Compare the2024 Nissan AltimaVS 2024 Honda Civic

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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

The Altima SL/SR VC-Turbo has a standard Intelligent Around View 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 Altima has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring offers Cross Traffic Monitor.

The Altima offers optional NissanConnect Service, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 Altima 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, 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 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Altima	Civic
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	171	325
Neck Injury Risk	30%	30%
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	189/372 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Altima	Civic
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	268
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	260
Spine Acceleration	42 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	769 lbs.	805 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Altima has a standard 510-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

Engine

The Altima has more powerful engines than the Civic:

	Horsepower	Torque
Altima AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 HP	178 lbs.-ft.
Altima 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	188 HP	180 lbs.-ft.
Altima SR 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	248 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
Civic LX/Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder	158 HP	138 lbs.-ft.
Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	180 HP	177 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the Altima AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Civic:

	Altima	Civic LX/Sport	Civic EX/EX-L/Touring
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.5 sec	n/a
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.8 sec	7.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	9.1 sec	8.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.6 sec	5.7 sec	5.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.9 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	86 MPH	91 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (16 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Altima FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (16.2 vs. 12.4 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Altima	Civic
Front Rotors	11.65 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.02 inches	10.2 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	11.5 inches

The Altima stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Altima	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima SR/SL has standard 19-inch wheels. The Civic’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Altima has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Civic doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Altima’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Civic (111.2 inches vs. 107.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Altima is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Altima handles at .91 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Altima uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Altima SR VC-Turbo uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Civic doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

	Altima	Civic
At idle	40 dB	40 dB
Full-Throttle	79 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	70 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

The Altima has 1.5 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 5.6 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Altima has a larger trunk than the Civic Sedan (15.4 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

The Altima’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan/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

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. The driver of the Civic can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Altima’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Civic LX/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.

On extremely cold winter days, the Altima SL/SR 2.0’s 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 Altima and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Altima SL 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

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