Compare the2023 Honda Civic SiVS 2023 Kia Stinger

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Si 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 Stinger doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Civic Si 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 Stinger doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si 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 Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Stinger’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic Si and the Stinger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic Si 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 Stinger.

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 Si’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 10 places higher in reliability than Kia.

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Si gets better mileage than the Stinger:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic Si uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Stinger requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Civic Si 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 Stinger doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic Si higher (6 out of 10) than the Kia Stinger (3). This means the Civic Si produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stinger every 15,000 miles.

The Civic Si offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Stinger doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Civic Si stops much shorter than the Stinger:

For better traction, the Civic Si has larger tires than the Stinger (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R18). The Civic Si’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Stinger (235/40R18 vs. 225/40R19).

The Civic Si’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Stinger GT-Line’s standard 45 series tires.

The Civic Si handles at .97 G’s, while the Stinger AWD pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Civic Si executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Stinger (26.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 26.8 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

The Honda Civic Si may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1200 pounds less than the Kia Stinger.

The Civic Si is 6.2 inches shorter than the Stinger, making the Civic Si easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic Si has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Stinger uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Civic Si has 2.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stinger (96.6 vs. 93.8).

The Civic Si has .6 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stinger.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Civic Si owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic Si will cost $2625 to $9935 less than the Stinger over a five-year period.

The Civic Si will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic Si will retain 53.1% to 53.47% of its original price after five years, while the Stinger only retains 43.02% to 43.71%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic Si will be $15346 to $40422 less than for the Kia Stinger.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic Si and the Kia Stinger, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic Sport was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 5 years. The Stinger has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic Si was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 26 years. The Stinger has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic Si as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Stinger has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Kia Stinger by almost 15 to one during the 2022 model year.