Compare the2022 Honda CivicVS 2022 Volkswagen Passat

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Passat doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 Civic are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Passat doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Civic 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 Passat doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Passat’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic’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 Passat doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic and the Passat have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Civic its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passat has not been fully tested, yet.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Passat. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Passat ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Civic’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Passat’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Civic has a standard 500-amp battery. The Passat’s 480-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 49 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 19 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (180 vs. 174) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Volkswagen Passat:

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

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

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off 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 Passat doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Passat doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Civic offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Passat doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Civic has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Passat doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Civic stops much shorter than the Passat:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Civic is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Passat.

The Civic Sport Sedan handles at .87 G’s, while the Passat pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Passat R-Line (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 500 pounds less than the Volkswagen Passat.

The Civic Sedan is 1 foot, 2.6 inches shorter than the Passat, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Passat uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Civic Hatchback has 1 inch more front headroom and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Passat.

The Civic Hatchback has a much larger trunk than the Passat (24.5 vs. 15.9 cubic feet).

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passat has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Passat can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Passat doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Volkswagen Passat isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

The Civic will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic will retain 50.29% to 52.62% of its original price after five years, while the Passat only retains 47.05% to 47.7%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $139 to $3799 less than for the Volkswagen Passat.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic and the Volkswagen Passat, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic Sport was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 5 years. The Passat has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 26 years. The Passat has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Passat has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Passat by almost 12 to one during the 2021 model year.