Compare the2023 Toyota CorollaVS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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The Corolla has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats 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 Corolla 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 Corolla has standard Safety Connect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, 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 Corolla and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, 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 Corolla is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Corolla	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	187	325
Neck Injury Risk	27%	30%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	356	444
Neck Stress	165 lbs.	189 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 Corolla is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Corolla	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	92	195
Abdominal Force	129 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	268
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	79 G’s
Hip Force	367 lbs.	516 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	239	260
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	623 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 Corolla is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	Corolla	Civic
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	99	205
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.26 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.61 in	1.85 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	10 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	150	162
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.38 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.61 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Corolla’s warranty.

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 Corolla’s reliability 13 points higher than the Civic.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Corolla second among compact cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three in its category.

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 Corolla’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (169 vs. 158) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (151 vs. 138) than the Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Corolla is faster than the Civic Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Corolla	Civic
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.2 sec	9.2 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	13.9 sec	14.7 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	4.2 sec	4.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	17 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Corolla
	Auto	LE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		SE/XSE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 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 Corolla gets better mileage than the Civic Hatchback:

			MPG
Corolla
	Auto	LE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		SE/XSE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 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

Brakes and Stopping

The Corolla stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Corolla	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Corolla handles at .89 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Corolla’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Civic EX/EX-L’s (35.6 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Corolla’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Civic Sport/Touring’s (35.6 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

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

	Corolla	Civic
Full-Throttle	77 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	71 dB	72 dB

Cargo Capacity

The Corolla’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

The power windows standard on both the Corolla and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Corolla 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 Corolla’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 Corolla 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 Corolla’s 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Corolla XLE/XSE offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Model Availability

The Toyota Corolla comes in sedan, four door hatchback and four door bodystyles; the Honda Civic isn’t available as a wagon.

Recommendations

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

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