Honda Civic Sedan or Honda Civic Hatchback

Find out which Civic is right for you — from power to storage to fuel economy.

Benjamin Hunting | 

May 12, 2025 | 3 min read

Honda

Honda

Performance Is Divided by Body Style

Honda split the Civic's available drivetrains between the sedan and hatchback lines. While both versions of the compact car can be ordered with either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 150 horsepower or a 200-hp hybrid setup, there are two high-performance variants of the Civic specific to either the four-door or five-door edition.

The Honda Civic Si is positioned as an affordable, sporty daily driver. It has a 200-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a standard six-speed manual transmission, and is only available as a sedan. The fire-breathing Honda Civic Type R, meanwhile, features a 315-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual, and it only comes in hatchback form.

Honda

The Sedan Has a Slim Lead in Fuel Economy

Although both the sedan and hatchback are offered with the Civic's frugal hybrid drivetrain, their EPA fuel-efficiency ratings aren't an exact match. The Honda Civic four-door sedan hybrid leads the way with 50/47/49 mpg in city/highway/combined driving, which beats the five-door hatchback hybrid in both the highway and combined ratings by 2 mpg and 1 mpg, respectively.

Honda

The Hatchback Has More Cargo Space

For buyers focused on cargo space, the Civic hatchback offers an advantage over the Civic sedan. While the sedan's trunk is usable at 14.8 cubic-feet, the hatchback is about 10 cubes larger at 24.5 cu-ft. The taller height of the hatchback's cargo area may make it easier to lug around oversized items, too.

In terms of transporting people, the base-level cars are in a dead heat when it comes to headroom, legroom, shoulder room, and hiproom — both front and rear.

Honda

The Hatchback Is Pricier

Outside of the Si and Type R special models, the sedan and hatchback versions of the Honda Civic both offer Sport, Sport Hybrid, and Sport Touring Hybrid trim levels. They feature a similar level of equipment, but the hatchback versions of each trim are about $1,000 more expensive than those of the sedan.

The sedan also wins out at the entry level, where it adds a value-focused trim called the LX that is not offered in hatchback form. This version of the Honda Civic provides a more modest level of equipment but drops the purchase price to about $25,000. This makes it notably less expensive than the most affordable hatchback trim, the Sport, which retails for just under $29,000.

Benjamin Hunting

Nearly two decades into his career as an automotive journalist, Benjamin has had his hands greasy, his hair blown back, and his heart broken by more than one project car. In addition to his work at Capital One, he has contributed features and reviews to Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hagerty, Driving Line, Inside Hook, Super Street, European Car, Roadkill Magazine, Motor 1, The Drive, the Toronto Star, the National Post, Business Insider, NAPA, Autoblog, Automotive News Canada, and AutoGuide. He is also cohost of the Unnamed Automotive Podcast and cocreator of the Code 45 and Dead Air graphic novels. In his spare time, he's a friend to vinyl and enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days.