Compare the2022 Nissan VersaVS 2021 Honda Civic

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Versa SV/SR are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Civic doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Versa has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Civic doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Versa has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Civic doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Versa SV/SR’s standard 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 Versa SV/SR’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 Versa 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and blind spot warning systems.

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Versa is safer than the Honda Civic:

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 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 Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 21st in reliability. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

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

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Versa 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.

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

The Versa stops shorter than the Civic:

The Versa has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Civic doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Versa SR handles at .86 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 Versa’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Civic Sedan LX/EX/EX-L’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet). The Versa’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.8 feet).

The Versa has .2 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom and 2.8 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Sedan.

The front step up height for the Versa is 3.6 inches lower than the Civic Hatchback (13.9” vs. 17.5”). The Versa’s rear step up height is .6 inches lower than the Civic Hatchback’s (14.4” vs. 15”).

The Versa S Auto/SV/SR’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Versa Manual can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Versa can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Civic can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Versa’s standard 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Versa owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Versa with a number “1” insurance rate while the Civic is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Versa is less expensive to operate than the Civic because typical repairs cost much less on the Versa than the Civic, including $93 less for a water pump, $224 less for a starter, $21 less for a fuel pump, $4 less for front struts and $136 less for a timing belt/chain.