2019 Honda Civic

The Honda Civic is Honda's long-running compact car, sold in the United States since 1973 and consistently among the best-selling passenger cars in the country. Across the 1997-2026 model years it has been offered as a sedan, coupe, or hatchback depending on generation, always with front-wheel drive and four-cylinder power. Over that span it has grown steadily, and recent generations offer interior room that approaches older midsize sedans while keeping compact-car pricing and running costs.

The Civic's reputation rests on reliability, fuel efficiency, and strong resale value, and it competes most directly with the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, and Hyundai Elantra. Its audience is broad: first-time buyers and commuters gravitate to the mainstream trims, while the Si and, since 2017, the Type R draw enthusiasts. That mix, plus a large supply of well-kept used examples, keeps demand high across nearly every model year in this range.

The 2019 model: An all-new global platform brought a lower, longer body with near-midsize interior space and the first turbocharged Civic engine in the US, a 174-hp 1.5-liter, alongside a base 2.0-liter. The hatchback returned for 2017, the same year the first US-market Civic Type R (306 hp) arrived, and the Si adopted a 205-hp turbo engine. It won the 2016 North American Car of the Year award, and the Honda Sensing driver-assist suite became widely available.