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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  05 Civic Value Pkg (Black ) - 2005 Honda Civic
  By Steve - June 29 - 8:23 pm

  The fit and finish on this car is incredible for an economy-type vehicle. The seats conform to the body extremely well; the car handles turns and curves like it is on rails. Value Package boasts a nice a/c, dual vanity visor mirrors and cd player. The maintenance schedule is remarkable: 10k miles between oil changes under normal driving conditions? WOW! 110k before scheduled tune up? Now thats what Im talking about. 29/38 MPG? I have only had the car for four days, but I am excited to see how much $$ I will be potentially saving by not having to visit the pump as often.

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  A Solid Compact Car - 2003 Honda Civic
  By Brioski - June 29 - 8:06 am

  Leased it brand new a year and a half ago. I put on quite a bit of highway mileage the first year. It handled nicely on the 25-30 Mile commute to and from work. On much longer drives (>100 miles) the seats become uncomfortable and lower back support is poor. Performance is good for zipping around town by yourself. Get 2-3 people in the car and your enjoyment decreases greatly. Drive up an incline with passengers and get ready to give it the gas. Transmission is amazing, ultra smooth even under hard acceleration. Engine noise acceptable, but buzzy at higher RPM which you will notice because to get decent acceleration the car must gear down and rev up a lot. No real complaints

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  Keep up the good work, Honda! - 2006 Honda Civic
  By jennifer - June 26 - 4:20 am

  Having owned a gas-guzzling sports car, this car is a blessing. I went in searching for an Accord but drove out in the Civic. Way more personality and it sees to have more get-up and go. But maybe its just me. I dont think theres a better car out there right now! (in its class, of course!!)

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  Very Nice - 1997 Honda Civic
  By jofaile - June 26 - 2:00 am

  Good performance (I have bumped mine up to 141 hp), nice styling (mine is black /w pearl coat), and awesome reliabilty (havent had a problem with it yet).

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  Ok, but not great - 2016 Honda Civic
  By KC - June 24 - 9:42 am

  THE BAD: no classic volume control knob; ugly 90s style dashboard back light control stick that doesnt work during the day anyway; climate options slow response up to few seconds; you cant access on-screen controls (audio, climate, etc) once you are on driving Reserve or have right turn signal on (this should be available to override); terrible mirrors - feels like you are drunk when you look at them - pick interiors reflections easily which adds extra distractions, curved left edge on drivers mirror adds more confusion than help; plays mp3 from USB flash drive but only if USB port between seats is used, from one give you error message about music files being invalid format; no control over the way mp3 folders are listed (looks like they are listed by date created rather than alphabetically), also random in folder function doesnt work correctly (occasionally jumps to other folders too - very annoying); no option to create playlist or fav list; interface not exactly intuitive, no theme preview etc.; mirror and rear cameras quality not good as expected (early 00s quality); super ugly and oversized passenger airbag status light; not much space under the radio/display console; plenty of space between; transmissions shifts weird when try to accelerate quickly; some weird bumps on the floor (driver and passenger, looks like something, but designed that way) THE GOOD: very quiet comparing to previous editions; nice seats; sticks to the road pretty good; nice rims; remote engine start option; occasionally feels like you drive hybrid; good overall, probably best buy for such budget

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  Civic Re-designed - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Bob - June 23 - 2:53 pm

  In search for a reliable and sporty commuter car the new Civic came up on my list for consideration. Price and performance (40 mpg) were factors for a tie breaker, this is were the Civic coupe won us over. From the unique instrumentation layout to the ergonomics of driver position and controls it was evident that a conciderable amount of thought and design went into the Civic. To that end there are hundreds of sensors and electronics in this vehicle that can cause havoic. We have had a problem with the "check gas cap" since we drove the vehicle off the lot. Dealers response was check the cap.... Fit, form and function... great!!

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  Amazing car! Better than Prius - 2006 Honda Civic
  By SF - June 23 - 7:53 am

  I am very impressed with this car! The 06 HCH is far superior to the 05 model. In fact it is far superior to the 05 Prius. The 06 Civic Hybrids build quality is very high with a near luxury car feel. The road handling is stable with excellent steering and control. The 06 HCH is quite stable in high winds and truck turbulence. Far more stable than the Prius, as road tested. Road noise is very quiet and the interior feels roomy for a compact car. Quieter than my previous Audi A4 and 05.HCH. The Styling is forward looking and truly ergonomic. The seats are very comfortable (Im 59"). The GPS nav system is great and performs accurately. MPG actually as advertised! Wow.

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  The Energizer Bunny - 1993 Honda Civic
  By rolande23 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Bought at 122,000 miles now at 174,000 miles! With regualar care this car will last forever. The only indication of age are blemishes on the body. The handling is great, Ive dug into corners and beaten-up the shocks on dirt roads and it feels remarkable strong and resiliant. The 5spd transmission makes up for the 102hp engine. The interior is comfortable but dated with its slider controls all of which still work beautifully. With the exception of the chrome detailing on the exterior the body is subtle attractive yet . This car definitely grows on you.

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  Enjoying my cute lil Honda Civic Coupe! - 2008 Honda Civic
  By Kristen from MS - June 22 - 5:53 pm

  I just traded my 2006 Honda Civic SI coupe in for something that was cheaper, less to insure, and something I didnt have to put premium gas in. So I decided to get a new Coupe LX civic. I got it in an automatic, I was getting a little tired of driving a stick anyways. Very nice for the price. I got mine at less than invoice price, thanks to my helpful Honda dealership. Love the tan interior, although I think it will get dirty fast. Only thing I dont like is when I put the car in park my door unlocks itself. I mean what if I was shopping and someone came up and mugged me as soon as I parked? Just dont think its a great feature, since I would think most people who buy this car are female.

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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Zach Hill - June 22 - 3:09 am

  This vehicle, my 3rd new car and my 7th car overall, has required more preventative maintenance and more repair than all my other vehicles combined. I have had to had the transmission rebuilt every 65k miles. This vehicle is not modified (minus rims, which were only added 8k miles ago) nor ever been taken to a track or ridden hard but the transmission has utterly failed multiple times. The paint (which is covered by warranty) peeled off the car within 65k miles as well, requiring a piece-meal repair job resulting in a vehicle which is now multiple shades of blue. The interior, which is this soft-touch foam/plastic combo, cuts easily from any impact leaving scars all over the interior and the pseudo-suede used on the seats and arm rests easily gunks up in high-humidity resulting in a filthy-even-when-clean appearance. The performance leaves much to be desired, as there is ZERO clutch-feel and the throttle is unresponsive and "mushy". The steering does respond well with wider tires, but the stock tires sizes were appalling. Moderate acceleration resulted in a burn-out in first and second didnt have the power to pull you from a stop. The tires themselves, even after twice-a-year alignments, never lasted longer than 30k miles per set (typically 22k) because of Hondas drastic negative camber recommendations for rear-wheel alignment.