Reintroduced for 2025 after nearly a decade hiatus, the Civic Hybrid is back and better than ever. Not only is it far more fuel-efficient than the regular Civic, but it’s considerably quicker, too. Add in the smooth way the powertrain operates, its sharp handling, a reasonably comfortable ride, and intuitive controls, and this is one of the best compact cars on the market.
In fact, the 44 mpg overall we measured in our tests not only makes the Civic Hybrid the most fuel-efficient Civic you can buy, but it’s also now the most powerful, aside from the ultra-sporty Civic Type R.
“Wow, this is a fantastic car,” enthused one of our testers. “It has the excellent handling, great styling, and interior simplicity of the regular Civic, but with an amazing powertrain that gets fantastic fuel economy.”
The Civic has long been a top compact car performer in Consumer Reports’ testing, consistently delivering lively handling, good fuel efficiency, and decent reliability. But, a pleasing powertrain and a comfortable ride haven’t been part of the mix recently. But now, that’s changed.
“This car is easy to live with since it doesn’t have any convoluted controls to learn. But more importantly, it’s fun to drive,” said one of our testers. “The quick and responsive steering, along with a decent amount of power boosted by the hybrid system, make this quite an enjoyable car on a twisty backroad.”
Unfortunately, as is the case with many Civics we’ve tested over the years, the interior gets loud on the highway, and its low-slung stance makes it a challenge to get in and out of.
We bought a 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport for $30,300—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Civic Hybrid is assembled in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.
Driving experience
When it comes to numbers, the Civic Hybrid’s 44 mpg overall is a pretty darn good one, though to be fair, it does trail the hybrid versions of the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla by 4 mpg. What helps make up for that efficiency deficit is the way Honda’s two-motor hybrid system mimics the upshifts of a regular automatic transmission. When accelerating, the continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) found in many other hybrids allow the engine revs to soar quite high, producing unpleasant noise and—in some cases—bringing annoying vibrations.
But the Civic’s hybrid system makes for a much more refined power delivery, aided by the smooth and quiet way it switches back and forth between electric and gas propulsion. Thanks to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and the hybrid’s electric propulsion (for a total system output of 200 horsepower), the Civic Hybrid’s 7.5-second 0-60-mph time is more than two seconds quicker than the regular model.
Suspension changes for the 2025 model year, along with the added weight of the hybrid system, have made for a much more compliant Civic than the stiff and choppy one we last tested. Yet the extra pounds haven’t diminished its handling prowess. It still feels nimble, engaging, and fun to drive on a twisty road. The steering delivers satisfying feedback to the driver, instilling confidence to attack turns with verve. Even when pushed to its limits on our track, the Civic Hybrid held its own and managed a commendable 55 mph through our avoidance-maneuver test.
The Civic Hybrid also performed very well in our braking tests, with short, consistent stops on both dry and wet surfaces. In a relatively unique move for a hybrid, Honda allows the driver to select from among four levels of regenerative braking by using paddles located behind the steering wheel.
Unfortunately, the Civic’s cabin is still loud. Road noise gets so elevated at highway speeds that occupants have to raise their voices during a conversation, which gets tiring on long drives.
Cabin comfort
As with many sedans, the Civic’s low-slung stance makes it difficult to get in and out of the cabin, requiring ducking on the way in and hoisting up to get back out. Once in, there’s good headroom, but the plastic center console intrudes into the driver’s right knee space. We also thought that the armrests were a bit light on padding. Still, the cabin is relatively roomy by small sedan standards. Visibility is surprisingly good for such a low-riding car. The roof pillars are pretty thin, and the windows are airy most of the way around.
As we’ve experienced in several recently tested Hondas, the front seats in our Sport Hybrid were a letdown. Most drivers wished for greater adjustability and better lower back support. We missed having any type of lumbar adjustment and the ability to tilt the leading edge of the bottom cushion up a bit. The rear seat, however, is reasonably roomy and comfortable for the small-car segment.
As with most compact cars, the Civic’s interior isn’t fancy, but it gets the details right. We particularly enjoy the cool honeycomb dashboard vents, as well as the distinct “click-click” when you turn the high-quality climate-control knobs.
The Sport trim comes nicely equipped, including a standard sunroof, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control. The Sport Touring Hybrid adds leather seats and a premium audio system.
Controls and usability
In an era of touchscreens for everything, the Civic’s simple and straightforward controls make the car feel approachable. We appreciate things like the buttons at the base of the infotainment touchscreen that make it quick and easy to change between menus. We also love the physical buttons and knobs for the climate controls and entertainment system, as well as the traditional gear selector. You have to step up to the top-shelf Sport Touring Hybrid if you want wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which also gets a larger 9-inch infotainment touchscreen with built-in Google software, including Google Assistant and Google Maps.
Active safety & driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.
We’re happy to see that the Civic comes standard with both a rear occupant alert system and a belt minder. The former is designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat at the end of a trip to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. The rear belt minder alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.