Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Nissan Versa

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
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 Nissan Versa doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Versa’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring has standard parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Versa doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Both the Civic and the Versa have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Honda Civic is safer than the Nissan Versa:

	Civic	Versa
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	325	364
Neck Injury Risk	30%	36%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	326 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	298 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	189/372 lbs.	354/296 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	57%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	271 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	137 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, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Nissan Versa:

	Civic	Versa
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	318 lbs.

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 2.3% less likely to roll over than the Versa, 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 Versa has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Versa.

Reliability

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 18 points higher than the Versa.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 10 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 36 more horsepower (158 vs. 122) and 24 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 114) than the Versa’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 58 more horsepower (180 vs. 122) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (177 vs. 114) than the Versa’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic is faster than the Nissan Versa (automatics tested):

	Civic Sport	Civic EX/EX-L/Touring	Versa
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	7.2 sec	10.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	9.1 sec	8 sec	10.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	15.6 sec	18 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86 MPH	92 MPH	79 MPH
Top Speed	125 MPH	126 MPH	115 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Civic Sedan
	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
Versa
	Manual	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
	Auto	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/40 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder Manual gets better fuel mileage than the Versa 5-speed Manual (28 city/37 hwy vs. 27 city/35 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 Versa doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Versa (12.4 vs. 10.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

Transmission

The Honda Civic comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Versa.

A six-speed manual is available on the Honda Civic, with closer gear ratios for better performance and a lower final drive ratio for quieter highway operation, less engine wear and better fuel mileage. Only a five-speed manual is available for the Versa.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Civic	Versa
Front Rotors	11.1 inches	10 inches
Rear Rotors	10.2 inches	8” drums

The Honda Civic has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Versa. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Civic stops much shorter than the Versa:

	Civic	Versa
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Versa (215/50R17 vs. 195/65R15). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Versa (235/40R18 vs. 205/55R16).

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Versa S’ standard 65 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Versa SR’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic EX/EX-L has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Versa S. The Civic Sport/Touring’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Versa SR.

The Honda Civic’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Versa only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Nissan Versa has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The Versa’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the Versa (107.7 inches vs. 103.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Civic is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Versa.

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Versa SR pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Versa SR (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

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

The Civic has 10.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Versa (99 vs. 88.9).

The Civic has 3.4 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 6.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Versa.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Versa S Manual doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Ergonomics

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Versa 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.

The Civic’s front power windows 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 Versa’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

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 Versa can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Versa SV/SR’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Civic’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Versa’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

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

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Versa doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Versa doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Civic has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Versa doesn’t offer rear vents.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Civic Touring/Sport Touring. The Civic’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Versa doesn’t offer a navigation system.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $1045 less than the Versa 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 Versa only retains 44.29% to 46.42%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Nissan Versa 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 Versa has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Nissan Versa by almost 10 to one during 2022.

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