Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Nissan Altima

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

Safety

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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 Altima’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Altima 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, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Nissan Altima:

	Civic	Altima
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	30%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	343 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	78 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	54%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	280 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	110 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	275/164 lbs.	260/280 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 Nissan Altima:

	Civic	Altima
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.4 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	511 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	516 lbs.	544 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	16 inches

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 Altima:

	Civic	Altima
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Injury Criterion	205	562
Head Peak Forces	no contact	109 G’s
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	625 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	1.26 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.85 in	2.2 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis Force	1138 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	892 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Altima last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

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. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Altima.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 10 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Altima 4 cyl.:

	Civic	Altima
Zero to 60 MPH	7.2 sec	7.4 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18.6 sec	19.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8 sec	8.3 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4 sec	4.8 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	91 MPH
Top Speed	126 MPH	119 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Civic Sedan
FWD	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
Altima
FWD	Auto	S 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SV/SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
AWD	Auto	SV/SL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
		SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/35 hwy

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

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
FWD	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
Altima
	Auto	S 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SV/SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
AWD	Auto	SV/SL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
		SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 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 Altima 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 Altima doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops shorter than the Altima:

	Civic	Altima
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	119 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 Altima S’ standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic EX/EX-L has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Altima S.

Suspension and Handling

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Altima SV AWD pulls only .84 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 Altima SV AWD (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Nissan Altima.

The Civic Sedan is 1 foot, 1.9 inches shorter than the Altima, 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 Altima uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

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

	Civic	Altima
At idle	36 dB	45 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	77 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	70 dB

Passenger Space

The Civic has .2 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear legroom than the Altima.

Ergonomics

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Altima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 Altima’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Altima SL’s rear windows don’t close 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 Altima can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Altima’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Altima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Model Availability

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Nissan Altima 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 $305 to $5570 less than the Altima over a five-year period.

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 47.45% to 51.94% of its original price after five years, while the Altima only retains 41.82% to 43.68%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $6187 to $10307 less than for the Nissan Altima.

Recommendations

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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2022 North American Car of the Year. The Altima was last chosen in 2002.

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