I am more convinced than ever that the Honda Civic is the best compact car on the market. I spent a week driving one recently. Wow!
With due respect to the Corolla, Elantra, and the rest of the segment, no one can match the all-around excellence of Honda’s small car, and this is especially true for its hybrid models, which are all-new for 2025.
Honda’s electrification path has been rather circuitous. Strategies have been rolled out and abandoned with little explanation, partnerships established and then quickly ended, leaving nameplates doomed to lame duck status. To those who bought the Clarity, or the Insight, or the GM-sourced Prologue, Honda sends their thanks.
The 2025 Civic Hybrid, the car Honda probably should have built a decade ago, is the real deal.
Marrying electrification to core models, something archrival Toyota has been doing for years, just makes sense. If you want to ease buyers into electrified cars, what better way to do so than with names they already know?
And with its 50-plus year history, there is no better-known Honda than the Civic. Which makes the decision to offer it as hybrid long overdue. And seeing its long-term potential, Honda says it expects hybrid models to account for about 60 per cent of Civic sales in Canada eventually.
Sold in two trims, Sport and Sport Touring, the Civic Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that’s paired with Honda’s two-motor hybrid-electric system. Total system power is rated at 200 horsepower and 232 pounds-feet of torque (motive force), making it the most powerful non-Type R Civic ever. An electronic CVT sends power to the front wheels only.
Coinciding with the arrival of the hybrids is a styling update that covers the entire Civic range. Among the changes are a new front fascia and grille, darker tail lights, and new exterior colours. Hybrid models receive a unique body-coloured headlight garnish, lower front spoiler, and unique 18-inch machine-finished aluminum wheels.
When I walk up to my Sport Touring Hybrid sedan tester, finished in Solar Silver Metallic, I don’t notice much of a difference. I see a “hybrid” badge on the trunk lid, but that’s it. Basic styling is the same, as are colour options. Even the wheels are the same size. If you saw this car parked beside a gas Civic, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
Same goes for the interior where, apart from standard leather seating, and a slightly bigger multimedia touchscreen (nine inches versus eight) that uses Google built-in software, the Sport Touring Hybrid is nearly identical to other Civics.
And this is good because the Civic has a handsome, finely crafted cabin. No need for reinvention here, because everything is so well-placed, easy to use, and the materials are of high quality.
But the drive is where the Sport Touring Hybrid really shines. Whisper quiet at start up, smooth, linear and quick acceleration response, combined with rock-solid handling make this car a joy to drive. And not a squeak, rattle or any other concerning sound to speak of. These characteristics have been Civic hallmarks for years, along with an enviable reputation for quality, but they feel more apparent here.
The fuel-efficiency gains that electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack deliver speak for themselves, but what really impresses is how effortless and familiar it seems. Going electric hasn’t robbed the car of any of its essential Civic nature. For those who like Civics for their reliable, practical, and fun-to-drive character, all that remains in hybrid form. What Honda has done here is akin to taking your favourite meal and making it taste better somehow, even when it seemed like there’s no room for improvement. That’s quite an accomplishment.
I struggle to find things I don’t like about this car. What Honda does so well with all its cars, is allow users to relax. Get in, buckle up, and breathe! The H on the steering wheel hub is a welcoming reminder of the familiar. You know this car. Even if it’s a little different from other Civics you may have owned in the past. Electrification isn’t so scary after all.
Sure, the barrier to entry is higher than it was before. A shade under $37K before taxes is a lot for a small car. There are other front-wheel drive hybrid sedans that cost less. And it doesn’t have all-wheel drive like its Corolla rival. These could be deal-breakers for some, but I suspect not for most.
If you’re not ready to go full EV, and don’t feel like shelling out for a home charger to support a plug-in hybrid, the Civic Hybrid stands ready. It’s the best Civic Honda has built to date, and it remains a segment benchmark for others to chase.
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