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Economy cars are not exactly known for being enthralling driving machines. For the most part, they’re meant to bring you from point A to point B as efficiently and with as little fuss as possible. But, sometimes an economy car can be a whole lot more than that. Enter the 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
Honda decided to place its brilliant little dual-motor hybrid system from the Accord and CR-V into the Civic Hatchback and Sedan for the 2025 model year, and the result is a vehicle that just might be the best NPC-mobile your hard-earned money can buy. Actually, the Civic Hybrid is so wonderful it has broken free of the NPC allegations. What Honda has here is a good-looking, practical, economical, well-equipped hybrid that will win over just about anyone — including enthusiasts who look to the Si as the budget-focused fun option.
Full Disclosure: Honda flew me down to Nashville, put me up in a swanky hotel and treated me to everything the Music City had to offer, all so I could drive the Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
I’ve driven a hell of a lot of hybrids at all different price points from all sorts of manufacturers, and I’ve gotta say, the Civic’s is just about the best in the biz when it comes to slick operation and really solid efficiency. What we’ve got here is Honda’s “Two-Motor” hybrid system that makes it the most powerful non–Type R Civic ever made. The naturally 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4 is hooked up to a two-motor series hybrid system. There’s no real transmission, even though Honda says it has an “eCVT.” This little power unit produces a total of 200 horsepower (the same as the Civic Si) and a really strong 232 pound-feet of torque that is available from 0 RPM. On its own, the gas motor makes 141 horsepower, and the AC Synchronous Permanent-Magnet Electric Motor makes 181 horsepower.
The whole package makes for a really peppy driving experience while still returning fantastic fuel economy. Honda says the Civic Hatchback Hybrid will get 50 mpg city, 45 mpg highway and 48 mpg combined. Granted, I couldn’t achieve those numbers on my 45-mile test loop, but I was driving like a goofy goober through the backroads outside of Nashville, Tennessee. I have little doubt that if you drive this thing more gently in Economy mode you’ll hit those advertised numbers and then some.
The problem is that the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is so goddamn fun to drive that you won’t want to drive it like a boring commuter car. Like all Civics, it’s an excellent handler. Sure, it weighs a bit more than the Civic Si — Honda says it’s somewhere in the 3,400 pound-range — but the returned suspension, a 0.4-inch-lower center of gravity and healthy power figures means you can have fun when the road gets twisty. The Hybrid’s steering feel is also excellent, as you may have expected from the engineers at Honda.
There’s no real way to control the “transmission,” but it does make fake shifts as good as any CVT I’ve driven. Honestly, it feels a lot like a really well-tuned automatic with real gears. Driving the Civic hard isn’t exactly terrible for fuel economy, either. There’s selectable regenerative braking with four modes controlled by paddle shifters, and when you put the car in Sport mode, the regen level you selected will stay where you left it (it defaults to 0 regen in Normal and Econ mode). I was able to almost completely recharge the car’s battery using regenerative braking while in Sport mode, which was pretty neat to see. The Sport Touring trims also get an Individual drive mode that lets you customize your drive setting.
Like all 11th-gen Civics, the Hybrid Hatchback is a great-looking car. Not too much has changed on the outside, but for 2025 the Civic gets a more aggressive grille and front fascia, borrowing from the Civic Si. The Hybrid also loses the tailpipes out back for a more eco-conscious look. Other minor tweaks include new 18-inch wheels, black window trim, black side mirrors, and body color trim for the grille surround, front spoiler and back bumper insert. The car is understated, for sure, but it’s still extremely handsome. If you ask me, it’s the best-looking of all the compact cars you can buy right now.
Inside it’s a similar story to the outside. Not too much has changed, but the updates really do make a difference in the overall package. I drove a fully loaded Sport Touring Hybrid with a $34,500 as-tested price; the base Sport Hybrid starts at $31,045, including destination. For your money, the Sport Touring Hybrid has basically every in-car feature you could hope for, including a new 10.2-inch fully digital gauge cluster and a 9-inch infotainment screen (both of which are super easy to use and have a slick operation), fantastic adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist (among a slew of other Honda Sensing safety features), dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, two USB-C ports up front, Google Built-In with a 3-year data plan (only available on Sport Touring), a 12-speaker Bose audio system, leather seats, a sunroof and, of course, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
What more could you really want from a car that costs more than $17,000 less than the average new car? You’ll be hard-pressed to find another sub-$40,000 car with a nicer interior. It’s just laid out so damn well, everything is exactly where you expect it to be.
There are no gimmicks inside the Civic, and that’s a good thing. Build quality is also really good for such a cheap car. There are plenty of nicer-than-the-price-would-suggest materials, especially on high-traffic touchpoints. The inside of this car gives a lot of higher-end vehicles a real run for their money.
Honda is launching the Civic Hybrid in both Hatchback and Sedan forms, and if you’re willing to pay the extra money for the hatch, I really suggest you do. Forget the looks and all of that good stuff, the hatch simply has more room on the inside for your stuff and your things. Honda says this little car has 99 cubic feet of passenger volume and 24.5 cubic feet of rear cargo room. That’s on par with a lot of smaller crossovers. Rear-seat passengers will also be treated to 37.1 inches of headroom and 37.4 inches of legroom, both the same as the Civic sedan. At 6-foot-1, I could fairly comfortably sit behind my own driving position. That’s not something I can do in many similar-sized cars.
Right now, hybrids are more popular than ever, so it makes sense for Honda to bring this car to the market. There’s stiff competition out there from the likes of Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. Cars like the Prius and Corolla Hybrid are both compelling packages, but they fall short of the new benchmark the Civic Hatchback Hybrid has set. For similar prices, there’s just no beating the Civic’s fantastic combination of looks, performance and practicality.
When I was first assigned this trip, I was mostly excited to drive the 2025 Civic Si. However, after spending a day with Honda’s little hybrid, I’ve got to say it won me over in a big way. Despite its economy-focused underpinnings, this Civic is a real performer, and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to win over the hearts and minds not only of folks who want solid performance but people who may have been looking at a crossover. To be honest, the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is so compelling, I can’t think of a reason you’d choose an even more NPC-like compact crossover over it. It just may have reset the benchmark for economy cars everywhere.
