Compare the2022 Kia ForteVS 2021 Honda Civic

The Forte has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Forte (except FE)’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Civic doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Forte’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Civic doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forte and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Forte is safer than the Honda Civic:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Forte comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Civic’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Forte 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Civic. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Civic ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Forte has a standard 640-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forte first among compact cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 48 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

The Forte has more powerful engines than the Civic:

As tested in Car and Driver the Forte GT 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Forte gets better mileage than the Civic Sedan:

On the EPA test cycle the Forte gets better mileage than the Civic Hatchback:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Forte uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Forte has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (14 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Forte higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (3 to 7). This means the Forte produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

The Forte offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is more internally efficient than a CVT but just as easy to drive. The Civic doesn’t offer an SMG.

For better stopping power the Forte GT’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

The Forte stops much shorter than the Civic:

The Forte GT handles at .93 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forte’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Civic Sedan LX/EX/EX-L’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet). The Forte’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.8 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Forte GT is quieter than the Civic Sport Hatchback:

The Forte has .4 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic Sedan.

The front step up height for the Forte is 3.3 inches lower than the Civic Hatchback (14.2” vs. 17.5”). The Forte’s rear step up height is .2 inches lower than the Civic Hatchback’s (14.8” vs. 15”).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Forte GT Line/GT’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Civic doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The power windows standard on both the Forte and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Forte is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Civic prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Forte’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Forte GT Line/GT keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Civic doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Both the Forte and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forte offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Insurance will cost less for the Forte owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Forte with a number “3” insurance rate while the Civic is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forte is less expensive to operate than the Civic because typical repairs cost much less on the Forte than the Civic, including $426 less for a starter, $221 less for a fuel pump, $26 less for front struts, $72 less for a timing belt/chain and $106 less for a power steering pump.