Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla

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The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are the best-selling compact cars in North America. In the United States, the Civic is the second-longest continuously-running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer; only the Toyota Corolla, introduced in 1968, has been in production longer. The Honda Civic is currently on its 9th generation and the current model of the Toyota Corolla is its 11th generation. Both cars are highly reliable and the decision often comes down to aesthetic appeal (which is subjective), and the discounts offered by the dealer.

Comparison chart

Honda Civic versus Toyota Corolla comparison chart
	Honda Civic	Toyota Corolla
	current rating is 3.57/5 1 2 3 4 5 (256 ratings)	current rating is 3.52/5 1 2 3 4 5 (216 ratings)

Manufacturer	Honda	Toyota
Class	Compact: 2001 - present; Sub-compact: 1972 - 2000	Compact: 1988 - present; Sub-compact: 1966 - 1987
Body style	2 door coupe, 4 door sedan, 5 door hatchback	Sedan
All Wheel Drive	None of the models offer AWD	None of the models offer AWD
Transmission	5-speed automatic, 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic	5-speed manual, Automatic-4 speed, CVT
Mileage	22-31 mpg in the city. 28-40 mpg on the highway.	29-31 mpg in the city, 36-40 mpg on the highway. The hybrid model has a mileage of about 52 mpg in either environment.
Seating Capacity	5	5
Price	$20,650 to $35,700	$19,500 to $25,450
Hybrid option	No	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Headroom (in., front/rear)	39.4 / 37.4	39.3 / 37.1
Shoulder Room (in., front/rear)	53.7 / 52.4	53.1 / 53.5
Hiproom (in., front/rear)	51.9 / 51.0	51.9 / 46.2
Legroom (in., front/rear)	42.2 / 34.6	41.3 / 35.4
Wheelbase (in.)	106.3	102.4
Length (in.)	176.7	178.3
Height (in.)	56.5	58.5
Width (in.)	69.0	66.9
Track (in., front/rear)	59.0 / 60.2	58.3 / 57.5
Fuel Tank Capacity (gal)	13.2	13.2
Curb Weight (lbs., MT/AT)	2628 / 2690	2530 / 2595
ABS	Yes	Yes
EBD	Yes	Yes
Brake Assist	No	Yes
Airbags	Yes	Yes
Advanced Compatibility EngineeringTM (ACETM) Body Structure	Yes	No
Outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)	Yes	No
Produced since	1972	1966
Daytime Running Lights (DRL)	Yes	No
Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)	Yes	No
Generations	1st Gen - 1973-1979, 2nd Gen - 1980-1983, 3rd Gen - 1984-1987, 4th Gen- 1988-1991, 5th Gen - 1992-1995, 6th Gen - 1996-2000, 7th Gen - 2001-2005, 8th Gen - 2006-present	1st Gen-E10 - 1966, 2nd Gen-E20 - 1970, 3rd Gen-E30-E50 - 1974, 4th Gen-E70 - 1979-1987, 5th Gen-E80 - 1983, 6th Gen-E90 - 1987, 7th Gen-E100 - 1991, 8th Gen-E110 - 1995, 9th Gen-E120 - 2000, 10th Gen-E140 - 2006
Basic Warranty Duration	3 Years/36000 Miles	3 Years/36000 Miles (whichever is earlier)
Power Train Warranty Duration	3 Years/60000 Miles	3 Years/60000 Miles (whichever is earlier)
Engine	1.8-liter SOHC i-VTEC	1.8-liter DOHC VVT-i
Valve Train	16-Valve	16-Valve
Horsepower @ rpm	140 @ 6300	126 @ 6000
Torque (lb.-ft. @ rpm)	128 @ 4300	122 lb.-ft. @ 4200 rpm
Cargo Volume (cu. ft.)	12	13.6
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.)	90.9	90.3

Styles

The Honda Civic is available in 6 different trims or models: the sedan, the coupe, the Si Sedan, the Si Coupe, the Hatchback, and the Type R. The Civic Sis are compact, sport versions of the cars.

Model	MPG (city/highway)	Starting Price
2019 Honda Civic Coupe	30/38	$20,650
2019 Honda Civic Si Coupe	28/38	$24,300
2019 Honda Civic Sedan	25/36	$19,450
2019 Honda Civic Si Sedan	28/38	$24,300
2019 Honda Civic Hatchback	31/40	$21,450
2019 Honda Civic Type R	22/28	$35,700

The Toyota Corolla is currently available in 7 different models. Toyota's Safety Sense feature is standard on all models, providing a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, auto high beams, adaptive cruise control, and Road Sign Assist, a feature that detects speed limit signs, stop signs, yield and other road signs and displays them on the MID. All models also offer an 8-in touch screen display that integrates with Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa.

Model	MPG (city/highway/combined)	Starting Price
2020 Toyota Corolla L	30/38/33	$19,500
2020 Toyota Corolla LE	30/38/33	$19,950
2020 Toyota Corolla SE CVT	31/40/34	$21,950
2020 Toyota Corolla SE 6MT	29/36/32	$22,650
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE	53/52/52	$22,950
2020 Toyota Corolla XLE	29/37/32	$23,950
2020 Toyota Corolla XSE	31/38/34	$25,450

Brief History

The Honda Civic was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the car provided good interior space despite overall small dimensions. Early models of the Civic were typically outfitted with a basic AM radio, rudimentary heater, foam cushioned plastic trim, two-speed wipers, and painted steel rims with a chromed wheel nut cap. The current Civic has become much more luxurious with satellite-linked navigation, a six-speed manual transmission, power locks and power windows available.

The Civic evolved from having an 1170 cc engine (1973) to having engines with larger capacities and more creature comforts (air conditioning, power windows, etc.) through the 1980s, 1990s and into the 2000s.

The Toyota Corolla was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the bestselling car in the world, with over 30 million sold as of 2007. Over the past 40 years, one Toyota Corolla car has been sold every 40 seconds. Corollas are currently manufactured in Japan, the United States (Fremont, California), the United Kingdom (Derbyshire), Canada (Cambridge, Ontario), Malaysia, China (Tianjin), Taiwan, Pakistan, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, Philippines, Thailand, Venezuela, and India. The Corolla's chassis designation code is "E", as described in Toyota's chassis and engine codes.

Luxury Features

The Honda Civic’s luxury features include a color touch screen display, USB audio, Bluetooth HandsFree, steering wheel-mounted phone controls, a navigation system with voice recognition, steering-wheel mounted navigation controls, and heated leather seats.

The Toyota Corolla’s luxury features include Bluetooth wireless, a USB port with iPod connectivity, and Entune, a multimedia system with apps, traffic, weather and navigation.

Both can be outfitted with an optional sunroof or moonroof from a dealership. For models without rear power windows, power window regulators can be purchased and installed separately. However, most new models now feature power windows for both front and rear windows.

Fuel Efficiency

Two versions of the Honda Civic have a fuel mileage of 41 mpg-US or above, according to tests by the US government: the HF model and Civic hybrid.

Current models of the Toyota Corolla have an advertised gas mileage of 29 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. Honda advertises its Civics very similarly at 30 mpg (city) and 39 mpg.

Resale Value

The ALG currently rates the 2012 Civic at 58% residual value after a three-year lease. Kelley Blue Book suggests that the current Honda Civic sedan and Toyota Corolla both have a predicted 5-year retained value of 52%.

Safety

The Toyota Corolla has 8 standard airbags — a driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System, front seat-mounted side airbags for the driver and front passenger, front and rear side curtain airbags, plus driver knee and front passenger seat-cushion airbags. The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback earned the Top Safety Pick badge from IIHS; other Corolla models did not earn this rating. The 2019 Corolla also earned a 5-star Overall Rating from the NHTSA. The 4-door model earned 4 stars in Frontal crash and Rollover; the hatchback model earned 4 stars in the Rollover category.

All 2019 Honda Civic models also received 5-star Overall Ratings from NHTSA. The only 4-star sub-scores were in the Frontal Crash category for the Coupe and Si Coupe. All other models earned 5 stars in all categories.

Safety Feature	2019 Honda Civic	2019 Toyota Corolla
Forward Collision Warning	Optional	Standard
Automatic Emergency Braking	Optional	Standard
Lane Departure Warning	Optional	Standard
Blind spot detection	N/A	N/A
Rear view camera	Standard	Standard
Anti lock brakes	Standard	Standard
Traction & Stability Control	Standard	Standard
Daytime running lights	Standard	Standard
Side airbags	Standard (front and rear)	Standard (front and rear)
Side curtain airbags	Standard	Standard
IIHS Ratings	Good	Good
NHTSA Overall Crash Rating	5-stars	5-stars
NHTSA Overall Frontal Crash Rating	5-stars	4-stars (5-star for driver; 4-star for passenger; 4-star overall)
NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating	5-stars	4-stars
NHTSA all other rating sub-scores	5-star	5-star

Extras

Both Toyota and Honda offer free roadside assistance to new vehicle owners. Toyota offers it for 2 years regardless of mileage; Honda offers it for 3 years/36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Toyota also offers free maintenance for 2 years/25,000 miles. Considering the cost of oil changes, tire rotations etc. every six months, this free maintenance is worth about $300.

Reliability

Warranty Direct rated the Honda Civic as the sixth most reliable car of the century. Consumer Reports gave the Honda Civic sedan its top score for reliability in 2008-2010, and the 2012 model got a Better than Average score, higher than any other compact car. In another study by Warranty Direct, the 2006 Honda Civic was considered the second most reliable car, with a claim/breakdown rate of 10% and electrical issues the most common cause of claims.

Warranty Direct rated the Toyota Corolla as its 91st most reliable car of the century. According to another study by Warranty Direct, the model sold in 2001-2007 was the most reliable car, with a claim/breakdown rate of 7% and axel and suspension as the most common cause of problems.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports' ranking of compact cars rates the 2019 Toyota Corolla sedan as the #1 compact car, followed by the 2018 Mazda 3, the 2019 Subaru Impreza, the 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT, the 2019 Kia Soul, the 2019 Volkswagen Golf, the 2019 Honda Civic and the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback.