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:

• 

  Savings? None! - 2005 Honda Civic
  By atcpro - August 11 - 11:38 am

  The hybrids fuel economy is great until you do the math on the cost to own. Youre going to pay an extra 2k for the hybrid. Over five years, youll save about $2925 in fuel. Sounds great until you have spit out $3900 for a new hybrid battery. Honda lost their case because they knew the battery had a shorter lifespan than advertised. So they were forced to extend the warranty to 9 years. Again, sounds great until find out they did an "update" at your last service visit on the battery that extends its life another year. Ironically, just enough for the warranty to be invalid. All together, you can expect to pay about 3k more than your gas guzzling neighbor. Cust. Serv. is a joke.

• 

  Problems Since Day 1 - 2008 Honda Civic
  By shanetd6 - August 2 - 5:41 pm

  I bought this car new. 1 a half years in the block leaked all the coolant out and my car overheated. Luckily no damage to the engine. They replaced the block under warranty. Shortly after a clicking sound when I turned sharply. Dealership diagnosed it and could not figure out what it was. Finally after a few years they replaced the right front axle. Seemed fine for about six months and has progressively gotten worse. Brake pads replaced after 3 years and 60K miles. Now brakes make a horrible noise. Rotors resurfaced, bearing replaced and no change. The visibility sucks There is a huge blind spot on the edge of the windshield. Cant see people in crosswalk. Scary! Be careful.

• 

  Not again not very reliable. - 2006 Honda Civic
  By chris_m387 - August 2 - 12:34 am

  I used to own an 06 Civic it was fun to drive very responsive. But had too many problems. At 32,000miles the speakers went out warranty didnt cover it paid out of pocket, then the control arms, struts and wheel bearing were very bad had to pay out of pockets, at 45,800 replaced front brake pads. Tires worn unevenly went thru 4 sets of tire and had the same problem, I took a family road trip and out of nowhere the car lost traction and ended up spinning off road in Iowa. Had problems with the airbag sensor. At 60,000miles had to replace both ball joints. And was very bad in snow even with the best winter tires. ABS didnt work good. So I had enough and got an 07 Hyundai Sonata V6 SE.

• 

  Love 2nd time around - 2012 Honda Civic
  By tikadawn - July 31 - 3:16 pm

  I recently owned a 2006 civic coupe and crashed at no fault of my own, it was totaled, so when I got the insurance check I immediatly told my boyfriend I want another civic. He tried to get me to look at other types of cars, but I had to have my civic and I just love my 2012 automatic w/ navigation. I feel safe and comfortable with the size of the car. I dont feel the road noise as people talk about or the vibrations. My car has a smooth ride and its a step up from the 2006, but to be honest, I liked the look of my 2006, it was more sporty, but thats not neither her or there, its a great car. I get double takes on the 2012 car all the time. I know I made the right decision.

• 

  honda 2010 civic dx-vp - 2010 Honda Civic
  By stephanie35 - July 29 - 3:01 pm

  I bought this car used 1 week ago. 25,000 miles. I love it. It does not have any noise as mentioned in other review. As a matter of fact, my fiancé said it is so quiet. It does not ride rough - smooth ride. Air conditioning is great - I keep on low and I am always hot. Great car. I would recommend to anyone.

• 

  Name went on before the quality went in - 2007 Honda Civic
  By cc58 - July 27 - 7:51 am

  Had my 2007 EX coupe for 80,000 miles and 6 years now. Ive learned that honda reliability can be counted on for their recalls. It will fail if you get one. Got recall on bolt failure on water pump pulley. Shortly after the pulley fell out of the engine bay and destroyed a belt. Luckily, no other damage and was fixed for free. Got a recall on visor failure and it failed and replaced free. Got a TSB on motor mount failure, motor started slamming into chassis replaced mount at my expense. In the last few months the paint on the roof has rapidly oxidized under the clearcoat and looks terrible. Unfortunately, no recall yet on the paint and I can not afford to fix it. Honda, never again.

• 

  Great! ,,but.... - 2002 Honda Civic
  By ethelip - July 27 - 1:55 am

  Had this car for 2 years now - I drive it tough, on tough roads (NYC, dirt roads..) I can accelarate as fast as I need - even though I must use low gears & push it, she goes! Now 86K and still sounds great.

• 

  Third time charmer - 2013 Honda Civic
  By cybertrooth - July 25 - 7:30 pm

  This is our third Civic LX in a row, which kind of says it right there. I only bought this one because I promised our 07 to my college-age son. Not as zippy as the 07 with Econ button pressed, but I did get 41.7 mpg on the first road trip. Ride is also quieter and smoother than before. And one annoyance fixed: The drivers side floor mat has EZ-twist buttons for removal instead of those frustrating hooks! Ive rented just about every other small car, including a Corolla in 10, but the Civic remains the gold standard of its class.

• 

  2006 Civic: No Problems - 2006 Honda Civic
  By drm52 - July 16 - 10:05 am

  Purchased June, 2006. Daily driver. No problems. No repairs required Everything still feels tight and new. Even have the original brake pads after 84,375 miles.

• 

  Things I didnt think about FIRST - 2012 Honda Civic
  By schoolsh33 - July 13 - 12:50 pm

  Ive had 96 Civic & 98Accord. Bought 2012 Civic 4 door stick shift in May 2011. Ive always loved stick for the pickup & gas mileage. Big problems with this car. 1) NO pickup at all. Its embarrassing at a light with even slight incline & people are on your butt & go around u because it takes forever to get up to speed. If AC is on forget it, u have to turn it off until u get to speed. 2) Visibility sucks. There is a thick separator where side mirrors are making window 2 sections creating major blind spots 3) My kids cant have back window down, it causes this vibrating wind sound that hurts your ears. So, things I never thought about have made me unhappy with this car & Im trading it in