Honda last sold a Civic Hybrid in 2015, choosing not to produce one during the model’s subsequent generation (2016-2021 model years). Instead, the company sold the Insight alongside the gas-powered Civic. With the current 11th generation of the Civic, Honda is reintroducing a hybrid model, which the automaker expects to achieve up to 48 mpg combined. It's the Civic you should get because it makes a perfect daily driver.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
For the 2025 model year, the Honda Civic Hybrid is an all-new model, replacing the previously available turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder. However, it receives similar changes to the rest of the 2025 Civic lineup, including:
Honda reserves the Civic’s new hybrid powertrain for the top two trim levels in the lineup, available in sedan or hatchback body styles. Pricing for the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid starts at around $30,000, plus the $1,095 destination charge, but that’s considerably more expensive than the entry point to a Toyota Corolla Hybrid.
JD Power previously published a review of the 2022 Honda Civic. This review focuses on the new Civic Hybrid and how it potentially impacts the Civic’s overall consumer appeal.
For this 2025 Civic Hybrid review, Honda provided a test vehicle equipped with Sport Touring trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $34,500, including the $1,095 destination charge to ship the car from the Honda assembly plant in Greensburg, Indiana, to your local dealership.
The Civic Hybrid uses a powertrain similar to the Accord and CR-V hybrid models. However, unlike the CR-V, the sedans are exclusively front-wheel drive. The powertrain consists of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors that combine for 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. Like Honda’s other hybrids, the Civic’s hybrid powertrain delivers smooth and punchy acceleration for starting from a standstill to passing on the highway.
Honda estimates the new Civic Hybrid will return up to 48 mpg combined, and drivers can adjust throttle input and gauge display settings within the vehicle’s drive modes. Additionally, with paddles on the steering column, you can adjust the Civic Hybrid’s regenerative braking to four levels. However, it was on the default mode for most of my drive, where I observed 44 mpg via the digital gauge cluster.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
Honda reserves the hybrid powertrain for the top two Sport and Sport Touring trim levels. They come well-equipped with all the features you’d want, like wireless charging and a larger infotainment touchscreen. Acoustic laminated glass and other sound-deadening materials are also standard on hybrid models. On a cool, rainy day in Nashville, the car did a fantastic job keeping wind and road noise to a minimum.
A honeycomb-pattern mesh design stretches the dashboard and covers the air vents, which have controls that turn and click with precision. The Sport Touring trim I drove had comfortable heated leather front seats, and adults will also find themselves comfortable in the back row. Opting for the hatchback over the sedan will also open more room in the cargo hold.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
An improved Honda Sensing system, which includes features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance, will make long trips and daily commutes even more comfortable thanks to smoother throttle and steering inputs.
According to Honda, the updated system better detects motorcycles and bicycles and displays lanes and traffic more crisply in the center of the standard digital gauge cluster. Honda implemented smoother acceleration and braking while using adaptive cruise control, but detecting a stopped car in front can take the system a while.
Honda enhanced its infotainment system on the top Sport Touring Hybrid trim with Google Built-in. Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play worked well within the test car’s 9-inch display, but I’d use Apple CarPlay over any automaker’s interface almost exclusively nowadays.
The central display feels like it has a matte screen protector, making it difficult to scroll through menus, which have some settings buried within them. Still, thankfully, Honda kept a physical volume knob on the side because it’d be pesky to have to adjust sliders on this screen.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
Unless you’re clamoring for the sporty Civic Si or track-focused Civic Type R, the Sport or Sport Touring Hybrid is the one to get. Honda’s smooth, powerful, and efficient two-motor hybrid powertrain and enhanced driver-assistance technology make the well-equipped Civic Hybrid a pleasant daily driver.
In today’s market, there are few compact hybrids from which to choose. The Toyota Prius is now much more attractive and cheaper than the Civic, and it also has a plug-in-hybrid Prime model. It and the Corolla hybrid are more affordable and offer better fuel economy. Hyundai also sells a hybrid version of the Elantra, with a higher EPA fuel-economy rating than the Honda. Still, those cars all offer just one body style.
Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship and has contributed to Edmunds, U.S. News & World Report, and Capital One Autos.
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