Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Mercedes CLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes CLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 CLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 CLA’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 CLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 CLA.

Both the Civic and the CLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 CLA has not been tested, yet.

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CLA.

There are almost 3 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

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 38 points higher than the CLA.

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 Mercedes vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Mercedes.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 19 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

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

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

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

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Mercedes CLA (5). This means the Civic produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CLA every 15,000 miles.

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 CLA doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Civic stops much shorter than the CLA:

For better traction, the Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CLA (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R18).

The Civic has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the CLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the CLA 250 4MATIC pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Mercedes CLA.

The Civic Sedan is 5.6 inches shorter than the CLA, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Civic has 10 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CLA (99 vs. 89).

The Civic has .8 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CLA.

The Civic Sedan has a much larger trunk than the CLA (14.8 vs. 11.6 cubic feet).

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

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Civic has standard extendable sun visors. The CLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $5020 to $6795 less than the CLA over a five-year period.

The Civic will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic will retain 47.45% to 51.94% of its original price after five years, while the CLA only retains 41.76% to 41.79%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $19999 to $25218 less than for the Mercedes CLA.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes CLA isn't recommended.

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

The Honda Civic outsold the Mercedes CLA by over 15 to one during 2022.