The Honda Civic is a peppy, fun-to-drive compact car that competes with the Mazda3, the Volkswagen GTI, and the Toyota Corolla, among others. It’s available in sedan and hatchback body styles, as well as hybrid versions of both. This preview covers the gas-only sedan.
2026 Honda Civic Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Honda Civic
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Honda Civic
The Honda Civic carries over unchanged for the 2026 model year, following a refresh for 2025. Though the Civic trails its main competitors in some areas, most notably with its modest, somewhat outdated infotainment system, it still feels fresh in other respects. This Honda is one of the best-sellers in its class, as well as one of the top sellers for the brand overall.
Design
The Civic sedan is a handsome compact car, though it blends into the crowd more than the sportier Civic hatchback. The exterior is mostly uniform in color, with subtle touches of black, particularly on the grille and lower front fascia. The Civic’s base LX trim rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels and the Sport version upgrades to 18-inch wheels.
Powertrain
Buyers will find the same powertrain across the Civic lineup’s base trims in both the sedan and the hatchback. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive (FWD), with ratings of 150 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque. That’s about on par with most competitors, and it’s a decent setup here, with adequate acceleration and competent handling. The Honda Civic LX is rated by the EPA at 32 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 36 mpg combined. In Sport trim, those numbers drop to 31/39/34 mpg.
Interior
The Honda Civic sedan has comfortable seating for five passengers. That said, the cabin is on the basic side, with cloth upholstery, plenty of storage space for small items, and not much else. The Civic Hybrid lineup hoards most of the good stuff, such as upgraded upholstery and heated front seats. The trunk stows 14.8 cubic feet of cargo, which is about average for the compact car segment.
Technology
The Civic has a simple infotainment system and hardly any options in its base trims. A 7-inch digital instrument display and a 7-inch touchscreen cover the basics, with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The audio system has just four speakers, but an eight-speaker system is available. Honda supplies two USB-C ports and physical controls for volume and other common functions. This is perhaps the Civic’s biggest weakness, since many rivals have bigger screens and more options.
