Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Camry has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Camry offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Camry has standard Safety Connect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Camry and the Civic 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, 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 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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Camry	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	140	325
Neck Injury Risk	20%	30%
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	23 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	335	444
Neck Injury Risk	21%	25%
Neck Stress	136 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	61 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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Camry	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	134	195
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	164	260
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	622 lbs.	805 lbs.

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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	Camry	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.26 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.85 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1138 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.79 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.61 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	5 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Civic is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Warranty

There are over 16 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Camry has a standard 600-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Camry has more powerful engines than the Civic:

	Horsepower	Torque
Camry AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	202 HP	182 lbs.-ft.
Camry 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	203 HP	184 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	205 HP	185 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	206 HP	186 lbs.-ft.
Camry 3.5 DOHC V6	301 HP	267 lbs.-ft.
Civic Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder	158 HP	138 lbs.-ft.
Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	180 HP	177 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Camry 4 cyl. is faster than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Camry	Civic
Zero to 30 MPH	2.7 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	8 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.6 sec	12.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.4 MPH	89.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Camry
FWD	Auto	LE/SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Camry uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Camry AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (14.4 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Camry FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (15.8 vs. 12.4 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Camry’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

	Camry	Camry TRD	Civic
Front Rotors	12 inches	12.9 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.06 inches	11.06 inches	10.2 inches

The Camry stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Camry	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	156 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	129 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Camry XSE/TRD has standard 19-inch wheels. The Civic’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Camry has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Civic’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Camry’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Civic (111.2 inches vs. 107.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Camry is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Camry TRD handles at .94 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Camry XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.7 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Camry SE is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan:

	Camry	Civic
Full-Throttle	72 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

The Camry has 1.1 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom and 5.8 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Camry has a larger trunk than the Civic Sedan (15.1 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

The Camry’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic Sport Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Camry. The Civic doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The Camry uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Civic uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Civic doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Camry and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Camry is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Civic prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Camry’s front and rear power windows all 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 Civic’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Camry the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Civic can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Camry’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Civic’s passenger power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Camry’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Civic Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Camry XLE/XSE keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Civic doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Camry’s optional (except Nightshade/TRD) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Camry and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Camry offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Camry	Civic
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	n/a

The Toyota Camry outsold the Honda Civic by over two to one during 2022.