Compare the2023 Nissan AltimaVS 2022 Honda Civic

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

The Altima SL/2.0 SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Altima has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Altima offers optional NissanConnect Service, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Altima and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and driver alert monitors.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Altima has a standard 510-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima second among midsize cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

The Altima has more powerful engines than the Civic:

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Altima 2.5 4-cylinder FWD is faster than the Honda Civic:

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (16 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Altima FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (16.2 vs. 12.4 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Altima higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Altima produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

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

The Altima stops shorter than the Civic:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima SR/SL has standard 19-inch wheels. The Civic’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Altima 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Altima’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Civic (111.2 inches vs. 107.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Altima is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Altima handles at .91 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The front grille of the Altima uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Altima SR VC-Turbo uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Civic doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Altima is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan:

The Altima has 1.5 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 5.6 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic Hatchback.

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

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. The driver of the Civic can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Altima’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of 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.

On extremely cold winter days, the Altima SL/SR’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.

Both the Altima and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Altima SL has standard 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.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima third among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Civic isn’t in the top three.

The Altima was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2019. The Civic hasn’t been picked since 2017.