Compare the2024 Mazda 3VS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
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 Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor 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.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Mazda 3 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Civic Touring/Sport Touring offers Cross Traffic Monitor and the Civic’s Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

The Mazda 3 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 Mazda 3 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, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	89	325
Neck Injury Risk	17%	30%
Neck Stress	214 lbs.	241 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	205/212 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	444
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/201 lbs.	275/164 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 Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	112	195
Abdominal Force	238 lbs.	286 lbs.
Hip Force	239 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	71 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	12 inches
HIC	199	260
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	527 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 Mazda 3 Sedan is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	3	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	122	205
Neck Tension	245 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.65 in	1.85 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1004 lbs.	1138 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	156	162
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.87 in	1.61 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	335 lbs.	580 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 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 Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (191 vs. 158) and 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 138) than the Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Mazda 3’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (191 vs. 180) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 177) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Mazda 3’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 70 more horsepower (250 vs. 180) and 143 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 177) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda 3 is faster than the Honda Civic (automatics tested):

	Mazda3	Mazda3 Turbo	Civic Sport	Civic EX/EX-L/Touring
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	5.6 sec	9.2 sec	8 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.5 sec	n/a	14.7 sec	12.9 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.9 sec	n/a	4.3 sec	3.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	14.1 sec	17 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.3 MPH	99 MPH	86.5 MPH	89.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Mazda 3 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Civic doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mazda 3 higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3 AWD’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

	Mazda 3 AWD	Civic
Front Rotors	11.61 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	10.43 inches	10.2 inches

The Mazda 3 stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Mazda 3	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Mazda 3’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Civic EX/EX-L’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Mazda 3’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Civic Sport/Touring’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Mazda 3 Sedan is 3.4 inches shorter than the Civic Sedan, making the Mazda 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan:

	3	Civic
At idle	40 dB	40 dB
Full-Throttle	74 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

The Mazda 3 Sedan has .3 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

The Mazda 3’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.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Mazda 3 Turbo Hatchback has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Civic doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Mazda 3 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 Mazda 3’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.

The Mazda 3’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 Mazda 3 2.5 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Mazda 3 Premium has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Civic’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Mazda 3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Civic offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus’ 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.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has standard 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 Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	Civic
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	n/a