Compare the2024 Honda CivicVS 2022 Mercedes A-Class

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 A-Class 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 A-Class 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 A-Class’ 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 CVT 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 A-Class doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 A-Class.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s standard Cross Traffic Monitor uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The A-Class doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Civic and the A-Class 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 and rear parking sensors.

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 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A-Class has not been tested, yet.

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the A-Class.

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 34 points higher than the A-Class.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Civic second among compact cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The A-Class isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

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 A-Class:

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the A-Class:

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 A-Class requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 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 A-Class 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 A-Class (5). This means the Civic produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the A-Class every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Honda Civic as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Mercedes A-Class is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

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 A-Class doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Civic stops much shorter than the A-Class:

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the A-Class (215/50R17 vs. 205/55R17). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A-Class (235/40R18 vs. 225/40R19).

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 A-Class; 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 A-Class don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the A 220 pulls only .87 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 300 to 400 pounds less than the Mercedes A-Class.

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

The Civic has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A-Class (99 vs. 93).

The Civic has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the A-Class.

The Civic Sedan has a much larger trunk than the A-Class (14.8 vs. 8.6 cubic feet).

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the A-Class’ 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 A-Class doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

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

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 8 more times in the last 39 years. The A-Class has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Mercedes A-Class by almost 23 to one during 2022.