Used Honda Civic (2012-2017) Review

Two big reasons to buy a Honda Civic: practicality and reliability. The latter is a well-deserved reputation that’s entirely down to Honda’s meticulous engineering standards (and loyal customers regularly returning to the friendly dealer network for routine servicing).

Practicality is where it really stands out alongside the competition. The layout of the oily bits beneath is that bit more creative than many rivals, so Honda’s been able to free up extra space for passengers and luggage. If you’re more familiar with a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra, you’ll find the Civic Tardis-like.

Honda offers a wide range of trims, so there are lots of model grades to choose from. Engine choice is more limited, and only the 1.8-litre petrol is available with an automatic gearbox. But all engines are robust and powerful for their size – Honda is particularly famed for its engines, after all – meaning it’s only the lack of turbo-style pulling power at low revs from petrol versions that is likely to cause complaint.

The 1.4 is a nice engine, but it’s too small for a car this size. If you drive fully-laden, it will feel very lethargic. The 1.8 is better, with more of the famous VTEC growl at high revs. But you do have to rev it more than, say, a Focus Ecoboost petrol.

So we’d stick with the diesels, which sold well when the Honda Civic was new. The older 2.2-litre is uncommonly smooth and a pleasure to use. But the 1.6-litre, which is not quite as watch-like, is better on emissions and economy, delivering eye-widening MPG in its most economical form.

As for trims, we like our Honda Civics with lots of goodies, so would go for EX, SE Plus, or the later and cool-looking Sport grade.

The family hatchback sector is packed with alternatives, such as the aforementioned Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra. From South Korea, there’s the Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed. And from France, the Peugeot 308 and Renault Megane.

Japanese challengers include the Mazda 3 and Toyota Auris (and the now well-forgotten Nissan Pulsar). The Skoda Octavia also provides a stern challenge to the Civic in terms of sheer space and practicality

Honda assembles its cars exceedingly well. The Honda Civic is a precision-built machine, with ultra-tight build quality and a sense of real manufacturing accuracy. It’s because of this that its cars last so long and prove so robust even after years of heavy-duty use. This Civic does nothing to spoil that reputation.

Material quality, however, is another matter. It’s all nicely screwed together, but the materials themselves aren’t as soft-touch and rich as you get in some rivals. Dare we say, if you’re coming from a Golf, you might find the Civic a bit cheap-feeling.

There are just a few too many hard, thin plastics, while the seat seems cheaply-trimmed and a bit sparse-looking. Tap certain areas and you’ll hear a hollow rattle rather than the muffled thunk you get in a Golf.

Even the paint quality isn’t as deep as some alternatives. Again, it’s beautifully assembled, with tight panel gaps… but it doesn’t quite have the depth of shine you’ll find on the teacher’s pet Volkswagen Golf.

Honda badly lags behind the best in terms of infotainment. All cars come with the Honda I-MID information display, but this is basically a glorified trip computer that feeds into a fuzzy-looking screen at the base of the windscreen. It is nothing to get excited about.

Models without sat-nav have a conventional stereo, with actual buttons and knobs, which is controlled via a menu in the I-MID screen. It all feels rather old-fashioned.

Pick a Honda Civic with sat-nav and the radio display becomes a colour touchscreen. It looks a bit aftermarket and is a standalone system, rather than being nicely integrated into the Civic’s other screens and displays. It is also fiddly to use, doesn’t react very quickly and has very dated graphics.

Honda Connect, which was introduced from 2015, is an improvement, but still not great. It’s based on an Android operating system, so includes smartphone-style pinch and swipe functionality, although even this set-up feels a bit old-fashioned today.

Space and practicality are something the Honda Civic excels at, bettering almost every rival. In the front, it’s more or less the same as its rivals, with good adult-friendly seats. The windscreen is nice and deep, giving a good view forwards, and the cabin feels airy because the side windows are so large.

It’s in the rear where the Civic comes into its own. There is a lot of room for feet and knees, and good headroom, while the ample rear bench seat is comfortable and more supportive than some. The seat is broad too, taking three people without too much trouble – this is aided by the flat floor.

The rear seat-fold mechanism is brilliant. Honda calls it ‘Magic Seats’ and it’s easy to see why. When you fold the rear seat back, the base of the chair hinges down into the floor, creating a totally flat load space in one movement. It’s a work of art and opens up 1210 litres of space. Even if the front seats are slid right back, the rear seat will still fold flat.

The seat bases also hinge up, creating an open space in the rear footwell that’s perfect for bringing back that potted tree you had no intention of buying from Ikea. There are even 76 litres of storage space beneath the bench seat itself, just like you used to get in an original Mini.

Naturally, there are ISOFIX mounts for child car seats in the rear. The doors open wide, making it easier to load children in and out, too.

With the seats up, the Honda Civic's boot space totals 401 litres, which is bigger than almost every rival. The space is well shaped, dropping down nice and deep so you can carry taller loads easily. As standard, Honda fits a tyre repair kit, but a space-saver spare wheel is available as an option.

A word on rear visibility: it’s not great. That split-screen window places a massive blind-spot right in the middle of rear-view-mirror visibility. It actually blocks the headlight beam of some cars at night, so you can’t easily see what’s behind you. The rear pillars are also thick, meaning we recommend looking for a Civic with a reversing camera. At least the top half of the screen is fitted with a wiper – the Civic before this wasn’t.

The Honda Civic's dimensions are 4300mm long, 2065mm wide and 1470mm tall.

Don’t bother with the 1.4-litre petrol engine unless you’re after the cheapest-possible Honda Civic (or, as we’ll see, the cheapest to insure). It’s an engine that’s great in the smaller Honda Jazz, but isn’t big enough to convince in a Civic – as evidenced by a 0-62mph time of over 13 seconds.

The 1.8-litre is much better. Instead of a weak 100PS, it has 142PS, although you have to rev it to fully release this power. That’s a Honda petrol engine characteristic, due to the famous VTEC system, and it contrasts with the lazier, easier drive of turbocharged alternatives. It also means the 1.8 feels a bit ‘revvy’ on the motorway, due to its lower gearing.

The 2.2 diesel is excellent. It is more powerful than the petrols, producing 150PS, and has a beautifully smooth nature. It’s very hushed indeed at cruising speeds. It fell victim to tougher emissions standards, though, and was replaced by a 1.6 i-DTEC diesel. This is a little more clattery, but still very smooth for a diesel, and even the 120PS version offers decent pull. On paper, it looks a fair bit slower than the 2.2, but in everyday use the difference is minimal.

Only the 1.8 petrol is offered with an automatic gearbox option. It’s OK but not brilliant, and not a patch on the superb six-speed manual. Honda makes some of the slickest-shifting gearboxes in the world and the Civic is just one more car to benefit from them.

The Honda Civic isn’t the most refined car in its sector, but it’s hardly what you’d call loud. There’s a bit more road and wind noise than the best rivals, but it’s still acceptable.

The noisiest aspect with petrol engines is the motors themselves – because you need to rev them a bit more than turbocharged alternatives. Those who are enthusiastic drivers will love this, because Honda’s VTEC engines are charismatic (particularly the 1.8-litre), but for others, it might seem too much like hard work.

The 2.2 diesel is uncommonly smooth and free-spinning. The 1.6 is a bit rougher, but it’s still acceptable, and both settle down into the background on the motorway for easy cruising.

A strange source of noise you might occasionally notice is the slosh of fuel in the tank. Because it’s mounted right below you, a half-full tank can sometimes be audible when you’re chucking the Civic around. It’s not a criticism, just a quirk, and nothing to worry about.

A good haul of safety equipment includes front, side and curtain airbags, stability control and seatbelt pre-tensioners. All seats were fitted with seatbelt reminders. 

Safety watchdog Euro NCAP duly gave the Honda Civic five stars in 2012, with a strong 94% score for adult occupant protection and 83% for child safety. Pedestrian protection, perhaps due to that short nose, was more average, at 69%. But active safety assist features were strongly praised, with an 86% score.

For 2014, a Driver Assistance Safety Pack was introduced as an option. This brings useful active safety gadgets, including auto city braking, forward-collision warning, a blind-spot monitor and traffic sign recognition.

By 2015, Honda City Brake Active was standard on all Civics. It uses a radar to scan the road ahead and auto-stop if cars or pedestrians are detected and the driver doesn’t respond. It is active at speeds of 18mph or less. Unusually, the Civic doesn’t have a standard speed assistance device, but it does have a cut-off switch for the front passenger airbag.

The Honda Civic scored a sold 9.25 out of 10 in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Survey, which is almost surprisingly low - Honda's have a well-deserved reputation for reliability.

As a brand Honda came 14th out of 30 manufacturers for overall satisfaction, which is solid if unspectacular.

The entry-level Civic 1.4-litre comes in at a very appealing group eight insurance rating. That’s about as low as it gets for a family-focused five-door like this. Switching from the 1.4 to the 1.8 does see a big jump, though, up to group 16 – it’s unusual for such a hike between engine variants.

The 2.2-litre diesel models are pricier still, starting from group 18 in base S guise. At least the lower power of the 1.6-litre diesel saw a reduction in insurance groups, with them starting from 15. You don’t make any savings from choosing models with all the active safety options fitted, but you won’t pay an insurance penalty for picking a Sport variant either.

Sub-100g/km CO2 emissions for the 1.6-litre diesel mean free road tax (for every single version, even higher-spec models with larger and less efficient alloy wheels). That said, the 2.2 is hardly bank-breaking, with prices from £20 a year. Compared to the old diesel Civic, this saves a small fortune in annual VED.

The 1.4 petrol in its most efficient guise is rated at £125 a year, rising to £150 for models with larger alloys. The 1.8 in manual or automatic forms costs from £150 to £165.

All Honda Civics come with a good amount of equipment as standard: air conditioning, 16-inch alloys, an alarm, LED running lights, a USB socket and electric door mirrors. Honda Civic ES models add dual-zone climate control, a rear parking camera, Bluetooth, front fog lights, a nice leather steering wheel and fancy aluminium pedals. The Honda Civic EX has heated leather seats, sat-nav and a much-improved premium sound system.

The Honda Civic EX GT is top-spec and has a panoramic glass roof, xenon headlights, bigger 17-inch alloys, all-round parking sensors and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Honda Civic SE-T and ES-T grades were optionally available, including sat-nav and touchscreen sat-nav.

It was broadly the same from the 2015 facelift, although all cars now had Honda City Brake Active assist. Wheels grew to 17 inches on SE models, and the newly-introduced Honda Civic Sport grade featured black roof lining, rear privacy glass, black alloy wheels and a colour-coded rear spoiler. Honda Civic SR and EX Plus grades topped the range.