What Real-World MPG Does the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Get?
Looming over Cars.com’s summer 2024 comparison of the Toyota Corolla Hybrid and Hyundai Elantra Hybrid was the specter of the return of the Honda Civic hybrid. The Civic is among the best of the compact car class, if not the best, and a hybrid version with 200 horsepower and impressive fuel economy would, on paper, likely earn the same recognition. We couldn’t secure a Civic hybrid until later in the year, however, so a true comparison will have to wait for another day. But when we did finally get our hands on a 2025 Honda Civic hybrid hatchback in base Sport trim, we had to at least see how its real-world efficiency compares to its chief rivals.
Related: 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Vs. 2024 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: Effortless Efficiency Compared
For this test, I took that Civic hybrid hatchback on the identical, nearly 200-mile route we used for the Corolla and Elantra hybrids. I started with a full tank and drove normally — neither aggressively nor hypermiling — and kept the air conditioning on, the climate control set to Auto, and the temperature comfortable. I kept the windows up and avoided using cruise control. I returned to the same gas station and used the same pump to fill up the tank again (to minimize pump-related variables). Unlike our breezy summer temps for the Toyota and Hyundai test, however, temperatures were in the high 40s and low 50s Fahrenheit. Our mission was less about whether the Civic hybrid would get the “best” fuel economy of the trio and more about whether it could meet or exceed its EPA combined rating of 48 mpg.
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The Results
After nearly 200 miles of driving, the Civic hybrid exceeded its combined fuel-economy estimate in both its trip computer, which showed 50.9 mpg, and in our pump calculations with an even more efficient 52.0 mpg; those numbers are better than the car’s EPA combined rating by 6% and 8%, respectively. That’s much lower than the Toyota (20% and 21% better) and Hyundai (20% and 12% better) achieved relative to their combined ratings in our warmer-weather testing, but still better nonetheless.
Besides the temperature difference, I was also the sole driver for the entirety of this test; in our test of the Toyota and Hyundai, Senior Road Test Editor Mike Hanley drove one of the cars, and we swapped vehicles along the route at prescribed intervals. As such, these results should not be directly compared to our previous test’s results.
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I can only speculate on what would’ve been our preferred vehicle if the Civic hybrid had been part of our earlier comparison test, but based on our collective preference for the Corolla Hybrid because of its more engaging driving experience, the Civic hybrid might’ve won handily. With 200 hp total, it’s significantly more powerful than the 139-hp Hyundai or the 138-hp Toyota, and its steering and handling are much more engaging and enjoyable than either the Corolla’s or the Elantra’s.
The combination of driving fun and impressive efficiency is part of why the 2025 Civic hybrid was recently named the 2025 North American Car of the Year, and should make it appealing to shoppers looking for a car that can handle dreary commutes while sipping fuel but still provide enjoyable moments when the road clears. With a starting price of $31,300 (including destination), the Civic hybrid hatchback is within $1,000 of the Elantra Hybrid and Corolla Hybrid we tested. It’s a bit more expensive than those cars, but it’s well worth the extra cost.
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