2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is so good that I came away from my week-long test believing it was pretty much the perfect car — until I looked at the price.

Handsome, practical, reasonably efficient, and a darling to drive, Honda was firing on all cylinders when it designed this gas-electric wonder. But that perfection comes at a significant cost, which might be its downfall in this price-sensitive segment.

Power 9 / 10

But first, the good stuff — and there’s a lot of it, because Honda has been making compact cars for an awfully long time. The hybrid version of the Civic is available in two trims, Sport and Sport Touring, and both benefit from the same powertrain that uses a 2.0L gas engine and electric motors to make 200 net hp. Shared with the larger Accord Hybrid, the powertrain feels generous, offering about 60 hp more than the gas-electric Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra. It’s even more than the sport-oriented Civic Si provides, and just about the same as the Elantra N Line.

Driving Feel 9 / 10

Despite outmuscling the Civic Si, its automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT) means the hybrid model isn’t quite as fun to drive. That’s not to say it’s dull, though. Smooth power delivery combines with a taut (but comfortable) suspension to deliver a confident drive. The Civic Hybrid never forgets that it’s a compact car for the masses, but it’s a fine example of the ways in which a well-engineered automobile can be pleasing to everyone.

Take, for instance, the steering. Sharp and precise, it will please drivers who dream of attacking apexes and winning grands prix. However, those same qualities make it an easy car to steer smoothly, giving drivers consistent feedback and confident control over the car, leading to smooth highway drives that help protect passengers from the dreaded spectre of nausea.

Fuel Economy 8 / 10

That power comes at the cost of fuel efficiency, but it’s only a small price. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) estimates the Civic Hybrid will consume 4.9 L/100 km in combined driving, which is just 0.2 L/100 km more than the considerably less powerful Elantra Hybrid or Corolla Hybrid. With all-wheel drive, which isn’t offered by Honda, the Corolla Hybrid slips to 5.3 L/100 km.

While it might be a problem for some buyers that the Civic is not available with four driven wheels, a good set of winter tires will make up for that in the real world, so, personally, I’d pick the extra power and fuel savings of the Civic over the additional driven wheels of the Corolla.

No matter which model you choose, you’re saving a significant amount of fuel when compared to non-hybrid compact sedans. For reference, the Nissan Sentra, Volkswagen Jetta, and unelectrified Civic sedan consume 6.6, 7.4, and 7.4 L/100 km combined, respectively, according to NRCan.

Styling 7.5 / 10

I also happen to think the Civic Hybrid is more attractive than its competitors, though I’ll admit that its commitment to inoffensive design makes it a little dull. Like a charcoal grey suit, there’s nothing wrong with the Civic’s styling, but it doesn’t really stir the soul, either.

The same goes for the interior, which is nice. It really is! But I hope you’ll read that with the defensiveness I wrote it with. A long horizontal line across the dash incorporates the air vents in a really cohesive and premium-vehicle-adjacent way, but the all-black interior becomes oppressively dark when the sky is grey and vitamin D is scarce. It doesn’t help that the only alternative interior colour option is the same shade of grey as a January cloud.

User-Friendliness 9 / 10

Although the interior is a little German in its ruthless simplicity, the upside is that translates to good usability. Physical dials with a screen inside control the HVAC system and are a perfect marriage of the conventional and the digital, which is a useful analogy for the rest of this interior. Meanwhile, the Google-based infotainment system was simple and easy to use during this test.

Comfort 8 / 10

The seats are comfortable, too, and they could be adjusted in eight directions in this top-of-the-line Sport Touring Hybrid. The cheaper Sport Hybrid, meanwhile, has a six-way manual adjusting driver’s seat, and both models come with four-way manual adjusting passenger seats. The rear seat is comfortable and the headroom is adequate if not generous.

All trim levels benefit from laminated glass and solid build quality, making the interior calm and quiet, even on long highway drives with winter tires equipped. Meanwhile, though the suspension is taut enough to fill a driver with confidence on a highway onramp, it’s compliant enough to handle pothole-stricken streets without shaking your fillings out.

Safety 9 / 10

Both hybrid models are available with a wide array of active safety technologies, such as forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking, lane departure warnings, lane keep assist, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and more. The only add-ons the Sport Touring Hybrid gets are front and rear parking sensors and low-speed braking control.

In terms of passive safety, the Civic Hybrid excels, too. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the car a five-star overall safety rating after crash testing it. Even more impressive, it was one of just two small cars to earn a Top Safety Pick rating under the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) new-for-2025, more difficult crash test regimen (only three small cars earned the higher Top Safety Pick+ rating, among them the Civic Hatchback). That means that, in addition to offering excellent safety for front-seat occupants, it’s among the best vehicles in the industry when it comes to protecting rear-seat occupants, too.

Practicality 10 / 10

The Civic sedan is also surprisingly practical. The passenger compartment is spacious and full of handy cubbies, it has a 60/40 split folding rear bench, and the trunk is the biggest in the segment, offering 425 L of capacity; most of the competition tops out at around 400 L.

Features 7 / 10

The picture starts to become less rosy when it comes to features. The Civic Sport Hybrid (the most affordable hybrid sedan) comes standard with heated front seats, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, synthetic leather and fabric upholstered seats, an eight-speaker stereo, and remote engine start. While Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard in the entry-level hybrid, drivers must connect their phones to the car using a wire. Equally unfortunate are its infotainment and instrument screens, both of which are a measly seven inches across.

This tester, a Sport Touring Hybrid (which starts at around $40,000), comes with a nine-inch touchscreen with a Google-powered interface and a 10.2-inch instrument display. It also gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, and an upgraded stereo. Although it isn’t surprising that these features are optional in this segment, competitors offer some of these features in mid-trim models, making Honda look a bit stingy for reserving them exclusively for the top-of-the-line (non-sporty) trim.

Value 6 / 10

The rosyness fades further when we start talking about money. The most affordable Civic Sport Hybrid, starts at around $36,500, and although it’s nice, it isn’t exactly loaded with luxuries. So it comes as a bit of a disappointment that it costs around $5,000 more than the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, and $6,000 more than the most affordable gas-electric Toyota Corolla sedan. Worse still, it’s not like Honda offers that much extra equipment. At around $31,000, the Hyundai offers a larger screen than even the Civic Sport Touring Hybrid (which costs $9,000 more), a comparable stereo, sunroof, adaptive cruise control, and more. 

The Verdict

I’m a big fan of the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid. It drives wonderfully, looks nice, can haul a lot, and is efficient enough that the slight deficit to its two biggest electrified competitors can easily be overlooked. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a compact sedan, whether they’re on the hunt for fuel efficiency or not. But the reality is that its price is a major problem. In the compact car segment, in the midst of an affordability crisis, and with the competition that it has, it’s difficult to justify the $5,000 price premium, and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for considering it a deal-breaker.