Compare the2023 Volkswagen JettaVS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Jetta has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, 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.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Jetta has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Jetta has standard Car-Net, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in 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 Jetta and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, rearview cameras and available lane departure warning systems.

Warranty

The Jetta comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Civic’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Jetta’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Civic’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Honda.

Engine

The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 138) than the Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 177) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
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
Civic Sedan
	Auto	Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/38 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy

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

			MPG
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
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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Jetta 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Jetta higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Jetta produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Jetta	Civic
Front Rotors	11.3 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	10.7 inches	10.2 inches

The Jetta stops shorter than the Civic:

	Jetta	Civic
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Jetta S handles at .83 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Jetta S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Jetta uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Jetta has .1 inches more rear headroom and 2.5 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Jetta’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.

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the Jetta SEL, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The power windows standard on both the Jetta and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Jetta 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 Jetta’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 Jetta SE/R-Line/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Civic can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Jetta’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 Jetta’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Jetta SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Civic doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Jetta SEL has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Jetta’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring.

Both the Jetta and the Civic offer available heated front seats. The Jetta SEL also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Civic.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Jetta SEL 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 Jetta SEL’s standard 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.

Recommendations

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