Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2022 Volkswagen Passat

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
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 Passat 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 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 side 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.

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 Passat:

	Civic	Passat
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	263 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	189/372 lbs.	166/453 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	1 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	46.5%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	265 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	147 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 Passat:

	Civic	Passat
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	316 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	516 lbs.	713 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	15 inches
HIC	260	359

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

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 Passat, 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 Passat has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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.

Reliability

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.

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 21 points higher than the Passat.

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 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:

	Civic	Passat
Zero to 60 MPH	7.2 sec	8.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8 sec	9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4 sec	4.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	126 MPH	116 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			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
Passat
	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/36 hwy

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

			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
Passat
	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/36 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 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.

Transmission

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.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops much shorter than the Passat:

	Civic	Passat
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

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).

Chassis

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 450 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.

Passenger Space

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

Ergonomics

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.

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic and the Volkswagen Passat, 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 Passat has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Passat by over 55 to one during 2022.

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