| Pros | Cons | ||
| ✓ Impressive MPG | ☓ Took awhile, didn’t we Honda? | ||
| ✓ Good (and readily available) power | ☓ No rear HVAC vents, USB ports | ||
| ✓ Comfortable, spacious interior | ☓ Outstyled by the Prius | ||
| ✓ Practical layout |
The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback promises an affordable, efficient package.
Sometimes in life, things just don’t work out. That’s a bit of a weird take to bring into a brand-new car review, I’ll admit, but that’s what I had in mind as I arrived in Nashville, ready to drive the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback. Just a few short years ago, Honda dropped its short-lived third attempt at the hybrid Insight — a car that blazed a trail as the most fuel-efficient car on sale around the turn of the millennium, but by its third generation…Well, let’s just be blunt and say it flopped hard. Now, as the automaker rolls out a revamped and expanded Civic lineup to include a 50-mpg hybrid model, I want to answer a couple questions: Is it all for the best, and should you spend your energy, time and money on Honda’s hybrid hatch?
Andre and I went out to Nashville, Tennessee to see what’s what. On a core level, the Civic Hybrid Hatchback (shown here in the top-end Sport Touring trim) isn’t terribly different from the sedan Tommy and I drove in Montreal over the summer. As you’d expect, the hatch offers some more practicality at the back, while you also get the same sort of upgrades featured across the rest of the updated 2025 Civic lineup.
Like the sedan, the Civic hatch offers two powertrain choices. The base Sport still rocks the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that we’ve had these past few years in the eleventh-generation model, putting out 150 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque through a CVT to the front wheels. The bigger story, of course, is the two-motor hybrid setup in the mid-range Sport Hybrid and the upper-end Sport Touring Hybrid that Honda brought us out to review. (We also took a look at the refreshed Civic Si, which you can learn more about here). Opt for one of the hybrid models, and you’ll get the same 2.0-liter engine, but with an electric motor setup that boosts output to 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque.
Pricing for the 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback kicks off at $28,545 for that base Sport model, while the electrified variant starts at $31,045 for the Sport Hybrid.
The perfect combination of power and efficiency?
While hybrids have been around for a couple decades now, demand is stronger than ever for these cars to make an entrance. To that end, I’m happy to report that the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid (in either sedan or hatchback form) offer up a surprisingly fun experience while still getting at least 50 mpg.
With 232 lb-ft of torque on tap, you actually get 40 lb-ft more than the 1.5-liter turbocharged Civic Si. Thanks to a direct-drive setup similar to the Accord Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid, this punchy little hatch feels nearly as quick as its enthusiast-focused counterpart, although this model is about 300 pounds heavier than the sedan-based Si (for about 3,300 pounds) thanks to the electric motor and battery pack onboard.
Even with a bit of extra heft, the eleventh-gen Civic’s chassis setup and well-weighted steering make the hybrid variants fun to toss around. Even better, the updated models are a little more rigid thanks to reinforcement along the B-pillars and behind the rear doors that also aim to improve the car’s safety in side impact crash tests.
Beyond its tossability, the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback is a comfortable ride as well. Not only do you get nice, comfortable seats, but Honda added in wheel resonators to dial out some of the road noise that makes it into the cabin. Hybrid models also have “Active Noise Control”, which uses microphones inside the car to cancel out some of the ambient drone we’re used to in older Civics.
I’d classify the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback’s interior as simple, but effective.
If you’re used to what the Civic’s looked like over the past few years, you won’t be shocked by what the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback (or its gas counterpart, for that matter) offers. Base Sport and Sport Hybrid models still get a 7-inch infotainment display, while the swankier Sport Touring Hybrid gets a 9.0-inch unit instead.
It’s not the same system as before, however, as this one offers snappier processing and Google built-in apps, putting Google Maps and the Google Assistant within closer reach, since it’s now natively baked into the system. It’s a little disappointing that it’s only available on the top-end model, as is Amazon Alexa integration, but at least the Sport Touring Hybrid isn’t terribly priced (more on that in a moment).
Some good news: Even on trims where you don’t get Google apps baked in, you do still get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability, so you aren’t losing much. Better still, dual-zone climate controls and heated front seats are standard on all Civic Hybrid models.
Up front, all 2025 Honda Civic models get USB-C ports for phone projection and charging, instead of the old, rectangular Type-A ports. On the down side, however, Civics don’t offer rear passenger HVAC vents or USB-C ports, which is a bit of a bummer. Fortunately both hybrid and nonhybrid models are packaged well, so the back seat is still decently roomy for a compact car. With the rear seats in place, the hatchback also offers up 24.5 cubic feet of cargo volume, with loads more (though Honda didn’t clarify exactly how much) when you fold them down.
Here’s the really frustrating part of the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback…
Coming back around to my point at the top of this post, some things like the old Insight come to an end, and Honda absolutely made the right decision here. Not only is this new hybrid under a much stronger name with some long-running clout among small cars, but it’s just a much better car all-around, period.
After driving the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback around Nashville and some of the excellent roads on the outskirts like Natchez Trace Parkway, I found myself struggling to come up with too many criticisms of Honda’s work here. Hell, you can break the front tires loose with ease and still get the EPA-estimated 50 City / 45 Highway / 48 Combined mpg or better…and for $31,045? I’m almost ready to say “sign me up”…almost.
Thing is, the 2025 Honda Civic Si is also a damn good car. What’s more, if you’re part of the #savethemanuals crowd, it still only comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. Sure, it’s not as efficient as the Civic Hybrid, but it still manages to land in the lower-to-mid-30s in the miles per gallon race.
My two biggest complaints — and frankly, it’s tough to even go that far — is that Honda took a little while to actually get this car to our market, and while it’s still as sharp-looking as ever, it’s not as dramatically styled as the new Toyota Prius. And no, I still can’t wrap my head around actually being able to say that, either.
It’s a good, yet slightly frustrating problem to have. For the fun-to-drive factor, I’d absolutely take the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback over the Prius. But the Hybrid over the Si…? That’s a far tougher choice, and one I still haven’t definitively made. In our walkaround video (before we really drove either car), I said I’d take the Si simply because it has a manual transmission and I’m still leaning in that direction, but…I’m going to rack my brain about this for a long while yet.
Good news if you’re looking to buy either one, though — they’re hitting Honda dealerships right now.
