Having one car that does everything is a brilliant concept, but it can be difficult to find in real life without breaking the bank. If you’re shopping in the $30,000 to $35,000 bracket, you probably want something economical yet powerful, spacious yet compact, well-made, with decent tech, and oh, can it also be a hatchback? Creating something that meets all these criteria is one hell of an engineering challenge, and yet the Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback might just be the easy button you’re looking for.
Mind you, it does have some huge expectations to live up to. When I drove the Accord Hybrid last year, I mused that if Honda put that two-motor hybrid setup in a Civic, the automaker could create the greatest daily driver on the market. However, that’s just a theory – what about in practice? Let’s hit the road and find out.
[Full disclosure: Honda Canada let me borrow this Civic Hatchback Hybrid for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: Two-liter twin-cam naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle inline-four.
Battery: 1.05 kWh lithium-ion.
Output: 200 combined horsepower.
Drive: Front-wheel-drive, two electric motor/generators, one clutched fixed ratio for the combustion engine.
Fuel Economy: 50 MPG city, 45 MPG highway, 48 MPG combined.
Body Style: Five-door compact hatchback.
Base Price: $31,300 including freight ($38,461.50 Canadian)
Price As-Tested: $35,755 including freight ($42,261.50 Canadian)
Why Does The Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid Exist?
The Civic is one of the world’s best-selling cars, so building the hybrid hatchback was partly a matter of parts bin engineering. Much of the powertrain is shared with the Accord Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid, the hatchback body itself is built in Indiana, and the result is a car that just makes sense. People love Honda Civics, people love hatchback practicality, people love hybrid fuel economy, and this thing promises all three.
How Does It Look?
On first glance, the Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid looks rather smart, especially in Boost Blue. As part of the 2025 facelift, the Beluga front end’s been toned down, the front bumper deletes its fog lights and adopts more honest air curtains in place of mostly fake corner vents, and the rear bumper hides its exhaust tips in modesty. It’s a world away from the over-the-top previous-generation car, and a look that should age well.
What About The Interior?
Honda calls its interior design language “simplicity and something,” which sounds farcical until you drop down into the Civic Hatchback Hybrid’s interior and realize that there really is something going on here. The cabin’s conventional, yet thoughtfully made, with soft vinyl on the dashboard and door cards, soft stitched armrests, pleasant satin surfaces on high-touch areas, and a natty full-width air vent treatment. It’s certainly one of the more upscale compact car cabins, not quite as opulent as the cockpit of a Mazda 3, but still beautifully made.
What’s more, you get a heck of a lot more space inside the Civic Hybrid Hatchback than you get in a Mazda 3, or even in a Prius. Not only does the driver’s seat feature loads of adjustment, but the rear seat’s commodious enough for three adults to co-exist back there without much complaining, and the cargo area’s enormous. We’re talking 24.5 cu.-ft. of space with the rear seats up, just as much as you get in the HR-V crossover.
How Does It Drive?
The first thing you need to know about the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is that it doesn’t have a transmission as such. See, one electric motor drives the wheels, a second electric motor acts primarily as a generator, and there’s one fixed ratio for the combustion engine to clutch in and assist at higher speeds. The result is a hybrid with the whipped butter smoothness of an EV. Pulling away from a stop, the response is light-switch instant, and with 200 combined horsepower and electric motor torque, it’s surprisingly easy to light up a tire. Consider that your first clue to how the Civic Hatchback Hybrid isn’t like any other hybrid in its segment.
For one, it’s genuinely quick. Figure zero-to-60 mph in the low six-second range, about on pace with an early Porsche Boxster. What’s more, because the engine rarely provides direct forward motivation, the revs never soar unless you’re trying to push the gas pedal through the floorpan and Flintstone it. The result is a sophisticated sort of quiet refinement that pairs well with outstanding fuel economy. Although winter tires, cold weather, and the arrhythmic cut-and-thrust of Toronto traffic combined to tank my real-world consumption, I still averaged nearly 40 MPG in worst-case conditions, lots of short trips, and an enthusiastic foot. With a more relaxed driving environment and all-season rubber, expect well north of 40 MPG.
As for the ride and handling, Civics usually have a reputation for being more engaging than most economy cars, and this latest model’s no exception. Although the limit of grip on winter rubber is low, the chassis is so confidently exploitable that it goads you into big speed around on-ramps, while the suspension irons out pockmarked pavement beautifully. Sure, the steering doesn’t offer any real feel, but it’s well-weighted and accurate, meaning my only nit to pick is a slightly mushy brake pedal before you push through the regenerative braking and really into the hydraulics.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Short of ventilated front seats, this top trim has almost every gizmo you’d expect. Heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an easy-to-navigate digital gauge cluster, a moonroof, and all the active safety features expected from a loaded mainstream car. As a bonus, this Canadian model gets a heated steering wheel, and it gets properly toasty.
However, more impressive than the toys on offer is the fact that you don’t have to learn much to use anything. The heated seats are operated using actual buttons, all the climate controls are buttons and knobs, there’s a physical home button for the infotainment and a physical volume knob. If you hopped out of a 2012 Civic and into a 2025 model, it would feel substantially more luxurious, but it wouldn’t feel like a spaceship. That’s a huge win for Honda.
Also worth noting, the Bose eight-speaker audio system is definitely one of the cleanest branded audio systems in the subcompact segment. It’s not quite as crisp as the Bose system in the Mazda 3, but with surround sound turned off and a few little equalizer tweaks, I have no real complaints for the price.
Three Things To Know About The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback
- It doesn’t have a transmission.
- Because the driver’s heated seat button can be obscured by the steering wheel, Honda thoughtfully displays the heated seat level on the touchscreen.
- The side-mounted roller-style cargo cover can be turned 180 degrees for better left-handed operation.
Does It Fulfil Its Purpose?
The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback doesn’t just fulfil its purpose, it’s a new benchmark. In every category, it’s absolutely, perfectly, precisely enough. You’ll never want more, but you also won’t want to settle for less. Sure, it’s expensive for a compact hatchback, but when you consider that it offers Prius-like fuel economy, crossover-like interior and cargo space, sport compact car-like acceleration, the right amount of tech, and the right amount of luxury, its price can be justified in a heartbeat. As an all-rounder, this is the best new car you can buy for around $35,000 fully loaded.
What’s The Punctum Of The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback?
Honda might’ve just made the perfect daily driver.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
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I like the Civic enough, but at $35k I am giving a hard look at the Prius Prime. Yes that will be a “base” Prius, but that is usually more than enough bells and whistles for me.
If I’m buying a new car, I’m afraid I’d have to lose the 8mpg and go for the Si with the manual transmission.
Now all it needs is a plug in hybrid version with at least 30 miles of range and it’ll be perfect.