2026 Honda Civic vs 2025 Toyota Corolla

Armed with a deserved reputation for reliability, equipped with modern infotainment and safety technologies, and engineered to be surreptitiously enjoyable to drive, there is a 2025 Corolla for almost anyone. You can choose between a sedan or a hatchback, a gas or a hybrid powertrain, and front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The performance-tuned GR Corolla is a legitimate hot hatch, while the Corolla Cross, a small crossover SUV, adds extra utility, but this review focuses on the Corolla sedan.

Verdict: The Toyota Corolla rightfully has a reputation for being boring. However, the current 12th-generation model is also more stylish, technologically advanced, and rewarding to drive than previous Corollas. The new-for-2025 Corolla FX sedan demonstrates that with exclusive design details and sport-tuned steering and suspension.

It’s been almost half a decade since Honda introduced this latest Civic. That’s hard to believe, because this car has aged with remarkable grace. After a mild update for the 2025 model year, the 2026 Civic lineup carries over unchanged. It continues to offer sedans and hatchbacks, with or without hybrid power. Sporty Si and performance-tuned Type R variants are also available, but Honda still doesn’t offer the Civic with all-wheel drive. Does that matter? Seemingly not, because the Civic is Honda’s second-best-selling car (behind the CR-V), and one of the top-selling compact cars in America.

Verdict: You’ll pay a premium to buy a Honda Civic. In many ways, it’s worth the extra money. In others, not so much. Still, while there are better deals in the compact car class, few are as satisfying to drive, and that’s true even when the Civic is equipped with its base engine.