The 2022 Honda Civic marks the eleventh generation for the subcompact car and is one of our favorite options in this category. Skip the expensive options, though, and stick with the basics here and you won’t regret the budget price of this one.

The 2022 Honda Civic is a very good entry in what is a competitive market. Most will find the base engine and lower-cost options to be plenty for a vehicle like this and won’t need the frills and costly upgrades of the higher trim levels. The Civic Si sport model is expensive and fun, but the same money could be spent on a much more dedicated sports car if that’s what one desires.

Our greatest complaint with the Honda Civic is how loud it is on the highway. Road noise, no matter the powertrain, is constant and heavy. In every other respect, the new Civic performs very well and is a top choice in the subcompact car segment.

The Nissan Versa has long held the title as the most affordable option in the subcompact segment. It’s fuel efficient and just as well-outfitted as the Honda Civic, but doesn’t have the reputation for reliability that Honda carries.

The Corolla has long been the chief rival of the Civic. With a similar reputation for longevity and a similar price point, the Corolla has been tough competition. Today’s Corolla, however, is not as roomy or as technologically competent as the Honda Civic.

For those wanting more room and the ability to shift gears at any trim point, the Jetta is a great choice. Smart, roomy, and well-designed, the Volkswagen has a lot of appeal. It does not have the same reliability reputation, however, and isn’t as tech savvy as the Honda Civic by comparison.

The base price for the Honda Civic is now $23,645 plus delivery. That is slightly more than before and is about in the middle of the entry price points for the compact car segment. Most buyers will probably land in the $25,000 or so range when purchasing a new Civic.

The table below shows the most common trim levels and how much they will run you.

The 2022 Honda Civic is a completely new design from the ground up. Honda kept most of the things that made this car popular, but improved in many ways as well. Gone is the polarizing styling of the previous generation and in its place is a more conventional, less divisive look. Several new technologies were added as well, as improvements in efficiency were made.

The 2022 Civic comes standard with a full suite of advanced safety features as well as driver assistance technologies like adaptive cruise control. The base model is suited for economy buyers, but includes a few modern upgrades like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and LED headlamps as standard.

Most of the trim levels of the Honda Civic can be had in either sedan or hatchback styles and come with two engine options, depending on which trim is chosen. The base engine is good and very efficient while the new turbocharged engine option adds power and fun without sacrificing too many MPG points as a result. Overall, the 2022 Civic sees about 3 mpg of average improvement overall compared to the outgoing generation.

There are five trim levels for the 2022 Honda Civic with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine outputting 158 horsepower as the base option for most of those trims. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) sends power to the front wheels. This is just about adequate for the Civic with a driver and front passenger, but gets sluggish if more people or things are added to the car.

In the upper trim levels (EX/EX-L, Touring, and Sport Touring), the 2.0L engine is replaced with a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that outputs 180 horsepower earlier in the RPM band. This engine is fun to drive and has a lot of pep, but is also louder and more intrusive than is the base option. This engine also runs to a CVT and the front wheels.

There are a couple of options for manual (six-speed) transmission on the Civic, both of which are in the hatchback model as options with either engine in only two trim levels (Sport and Sport Touring). The third option being the expensive Civic Si sedan model with its tuned turbochargers and added sport driving equipment.

We drove the 2.0L model and the Sport Touring turbocharged model for our review. We enjoyed the 2.0-liter engine more, mostly because of its predictable fuel economy returns and easily-understood power mapping. It only felt sluggish when pushing it hard to get to freeway speeds up an on-ramp with a full load of passengers. It was otherwise more than competent.

The Civic has received top marks from testing bodies for safety.

Most measuring bodies that score reliability give the Honda Civic top scores in this department. To the point that some mechanics and others in automotive use the phrase “As reliable as a Civic” when talking about high reliability vehicles. In many ways, the Honda Civic is the benchmark for expected reliability.

That has been the case for some time, as the Civic has a long history of being considered one of the most reliable vehicles available. Consumer Reports has consistently ranked the Civic as a top-most reliable vehicle for decades. Repair Pal has done the same since that site’s inception. That reputation and its continued showing in reality has helped keep the Civic as a poster car for high reliability.

There are five trim levels for the 2022 Civic. We recommend going with the base LX or the Sport model in either sedan or hatchback, depending on your needs. Going above these levels adds expensive and unnecessary equipment that can, for the most part, be had ala carte. The turbocharged engine option adds needless complexity to an already well-done powertrain.

The base model Civic LX comes equipped with all of the modern safety technologies as well as adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams. The 7-inch infotainment screen is plenty large for the size of this subcompact. The only downer are the steel wheels, but those can be optioned out for alloys if you’re in a winter climate. Or just upgrade to the Sport model (next up in trim levels) and get those alloys plus four more audio speakers for the sound system.

The warranty on the Civic is about average for the industry. No special inclusions or updates. Honda does also warranty Honda Genuine Accessories installed at the time of purchase, so that means you aren’t hoping for a dealer-backed warranty when adding on gear.

• Basic: 3 years / 36k miles
• PowerTrain: 5 years / 60k miles
• If buying used look at our best extended warranties

2022 marks the first year for a new generation of the Civic. So finding a used model is probably not realistic. Earlier generations are also very good, however, so it’s worth shopping those if you’re hoping for a good deal. It’s likely that 2021 models will be easier to come by at good prices thanks to the generational change that replaced them.

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