Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Volkswagen Jetta

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
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 Volkswagen Jetta 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 Jetta 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 Jetta 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 Jetta’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 Jetta doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Civic’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Jetta.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic and the Jetta 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, rearview cameras, 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 Volkswagen Jetta:

	Civic	Jetta
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	31.7%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	354 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	58 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	41.6%
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	141 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 Volkswagen Jetta:

	Civic	Jetta
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	317 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	306
Hip Force	516 lbs.	554 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 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 safer than the Jetta:

	Civic	Jetta
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	205	226
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis Force	1138 lbs.	1182 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	162	274
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.89 in	1.97 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.61 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	1049 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 3.6% less likely to roll over than the Jetta, 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 Jetta last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

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

The Civic’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Jetta’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.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Civic’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Jetta’s camshafts. If the Jetta’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Civic has a 500-amp battery. The Jetta only offers a standard 480-amp battery.

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 19 points higher than the Jetta.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 47 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 18 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (180 vs. 158) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Civic Sedan
	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
Jetta
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/42 hwy
	Auto	S 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/41 hwy
		SE/SEL 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/40 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic EX-L Hatchback 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the Jetta SE/SEL 8-speed Auto (31 city/39 hwy vs. 29 city/40 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Volkswagen only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Jetta Automatic.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Honda Civic comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Jetta.

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 Jetta doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops much shorter than the Jetta:

	Civic	Jetta
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Jetta (215/50R17 vs. 205/60R16). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Jetta (235/40R18 vs. 205/60R16).

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 Jetta S’ standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL’s 55 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 Jetta S. The Civic Sport/Touring’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL.

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 Volkswagen Jetta has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The Jetta’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Jetta (107.7 inches vs. 105.7 inches).

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

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Jetta SEL 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 quicker than the Jetta SEL (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Civic EX/EX-L’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Jetta’s (36.1 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

Chassis

The Civic Sedan is 7.5 inches shorter than the Jetta, 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 Jetta uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic a Mid-size car, while the Jetta is rated a Compact.

The Civic has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Jetta (99 vs. 94.7).

The Civic has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Jetta.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic Sedan has a larger trunk than the Jetta (14.8 vs. 14.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

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 Jetta can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Jetta’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 Jetta’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

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

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2021 issue and they ranked the Honda Civic Touring Sedan first. They ranked the Volkswagen Jetta SEL third.

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

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Jetta by almost four to one during 2022.