Johnathan Walker:The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is definitely the one you want

If it sounds too good to be Johnathan Walkertrue, it probably is. Who hasn’t heard that a few hundred times? When an automaker tells you the new model has 11 percent more power, 31 percent more torque, and at least 36 percent better combined fuel economy, and it only costs $1,800 more, you’d be forgiven for being skeptical, but the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is the real deal.

What you get

For the ’25 model year, the new Civic Hybrid replaces the top two trim levels, EX and Touring, and their shared 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. Instead, you get the new Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring trim levels with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder backed by Honda’s two-motor hybrid system good for a combined 200 hp and 232 lb-ft. That’s 20 more horsepower and 55 more lb-ft of torque with a weight gain of just 282 pounds over the nonhybrid Sport trim level.

On top of that, the hybrid returns an estimated 50/47/49 mpg city/highway/combined for both Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring trims, up from 33/42/36 mpg in the old EX model and 31/38/34 mpg in the old Touring model they replace. That means you’ll go another 73 to 135 miles on a tank, depending on which trim levels you’re comparing.

You can also get the Civic Hybrid in both the sedan and hatchback body styles in both trim levels (on the latter, the hybrids replace the EX-L and Sport Touring trims).

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What it costs

Of course, nothing is free, and there have been some price hikes across the board. Price hikes on the nonhybrid LX and Sport models range from $300 to $700, while the new Sport Hybrid is $1,800 more than the old EX, and the Sport Touring is $1,200 more than the old Touring. (We're talking sedans for now, because Honda has yet to release detailed pricing for the 2025 Civic hatchbacks.) More important, the Sport Hybrid is now $2,500 more than the nonhybrid Sport, whereas the old EX was only $1,400 more than the old Sport. That’s a bigger gap to bridge, but if you can swing it, the new hybrid powertrain is the one to have.

What else you get

More than just a question of paying for itself in fuel savings, the Sport Hybrid is an objectively fancier car than the Sport model. In addition to the power increase and fuel savings, you also pick up a sunroof, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control. You also get active noise cancellation for a quieter interior and tires that are both quieter and more fuel efficient than on the lower trims.

Go whole hog on the Sport Touring model, and Honda will even put special resonators in the wheels to quiet the road noise down even further. We’ve long chided Honda for its noisy interiors, and if nothing else, you can’t say the company’s not listening. The Civic Sport Touring was impressively quiet inside, the engine sounding a bit loud when it fired up only by comparison because we’d become so accustomed to how quiet it was slipping through traffic on electric power only. It was covered up anyway by tire noise as we reached freeway speeds, but it was still easy to hold a quiet conversation. Sport Hybrids will likely be a little louder inside, but then they’ll ring up under $30,000 ($29,845 to be exact), whereas the Sport Touring will set you back $32,845.

That top-shelf price tag does buy you a few other niceties. All Civics get wired CarPlay and Android Auto, but the Sport Touring makes it wireless. It also gets a bigger screen with built-in Google Maps, Assistant and other features. Then there’s the Bose stereo, power front seats, wireless phone charger, parking sensors and automatic wipers. You can live without those things to save some money, but they're all certainly nice to have.

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What it drives like

Add-ons or not, you’re going to like the way the hybrid powertrain drives. All that extra torque delivered immediately makes the lithe little Civic feel properly quick darting through traffic. Most owners will never bother with the drive modes, and in truth, they don’t need to. The car is quick and responsive in its default Normal mode, happy to leap into any hole in traffic both at city speeds and on the highway. Sport mode just makes the throttle more sensitive and the steering a skosh heavier, Eco the throttle dull and the air conditioning duller. You’ll be fine in the default setting.

Weight gain or no, the Civic Hybrid still rides nicely and handles the big potholes and patches quite well. Lean on it around a freeway cloverleaf, and although it’s no Si or Type R, the Sport Touring clearly still knows how to have fun. If you’re choosing this model over the performance-minded options, you’ve made peace with not keeping up with Ferraris on mountain roads. But that doesn’t mean the Civic Hybrids are boring to drive; they’re just not as aggressive as the specialty models.

If the new Civic Hybrid isn’t in your budget, don’t fret. We remain big fans of the current nonhybrid Civic — it claims No. 1 spots on both our compact sedan and hatchback Ultimate Car Rankings — and one should treat you fine. If you can spring for a hybrid, though, it’ll be worth your while.

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