Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Kia Forte

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Kia Forte doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 Forte 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 Forte 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 Forte’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Forte doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring has standard parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Forte doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Compared to metal, the Civic’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Forte has a metal gas tank.

Both the Civic and the Forte have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Civic	Forte
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	50 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	1.1 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	49.1%
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	99 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 Honda Civic is safer than the Kia Forte:

	Civic	Forte
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	325 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	286
Spine Acceleration	79 G’s	89 G’s
Hip Force	516 lbs.	735 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	260	367

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Civic Sedan is much safer than the Forte:

	Civic	Forte
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Injury Criterion	205	812
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	1.26 in	2.4 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	759 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.85 in	2.4 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis Force	1138 lbs.	1762 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	162	398
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Force	379 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.61 in	1.81 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	982 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Civic, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.2% less likely to roll over than the Forte, which received a four-star rating.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Forte last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Civic’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Forte runs out after 100,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forte.

There are over 37 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Civic’s reliability 24 points higher than the Forte.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 4 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (158 vs. 147) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 132) than the Forte’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Forte 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	Civic	Forte
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.4 MPH	85.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Civic Sedan
	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/38 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
Forte
	Manual	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	Auto	FE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/41 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy

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

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	EX-L 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
		Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
Forte
	Manual	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights 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 Forte 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 Forte doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Kia Forte (5 to 7). This means the Civic produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Forte every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops much shorter than the Forte:

	Civic	Forte
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Forte (215/50R17 vs. 195/65R15). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forte (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R17).

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forte LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic EX/EX-L has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Forte LX.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Forte has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Forte (107.7 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Forte pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Forte (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

The Civic Sedan is 3.7 inches shorter than the Forte, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

	Civic	Forte
At idle	36 dB	36 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	79 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	70 dB

Passenger Space

The Civic has 3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Forte (99 vs. 96).

The Civic has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forte.

Ergonomics

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Forte 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.

The Civic’s front power windows 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 Forte’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

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 Forte can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers and the Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Forte’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Civic’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Forte’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Forte’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $685 less than the Forte over a five-year period.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Forte isn't recommended.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2022 North American Car of the Year. The Forte has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Kia Forte by 24% during 2022.