Hybrid Return = Best. Civic. Ever.
Honda last put a hybrid power plant in a Civic, its best-selling sedan, in 2015. So when it was announced the Civic Hybrid was coming back, there were high expectations. They were all met and exceeded as the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is the best Civic. Ever.
The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid, either a sedan or hatchback, has received an enthusiastic welcome. The look is handsome with styling forgoing sharp edges and a busy design for a more mature and finished feel that hints Euro. Honda’s best-selling passenger car, and its second best-selling model behind the CR-V crossover, will not lose any sales with this newly designed and highly efficient sedan.
Clean and Efficient
Available in two trims—Sport and Sport Touring—the 2025 Civic Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter non-turbo, 16-valve 4-cylinder that, as the hybrid system, offers 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is not available.
The continuously variable transmission (CVT) has paddle shifters and driver selectable drive modes—Econ, Normal and Sport, and a Manual mode to use with the paddle shifters. Running on 87 octane, the EPA rates the Civic Hybrid at 50 mpg city/47 highway and 49 combined.
Clean Fleet Report had the opportunity to take the Civic Hybrid on a 970-mile, mostly freeway, road trip from Southern to Northern California and back. Using the adaptive cruise control set between 65 and 70 mph and selecting the Normal drive mode, we averaged 50.3 miles per gallon. Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience. Your numbers may differ.
Hitting the Road
The Civic Hybrid performed well, with 0-60 times around 6.3 seconds, which was peppy and plenty for all driving situations. Those numbers make it the most powerful Civic outside of the sporty Type R.
The linear throttle response delivered smooth acceleration all the way through the power band, which Honda says peaks at 6,000 rpms. Opting for the Sport mode delivered the best performance, where the steering stiffened, and the CVT’s simulated shifts were programmed to hold the rev bands just a bit longer.
The paddles have a dual use of shifting through simulated gears and also for setting the four levels of regenerative-braking. Using regen for deceleration, it slows the car without tapping the brake pedal. The paddles gave crisp shifts and added a level of control and fun. Overall, our take is Honda’s CVT is one of the best we have driven.
Honda has done a nice job with suspension on the 2025 Civic Hybrid. The drivability is wonderful, and it became apparent, very quickly, it had the feel of the size-up Accord Hybrid. The 3,252 pounds handled calmly on the highway with a stable, confident ride that smoothed-out bumps and didn’t transmit jolts into the cabin.
The rigidity of the chassis, spring and damper tuning, MacPherson front struts and rear multi-link suspension make for agile, tight and predictable handling. The electric power steering had good road feedback and is programmed with a neutral feel. The steering weight provided a good connection with the road.
The 235/40 Continental ProContact all-season tires, on 18-inch wheels, provided smooth ride quality and good traction with little tire slippage when cornering hard. Stopping was solid with anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution, brake assist and ventilated front and solid rear discs.
Aerodynamically Efficient Exterior
Now in its 11th generation, the Civic (first launched in 1972) went through a complete exterior re-imagination in 2022, and got a refresh for 2025. There are few sharp edges, aiding in improved aerodynamics to achieve increased efficiency. The LED head and driving lights are sleekly integrated next to the small upper grille, which sits above a slightly larger grille with LED fog lights in the outer fascia corners.
The nose, front bumpers, and hood are smooth; designed to direct air flow down the smooth sides and over the roof. The trunk lid with a diminutive integrated lip spoiler, LED tail lights and rear bumper and fascia all were optimized with airflow in mind. It is obvious Honda spent a considerable amount of time with the Civic in wind tunnel testing.
Our Civic had body color-keyed bumpers, door handles and shark fin antenna. The power and heated exterior mirrors were in gloss black to match the trim around the windows. Chrome was kept to a tasteful minimum, found on the lower edges of the front and rear fascia and on the badging. Exterior pallet options, at no additional cost, include Rallye Red, Meteorite Gray Metallic, Solar Silver Metallic or, the color of ours, Crystal Black Pearl. A $455 additional investment in color gets you Blue Lagoon Pearl, Platinum White Pearl or Urban Gray Pearl.
Interior Details
The front visibility is excellent due to the rake of the hood, narrow A-pillars and hidden rain sensing windshield wipers. The low-slung dash, with a unique and attractive honeycomb mesh panel hiding the air outlets, is covered in soft touch materials with gloss black trim.
Clean Fleet Report’s Civic Hybrid Touring had a solid black interior (gray is an option) with tasteful chrome touches around the touchscreen, the controls for the dual zone automatic climate system, the door handles, steering wheel and center console.
The perforated seats, center padded armrest, door armrests, shift knob and steering wheel are trimmed in leather. The seats, shift boot, armrests and steering wheel get white contrasting top stitching. The door panels and center console have an interesting surface that hides scratches and resists fingerprints. Honda has improved cabin quietness by using urethane spray foam in key places, and sound insulation on the underside of the hood, floor, fenders, carpet and dashboard panel.
The heated front seats use multiple internal structures to provide improved support across the entire body, with the driver getting 8-way and the passenger 4-way power adjustments. The tilt and telescoping steering column has good range so the driver has plenty of options to find a comfortable driving position.
The leather-trimmed rear seats are made for grownups, holding two comfortably, but three for short jaunts. The padded, fold-down armrest, with cup holders, is part of the 60:40 rear seat. That seat folds, providing a large and accommodating cargo space that rivals some midsize sedans. The trunk opening is tall and wide, with a low sill, making loading items easy. Overall, the interior build and material quality are at a high level.
The cockpit design is driver-friendly with customizable digital gauges, and a 9-inch, high-resolution color touchscreen. Our Touring model had the 12-speaker, with a subwoofer, Bose premium audio system with Centerpoint surround sound. The touchscreen handled the 3D satellite-based navigation and rear view camera. For entertainment there is AM/FM HD radio, SiriusXM (90-day free trial), Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, three 3.0A USB-C ports and a 12-Volt power outlet. The Touring trim which we were in also has Alexa and Google built in. The latter has a 3-year trial with an unlimited data plan for apps.
The Bluetooth with voice recognition worked very well, as did the steering wheel-mounted audio controls and the Qi wireless phone charging. A wish list for the audio system would be to add a channel selection knob which would join the volume knob.
Safety and Convenience
All Civic models come standard with active and passive safety features. The driver and front passenger get front, knee and side air bags, while the rear passengers get side and curtain airbags, the latter having a rollover sensor. Honda Sensing, the company’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), includes forward collision and road departure mitigation, lane keep assist, blind spot with cross traffic monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors.
Additional safety and convenience features include idle stop-and-go, automatic brake hold, a one-touch power moonroof, remote keyless entry, a security system, push button start/stop, a sliding center armrest, a tire pressure monitoring system, remote engine start, an automatic dimming rearview mirror equipped with Homelink and an electric parking brake. The driver attention monitor is a helpful driving aid that can detect a lack of attention by the driver. If you are nodding off, this system could save your life.
The 2025 Civic Hybrid received a Five Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), awarded its highest rating of a Top Safety Pick.
Pricing
The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid sedan comes in two trim levels. These prices include the $1,095 destination and handling charge.
- Sport $29,845
- Sport Touring $32,845
Warranties
- Hybrid Electric System – Eight years/100,000 miles
- Powertrain – Five years/60,000 miles
- New Vehicle/Basic – Three years/36,000 miles
- Maintenance – One year or 12,000 miles
- Anti-perforation – Five years/Unlimited miles
- Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
Observations: 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring
The quick take is the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Touring offers spirited driving with impressive performance in a well-built compact sedan. The ride is accommodating, the cabin quiet, the high fuel economy eye-popping—and it is priced competitively. Our test car, which was fully optioned, was just a tick over $32,000.
The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is the best Civic. Ever. It has great looks, rides like it is in a class-up, has all the technology you would want and is amazingly efficient. It is just an excellent sedan. Yes, even sedans can be great in a world of trucks, crossovers and SUVs.
The 11th generation Civic was completely new in 2022 and at the time may have been the most significant Civic yet. Three years later, Honda has topped itself with the new most significant Civic ever. The exterior styling is clean, elegant and mature, and the interior is as welcoming as anything on the market. Oh, the 50+ mpg almost slipped by!
The Civic offers comfort for four, with the large rear seat passenger room making attaching a rear-facing child car seat easy. The trunk is larger than expected and will swallow up gear for a long, fuel-efficient road trip. The full suite of available advanced safety systems are worth getting when buy your new Civic Hybrid.
Built in North America (engine and transmission from Japan, final assembly in Canada), the Civic Hybrid carries with it the well-earned reputation of Honda quality. Personal note: I own a 1997 Honda Civic EX with 198,100 miles, which I bought new. The engine hums like a sewing machine. Even with all those miles, it still gets 30+ mpg and doesn’t burn or leak a drop of oil. I am sure you know someone with a similar Civic story.
The Honda Civic was America’s best-selling compact sedan in 2024. To be more accurate it hasbeen the best-selling compact sedan in America for the past several years. To truly appreciate how outstandingly good this car is, go into your Honda dealer and request a lengthy test drive. Don’t accept a quick circle around the dealership as it should include highway onramps and a few tight corners. You won’t get 970 miles on it like we did, but after a few short minutes you will get it and want it.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner.
Disclosure
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at [email protected].
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