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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  Not too bad - 1999 Honda Civic
  By Thomas - October 17 - 8:05 pm

  So far ive put 5k miles on the car in the last 4 months. The gas mileage is awsome, ive been averaging 29-30mpg and im an aggressive driver. I"m more interested in performance and sportyness ratehr than comfort but this car does a little of both. I drove it on a 6hr trip and I was fine. There is quite a bit of road noise that could be delt with by adding some more insulation to the car, theres only a couple squares of foam in the floor. The car is light and handles very well. The engine is kinda sad but Honda has managed to get well within the 100hp/L, something most american cars never achieve. The stereo isnt all that great and the quality of the interior components arent very good.

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  Great Car - 2008 Honda Civic
  By Todd - October 17 - 7:03 am

  I was shocked on a highway trip to get 41mpg on the highway... far better than the 26 I used to get with my last car, a BMW. I am a tall person, 62 and easily fit in the car. I love the sporty styling and well appointed ergonomics. This car has great visibility due to the huge windshield. You will ride very low to the ground... but Im sure that has something to do with reducing drag.

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  Awesome Car, but good thing its a Honda.. - 2006 Honda Civic
  By wendtsc - October 16 - 1:26 pm

  I love this car, but... There have been two things about it that have me concerned about down the road. One, the fuel economy has been in the low 30s! This is even driving at an avg of 30 to 40 mph. I know they are suppose to get better after the break in, but I have never had a car that got 45% below the sticker ECONOMY! Two, the check engine light comes on randomly, and when I take it in to the dealer, no one knows what the engine error code means. I felt sorry for the dealer. They called Honda repeatedly over two days and no one at the factory knew anything about the 06s. So, they just clear the error. Unfortunately, the lemmon law doesnt protect against poor mileage or performance.

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  A nice car - 2008 Honda Civic
  By dan - October 14 - 10:40 am

  Been driving this for less than a month now, it has 1200 miles on it. So far it absolutely amazing. Its really fun to drive, Great care for a good deal. You can always buy more comfortable seat add-ons. Blind spot can be easily fixed. Just adjust mirror to see more of the next lane, so all you have to do is turn head once and look at in mirror. Parking is not an issue, can always reverse and re-park. Kinda huge, but its fine.

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  A good vehicle, a tad pricey - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Numba1Stunna - October 12 - 11:06 pm

  So far, it has been a good car (had it for a month so far), but its still just a civic. It lacks power, bold design, etc. But its an econo car, so I wont make those negatives. The gas mileage is great and I still havent worked the car in yet. The interior design is good, but the layout is sort of poor for certain things. The outside is kind of boring... looks like a big bubble. The gauges are very cool though, always excites people. Underneath the hood is cramped. The inside trunk release is HORRID. I personalyl tested it, it barely glows, and there are other things glowing inside so its confusing. I knew it was there and barely got it. Imagine a little kid who has no idea trying to get out.

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  Honda is a waste! - 2008 Honda Civic
  By Dennis Guardado - October 12 - 9:50 am

  My purchasing process at the dealer was great but not until i drove it out of the dealer (purchased on 11/23/07). Imagine having a service for your car the 1st day you buy it, thats what I experienced for a hose blowing off the coolant system. Now i have another problem took my car in 6/13/08 had a engine light on and they replaced coils and plugs and again 6/14/08 took it again for service because it had an engine light on again and the tech told me that i red lined the car, they had to adjust the valves and cost me $216. Now on 6/27/08 my engine broke down in the highway and now they tell me that Honda wont cover anything because of the past history of redlining the car. Limiting that it was my prob

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  Great car but cloth seats s--k! - 2016 Honda Civic
  By LS - October 11 - 9:03 am

  Great MPG and pick up in highway. Cloth seats with the foam like touch are cheap and hot on back & fanny. This car would be great if it wasnt for the seats. Will give more info on seat material soon. Suggest you Spend extra on leather seats.

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  Love my Hybrid - 2005 Honda Civic
  By HybridFan - October 11 - 5:33 am

  I absolutely love my Honda Civic Hybrid. It has all the great features of the mainline Civic (already the most popular compact car in America) with the added perks of the Hybrid technology. It looks, feels and drives exactly like a traditional Civic model (unlike the quirky Toyota prius model - I feel like Im in a space mobile). I average about 45mpg (in both city/highway driving). The extra money I spent on the Hybrid has already come back to me with my tax credit. On top of this, I feel an extra sense of satisfaction when I make fewer stops at the gas station - which is saving me hundreds of dollars each year. I highly reccommend this vehicle to anyone who is in the market for a new car.

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  3000 mile update - 2006 Honda Civic
  By walter - October 10 - 8:20 pm

  After 3000 miles I am still amazed at the value this car represents. One online reviewer used the word “engaging”, and I can’t think of a better one. If you enjoy being totally engaged in the act of driving, you must have this car. It is quick, it handles very well, it has everything you could want as standard equipment, and even driving with right foot firmly planted on the accelerator we are getting 27 mpg in daily driving and 31 mpg on long trips. We have had only one warranty issue with the car; the dealer installed the 8 disc CD changer incorrectly. It was fixed in 15 minutes when we took it in to have it repaired.

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  Little car.....HUGE FUN!!! - 2002 Honda Civic
  By Caldge04 - October 10 - 4:20 pm

  I just bought this magnificent car and instantly fell in love with it!!!.... of course Ive owned four other Hondas prior to this one and I am a Honda fanatic!!! Ever since the movie series "Fast and Furious" came out when i was a teenager who was just starting to drive, I instantly became immersed into Japanese cars, more in particularly Honda. For the next three years i wished and dreamed of owning my first honda and on a day seemed for doom with $8k at my side i finally found my first honda.... a 93 Honda del sol with a jdm gsr swap mildly built! When i happily paid the guy the $7500 cash for it, which i drove four hours to get, i felt like i was dreaming!!! With this first honda so many feelings immersed me, but mainly an overwhelming sense of joyous pride....HONDA PRIDE!!! The first 48 hours i owned this car i did NOT get out of it, I drove it everywhere and slept in it the first night in it! Fast forward ten years later and three hondas more in my belt, ive always dreamed of the ep3 si hatchback, in particular a black one with white wheels. On one morning before work I found my next baby....a black 2002 Honda Civic Si Hatchback with white wheels and mildly modded with all bolt ons, a k-pro tuning system, and aftermarket suspension. The week leading up to the buy of my life was the longest week of my life but the day finally came! A day that seemed to evade me for years was finally upon myself and quickly seemed to be set for failure, everything and anything seemingly went wrong...uuuntil... it seemed the Honda Gods smiled down upon myself and made this car destined to be mine! I finally made the 1.5 hour trek to the car...there she sat like the most gorgeous sexiest girl in school back in my high school days...the transfers took place and within the first few moments sitting in the seats of this seemingly rare gem of a Honda ( dont see many if any of this particular models around anymore )my pulse sped up, palms got sweaty just as when i bought and drove my gsr swapped del sol the first time, and in my head all i could hear was the song from the honda commercial with the car driving through the car engineers head and the lyrics all about the thrill of it playing in my head....then with a turn of the magic key there she purred, so elegantly she looked just absolutely astounded i gently pulled out and onto the road, a road that this car was destined for like the curvy roads of a mountainous Japanese back road! I hit the gas and so smoothly glided the s bends and nineties like it was nothing, so with the car seemingly begging for more i gave it full throttle and she ran through that road like a thorough bred horse at the Kentucky Derby! This car is an absolute amazing car, but so is any Honda in my opinion! For only being a 2002 this car was way ahead of its time with all the instrumentation, the cars sleek design is way ahead of its time, the changes made with K series motors and ivtec, this car is an absolute positively beauty!!! Honda you have really nailed it as you always do, and you were my favorite when i was 15 and still so fifteen years later with my new ep3, which by the way only has 60,000 miles, and Honda you will always be my favorite car manufacturers!!! To anyone and i mean ANYONE looking to find something thats reliable, fun to drive, sporty, and has great pop, go look at one of these or any Honda for that matter and test drive it an BUY IT!!! Im really looking forward to the much anticipated Civic Type R to come out but while i admire from afar i will be smiling ear to ear driving this gem for the next 5-10 years easily!!! Moreover in short, this car is as close to perfection as you can get, now dont get me wrong its not as fast as a lambo or bugatti but its got plenty of pop n power for only being a little four banger, but with some serious mods you can make a honda faster such as my buddies seafoam color eg hatch that runs 8.68 in the quarter mile at 175mph! So for all the haters out there....yes ANY Honda has loads and loads of potential!!!