Honda Civic
  By jebedmund - August 30 - 6:19 pm

  After recently dealing with the dreaded "blown head gasket" @ 105k miles, Im stopping by Edmunds to read others experiences. I cant believe how many people have had a blown head gasket on low mileage Civics. This is my second major complaint with the car ... the first being the air fuel sensor giving out a couple of years ago and the $400+ dealer quote on the repair. Honda should have covered both of these problems with recalls. Note to Honda marketing: *We WONT be buying another Honda*.

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  Civic si sedan - 2009 Honda Civic
  By mdschuet - August 29 - 1:16 pm

  I considered gti and civic si. Picked si thinking it would be more reliable. I was wrong. Many things have gone wrong and Honda will not fix unless you have deep pockets. Door handles stop working, trunk will stop working, and now 2nd gear is making noises and Honda wants 700 dollars just to open it up and diagnose. I bought this car to avoid this problem and here I am with the warrantee over, and transmission issues with 2.5 years left of payments. Im stuck with it now, bought it for performance and excitement but now its a point a to b car that I have to skip 2nd gear. It was fun and good until this. Get a warrantee or buy another car, I have 95,000 miles on it, and I drive good.

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  Update - 2012 Honda Civic
  By shannonb36 - August 29 - 7:37 am

  Have had my 2012 Civic coupe for 7 months and have loved every minute of it. Have put 12,000 miles on it so far. It gets me everywhere Ive asked it to go so far. I do agree with others about the blind spots, but have learned to be aware of them when changing lanes. I also agree about the acceleration. It takes a little while to get up to highway speed, but once it does it cruises very comfortably and sometimes when I look down the speed on the speedometer surprises me and I slow down quick! Still impressed with all of the features offered in an economy priced car. Very happy, very good purchase.

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  2009 Civic EX 5 Spd Manual - 2009 Honda Civic
  By mcuvelaine - August 28 - 4:00 pm

  I love this car. Absolutely love it! My last Honda went nearly 200,000 miles before it needed any serious work. I grew up with Hondas, I learned to drive on a Honda, I am 100% committed to Honda. This is a fuel efficient car. It looks sporty, but it isnt a fast little racer. With that being said, I get an average of 34-38 mpg. Not complaining. It handles great, and the comfy seats are designed to keep you planted while taking corners at lightning speed ) My one complaint is the gear box. Im not sure if the previous owner was just too rough with it or what, but shifting (either up or down) into 2nd can be a sloppy, gear grinding mess if you dont put enough force into it.

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  Junk - 2007 Honda Civic
  By josh510 - August 28 - 10:36 am

  This is my third Civic, which I bought for the looks. What a mistake. Honda cut too many corners. At least they are fixing most issues, but Im tired of taking the car to the shop. Here are my issues so far. Visors - Honda Replaced Control Arms/Tire Wear - Honda Replaced Motor Mounts - I paid for this Paint going bad - Honda will fix the hood and fenders but not the roof. Water Pump Pulley - Honda Replaced Engine Block Crack - Honda Replaced My other two Civics were great, but this one has been terrible. These repairs were made in addition to replacing the terrible Firestone tires and Honda battery (those both have always been bad). Unfortunately this will be my last Civic.

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  Amazingly thrifty on gas - 2013 Honda Civic
  By stringed - August 28 - 8:21 am

  Just bought a 2013 Civic coupe with automatic transmission for my wife last week. On a lark, I wanted to see how much mileage I could squeeze out of this car using the lightest foot possible. I needed to drive to the airport - a nearly 50 mile round trip. On the trip there, I drove with no AC at speeds between 60 and 70. The on board mileage computer registered 53 mpg! There is a minor downhill bias since I live a few hundred feet above sea level and the airport is near sea level. On the trip back, I decided to use the AC. When I arrived home, the MPG computer for the total trip read 43 MPG. Thats close to a hybrids MPG! I am delighted with this car!

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  No odometer - 2012 Honda Civic
  By softailguy - August 27 - 5:48 pm

  I purchased my 2012 Civic LX in July 2012. It now has about 19,000 miles on it. It does well on gas but I think the fuel guage is inaccurate. It supposedly has a 13 gallon tank yet even when Im on E and the range says 9 miles I am never able to put more than 10 gallons in it. And then today I left work and noticed I had no odometer display, no maintenance minder info, no fuel mpg info or range info. It just disappeared from the menu. So now I have no way of knowing what my mileage is or when to change my oil. This is my first Honda after driving Hyundai Elantras for 15 years. I should have stuck with Hyundai. Better car for less money.

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  The battery is a disaster! - 2003 Honda Civic
  By loring - August 24 - 2:33 pm

  The IMA Battery on the 2003 Civic Hybrid is/was a flawed product. My first battery failed at 42,000 miles ( at 7 years) and was replaced under warranty. The second battery has failed with less than 27,000 miles ( at 11 years) and the dealer says it will cost me $3,684 to replace it with a rebuilt battery with a 3 year, 36K warranty. So far, Honda and I have spent more on batteries than I have on fuel for this car. With a 3 year warranty on a $3,684 battery, Im planning on $1,000 per year battery cost going forward.

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  Cant go wrong - 1994 Honda Civic
  By frankjfavela - August 20 - 12:52 pm

  I bought my younger brothers 94 Honda Civic Lx after he could no longer afford it and I my 2003 Ford Expedition XLT, the MPG was killing me I was spending about $100 a week just on gas and I was only able to use it for work. The Civic was a blessing the car even though its underpowered gets amazing MPG plus filling up with only $40 a every 1 1/2 for me makes it worth every penny, the car has cosmetic issues the paint was all burned and the paint scratched but she runs like if she was new and with 138K on her already I expect another 200K easy. I would sell my Civic for anything.

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  bad reliability!!! - 2013 Honda Civic
  By buddhaphantom - August 18 - 7:30 pm

  I leased the 2013 honda civic hybrid in this April, but since the purchase, I had my taken into the sealers service department so many times on the brake and the forward collision alert, they said that nothing were wrong with the systems. But last month, warning lights came on related to the brakes and the IMA systems, then they had to fix them. I felt a little light braking feeling after the repair, but today I found out that the initial stiff braking came back, I will have to take the car to the dealer again if its warning comes out soon. the other problem is that I will have to smash my car into any front running car to get a forward collision alert. This is not a safe-guard measure