2025 Honda Civic Hybrid: Blending fun and efficiency, but comfort is a question

2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited vs. Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring: Fuel-sipping small hybrid battle.

This week: 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid

Price: $31,950 is the base price for this model and trim level.

Conventional wisdom: Motor Trend likes the “smooth, assertive, EV-like acceleration; engaging steering, handling, and braking; easy mid-40s fuel economy.” However they thought the “infotainment graphics look dated,” and that it suffered from “no true one-pedal driving” and “no rear climate vents.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Level up to fun in the Civic Sedan Hybrid.”

Reality: They’re not lying about the fun thing.

What’s new: The Civic gets a refreshed look outside, and this whole new hybrid powertrain underneath. (The model was last offered in 2015.)

Competition: In addition to the Elantra Hybrid, there are the Kia Niro Plug-in, and the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Prius, and Prius Plug-in.

Up to speed: The little Civic Hybrid has nice pickup. It really feels almost like an EV — smooth, quiet, no problem getting its roll on — and I swear I wrote this before reading Motor Trend’s assessment. (I consult the conventional wisdom pieces only on the day I put the finishing touches on the column.)

I drove it in Normal mode for hundreds of miles and was happy enough with the performance. Then I wanted to blast off from a standing start at one point so I switched into Sport and it picked up even more.

We rode over some of Pennsylvania’s tallest mountains at highway speeds and never did the Civic lose power.

It gets to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, according to Car and Driver, running rings around last week’s Elantra Hybrid.

Shiftless: The Civic Hybrid features a two-motor hybrid system rather than a CVT or shiftable transmission, and it worked fine.

On the road: I put about 700 miles on the Civic going to Niagara Falls and back, and the highway manners of this small sedan are awesome. The ride is smooth, the handling is nice enough, and the view is good. I appreciated the rear wiper, which seems to be hard to come by today lest manufacturers appear to be selling you a hatchback in the U.S.

As a hybrid, the rubber is geared toward efficiency so it’s not being all it can be on country roads, but again Sport mode maximizes fun from the front-wheel-drive sedan.

I made one foolish, impatient maneuver — passing a truck and then needing to make a right turn — and while I allowed the big vehicle space, I wished for more. I cornered quickly so as not to be an even bigger glass bowl, and the Civic really made some noise about that.

Driver’s Seat: Past Honda Civic seats have been etched into my spinal column and have really left me miserable. Every time I try the Civic, I’m hoping it’s better.

The center of the seat has a knuckle right in the center that could benefit immensely from a lumbar control switch. But alas, none is available, and the interwebs are as displeased as Mr. Driver’s Seat about that oversight.

I felt pretty good the whole way to Canada. I had been suffering a nagging pain in my hip that predated the Civic’s arrival and may have started with the Miata clutch and been exacerbated by all the walking in Ontario. (The falls are worth the trip. Bird Kingdom is a real treat. Eat authentic South American at Fork-you.)

We got back into New York State, though, and the seat started driving me mad. I was ready to cut a hole in the center, but I soldiered on. (A stop at Paula’s Donuts in Tonawanda, N.Y., helped).

The pain did get better, and my hip did heal. But consider this a warning: Try the Civic out as much as you can before buying. Make sure it doesn’t cause any aches.

Friends and stuff: The rear seat is quite comfortable for the price point. The leather coverings are nice, but up front, I was fixated on the lumbar. In the back, there was no problem, and it felt more luxurious.

Headroom is tight, with my head against the ceiling, but legroom and foot room are generous.

Cargo space is 14.8 cubic feet. Even though it has a hatchback door, cargo numbers weren’t provided beyond this.

In and out: The Civic sits a little low, as sedans do, but not too terrible for entry and exit, and certainly better than the Elantra.

Play some tunes: Sound from the Bose Premium Audio system is very good, about an A- or maybe an A.

With many driving miles to practice, I found the controls simple, with an external volume dial and everything else in the touchscreen.

Keeping warm and cool: The HVAC is even more seamless. Two dials control temperature, another handles the fan speed. A button changes the blower source. And a clear little screen lets you know everything that’s going on.

Fuel economy: The Civic was averaging 44 mpg when I took delivery, and it stayed there for over 600 miles, dropping only a bit when a heat dome arrived to cook us all.

Where it’s built: Greensburg, Ind. Half the components come from the U.S. and Canada, while 20%, including the powertrain and transmission, hail from Japan.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Civic Hybrid reliability to be a 3 out of 5.

In the end: Despite that seat issue, I’d still recommend a hybrid car that delivers 44 mpg — more if you don’t drive like a maniac like me — and still has decent performance and comfort. If you’re complaining about the price of cars and ruling this one out, the problem is you.