Compare the2022 Mazda 3VS 2021 Honda Civic

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Mazda 3 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.

The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support 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.

The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo’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 Mazda 3’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 Mazda 3 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 and available blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	89	201
Neck Injury Risk	17%	20%
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	53 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	205/212 lbs.	192/350 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	153	265
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	30%	34%
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	46 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/201 lbs.	445/224 lbs.

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

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 Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	112	204
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	238 lbs.	252 lbs.
Hip Force	239 lbs.	306 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	371	404
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	12 inches
HIC	199	260
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	37 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	727 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Mazda 3 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Civic is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda 14th in reliability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda first in reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Mazda 3 has more powerful engines than the Civic:

	Horsepower	Torque
Mazda 3 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder	155 HP	150 lbs.-ft.
Mazda 3 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	186 HP	186 lbs.-ft.
Mazda 3 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	250 HP	320 lbs.-ft.
Civic Sedan 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder	158 HP	138 lbs.-ft.
Civic 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	174 HP	162 lbs.-ft.
Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	180 HP	177 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda 3 4 cyl. is faster than the Civic Sedan 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	3	Civic
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	8.6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.5 sec	14.3 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.9 sec	4.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.3 MPH	86.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Mazda 3 AWD non-turbo’s fuel efficiency. The Civic doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Mazda 3 offers an optional system to automatically turn off the engine when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Civic doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Mazda 3 AWD’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

	Mazda 3 AWD	Civic
Front Rotors	11.61 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	10.43 inches	10.2 inches

The Mazda 3 stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Mazda 3 Premium Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

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

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback is quieter than the Civic Sport Hatchback:

	3	Civic
Full-Throttle	74 dB	85 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Mazda 3 Sedan has .9 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 3.6 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

The Mazda 3’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.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Mazda 3 Premium/Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Civic doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Mazda 3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Civic’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Mazda 3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Mazda 3 Premium/Turbo/Carbon Hatchback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Civic’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Mazda 3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Civic offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the Mazda 3 Turbo’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Mazda 3 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Mazda 3 with a number “8” insurance rate while the Civic is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Mazda 3 is less expensive to operate than the Civic because typical repairs cost much less on the Mazda 3 than the Civic, including $11 less for a water pump, $291 less for a starter and $112 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

The Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	Civic
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE