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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  My First and Last Model - 1996 Honda Civic
  By Lloyd Banks - May 22 - 2:00 am

  theres a lot to say about this car, i bought this car to make it like 2 fast 2 furious and its beautiful. easy to fix up after market parts are easy to find. exterior styling and beautiful, performance is good but could be better and intererior is great. the car runs great and is reliable and is a beautiful car to drive ladies love it also ).

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  Love the new Civic - 2006 Honda Civic
  By sargepaws - May 21 - 12:23 pm

  This is the third Honda we have owned. Honda continues to impress with its design and build quality. The first trip to the pump netted 40.5 miles per gallon. The car is driven approximately 450 miles per week. 70% of which are highway miles, the remainder being stop and go city driving. The navigation system is a must have. To think I almost decided against it. These cars are hard to come by though and it was either take the Navi system or wait for another EX to arrive. The voice activation works great once you get used to all the commands. Great idea to offer the navi system as an option in this class of car. The braking system is top notch. Keep up the good work Honda!

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  Disappointed 15yr Honda owner - 2001 Honda Civic
  By traveler777x - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car in March 2003. I am the only owner of it. I have had 3 recalls and 1 MAJOR TSB (the CVT needed replacing and no one told me--i found out on my own, luckily in time!). Car drives like all Hondas ive owned (3). Very spry and quick for its 117HP. Lousy reliability this time around, a few service issues (eg. cruise light broken and badly repaired), the air condition button keeps falling off (?!), and the in-dash CD-changer gets stuck constantly. Bad Honda! Im buying a Mazda soon.

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  The car of the near future - 2004 Honda Civic
  By beemerboy - May 21 - 10:00 am

  Its a little car but its quiet, fun, peppy, and the economy is a thumb in the eye to the oil companies. The Honda quality is evident though we have a bit of a dash rattle. The two anti-theft systems got us an insurance break. The car asks nothing special of you but beware that its built for economy and not tire-shredding takeoffs. We routinely get better than 55 mpg in town and 48+ on the highway, better than the EPA numbers and better now than when brand new (10,400 miles ago). This is a CVT which "outmileages" the manual by a bit.

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  Comment of Canadian Acure EL equivalent - 2004 Honda Civic
  By jisitt - May 21 - 10:00 am

  In Canada, Honda markets a very high ned Civic called the Acura EL. This is like the EX model sold in the U.S.A. with 4-wheel disk breaks and side air bags. It is a good car, trouble free, fun to drive and economical. The only downside is soem dumbing down in amenities. My last car, an 86 Accord, had subjectively higher build quality touches like dooe bottom-mounted door- opening lights, better fitted carpeting in the trunck, object-holding compartments on the dash and more real fabric on the doors.

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  CIVIC SI 04 - 2004 Honda Civic
  By MOON - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I WAS LOOKING FOR A GAS SAVER AND FIRST SAT IN AN EX CIVIC NOT MUCH HEAD ROOM THE SALESMAN SHOWED ME THE SI. IT FEELS VERY ROOMY FOR ITS SIZE. THE SEATS ARE VERY COMFORTABLE I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED AS ABOUT A SMALL CAR AS IM A BIG GUY AT 250LBS. TO TRY OUT ITS POWER I PUT MY FAMILY IN THE CAR TWO ADULTS & 3 KIDS IN BACK, WOW PLENTY OF POWER. I WILL NEVER SIT IN THE BACK SO IM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE ROOM IN THE BACK SEAT. THE INTERIOR FEATURES COULD BE A LITTLE BETTER. VERY GOOD VISIABILITY THIS IS A GREAT FUN CAR TO DRIVES

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  Follow-up to "Spunky Little Car" - 2004 Honda Civic
  By Mom23Kids - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I mentioned my AC had no freon in my prior review, my car is now 3 months old and has visited the dealer one too many times. Turns out after 2 trips to service and a nasty letter to Customer Service, my car was kept at the dealers for an AC investigation (3 times). Turns out there was a leak. They say they fixed it, lets hope so. I would hate to associate "Lemon with Honda".

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  3rd Civic Ive owned - 2017 Honda Civic
  By Fran P. - May 21 - 1:40 am

  Coming from an old 2003 Civic manual 5 speed, it feels a bit weird to drive the new CVT. It almost feels like the engine has to catch (maybe it is the eco..not sure) as if I am driving manual. So the acceleration feels a bit lumpy sometimes as if the car has to lurch randomly, but very subtly. The electronics are good. I notice a bit of lag from time to time, but other than that - its a great addition to the car for long commutes. When I bought my car brand new, there was an issue with my trunk. I opened it, and after shutting it closed, it would not stay shut. It would continually pop open on its own and beep twice. I noticed the bottom part of the trunk weather strip was bent and distorted. I forcefully had to shut it in order for it to stay - and be mindful not to use it until I went to the dealer to have it repaired (5 hours total.) 2 hours for diagnosis, then another 3 hours another day for them to replace it :( but I still love my car. Feels fast, fun to drive, and lovely to look at. I wish they put more care into the interior of the seats and console - as once you put your arm down, it leaves white residue so that will definitely wear down quickly over the years. My other issue was I opened my trunk to inspect my car on the first night home and there were razer blades on the top of some parts. I figure thats more the dealerships wrongdoing. They admitted they use it to cut the tape and various parts off and forgotten them there. Nervous that they couldve had more that have fallen into the parts of the car...but so far it seems fine. The steering wheel makes a faint click click click noise when you turn it all the way. Not sure what that is - but it does not affect the way it drives. Overall, love the new car. Going to go the extra mile to be careful with the interior because I feel like it will definitely wear down quickly. Everything else is great - feels spacious and plenty of room to get in and out. Trunk space is huge. Love the details on the headlights and tail lights and the storage space in the middle console ! =)

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  3rd Civic Ive owned - 2017 Honda Civic
  By Fran P. - May 21 - 1:40 am

  Coming from an old 2003 Civic manual 5 speed, it feels a bit weird to drive the new CVT. It almost feels like the engine has to catch (maybe it is the eco..not sure) as if I am driving manual. So the acceleration feels a bit lumpy sometimes as if the car has to lurch randomly, but very subtly. The electronics are good. I notice a bit of lag from time to time, but other than that - its a great addition to the car for long commutes. When I bought my car brand new, there was an issue with my trunk. I opened it, and after shutting it closed, it would not stay shut. It would continually pop open on its own and beep twice. I noticed the bottom part of the trunk weather strip was bent and distorted. I forcefully had to shut it in order for it to stay - and be mindful not to use it until I went to the dealer to have it repaired (5 hours total.) 2 hours for diagnosis, then another 3 hours another day for them to replace it :( but I still love my car. Feels fast, fun to drive, and lovely to look at. I wish they put more care into the interior of the seats and console - as once you put your arm down, it leaves white residue so that will definitely wear down quickly over the years. My other issue was I opened my trunk to inspect my car on the first night home and there were razer blades on the top of some parts. I figure thats more the dealerships wrongdoing. They admitted they use it to cut the tape and various parts off and forgotten them there. Nervous that they couldve had more that have fallen into the parts of the car...but so far it seems fine. The steering wheel makes a faint click click click noise when you turn it all the way. Not sure what that is - but it does not affect the way it drives. Overall, love the new car. Going to go the extra mile to be careful with the interior because I feel like it will definitely wear down quickly. Everything else is great - feels spacious and plenty of room to get in and out. Trunk space is huge. Love the details on the headlights and tail lights and the storage space in the middle console ! =)

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  Honda Civic 06 - 2006 Honda Civic
  By hury Martinez - May 19 - 2:50 pm

  When I had purchased this car, I thought it was going to give me 40 mpg, but the average it does is 33 . I only take the freeway to work .That was my biggest thing was gas living in California. It becomes my first priority.