Yahoo Autos 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid Is Finally a True Prius Rival
Ever since the Toyota Prius hybrid first hit its stride as a practical hatchback in the mid-2000s, Honda has struggled to field a legitimate competitor. The previous hybrid Civic sedans and various iterations of the hybrid-only Insight never quite did the trick, failing to achieve the long-running sales success of the Prius. Honda is attempting to change that for 2025, as the newest Civic Hybrid has a trick up its sleeve: It's finally available as a hatchback.
Having already tested the 2025 Civic Hybrid sedan, we had high expectations for its slightly more practical sibling. And we weren't disappointed. The 2025 Civic Hybrid hatchback packages the same 200-hp powertrain, good looks, and lively driving dynamics into a slightly more versatile package. We do mean slightly; the Civic hatchback's profile isn't as different from the sedan's as you might expect. But it does offer significantly more cargo space: 25 cubic feet behind the rear seats compared with the sedan's 15-cubic-foot trunk, and the rear seats fold to expand that cargo area further. (The Prius offers 20 to 24 cubic feet of space under its hatchback, depending on the configuration.)
Although we haven't tested a Hybrid model in hatchback form, we expect it to deliver similarly impressive performance as the Civic Hybrid sedan. That car gets to 60 mph in a swift 6.2 seconds and delivered 47 mpg in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test. Honda quotes a 37-pound weight difference between the sedan and hatchback in loaded Sport Touring trim. Although the Civic Hybrid hatchback's 50-mpg EPA city rating is the same as the sedan's, the feds' other numbers are slightly lower for the hatchback. Its highway estimate of 45 mpg is 2 mpg behind the sedan's, and its combined rating of 48 mpg is 1 mpg lower. Still, the Civic Hybrid hatchback is impressively efficient.
Pricewise, the hatchback requires an additional $1200 outlay compared with the sedan. The Hybrid hatch is a $31,045 proposition to start, which sounds like a lot for a Civic, and it is, but the Prius resides in a similar price range.
The latest Prius is quick now too, and it handles better than ever, qualities that earned it a spot on our 10Best list for 2024. So the fight is on now to see whether the 2025 Civic Hybrid can finally make inroads on the market-leading hybrid hatchback. Honda hopes the hybrid will account for a large portion of Civic sales, and with its combination of efficiency and performance, we think it will. A full head-to-head comparison test is in order to determine a winner between the Civic and the Prius, but regardless of how that shakes out, buyers looking for a fuel-efficient hatchback now have two solid choices.
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