Honda Civic vs Toyota Yaris iA

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.

Cutting to the chase, I like the Toyota Yaris iA. However, it is important to make a critical distinction between the Yaris iA and a standard Toyota Yaris hatchback.

The iA sedan was originally a Scion. When Toyota cancelled that youth-oriented brand after the 2016 model year, it folded the iA sedan into the existing Yaris lineup of 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks, which have nothing in common with the iA sedan aside from a nameplate.

While the Yaris hatchbacks offer tempting levels of utility, the Yaris iA sedan is the one you want if you’re shopping for a small and affordable Toyota. That’s because aside from Toyota emblems and a questionably styled face, the iA sedan represents 100% Mazda goodness.