Compare the2025 Honda CivicVS 2024 Nissan Altima

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Civic is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Nissan Altima, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Civic	Altima
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-5 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	-10 MPH	-1 MPH
25 MPH Brights	-22 MPH	-7 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-21 MPH	-5 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-5 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-9 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.3 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-18 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	No Warning

Both the Civic and the Altima 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, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Altima:

	Civic	Altima
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	30%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	343 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	78 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	54%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	280 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	110 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	275/164 lbs.	260/280 lbs.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Civic is safer than the Altima:

	Civic	Altima
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

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 Honda Civic is safer than the Nissan Altima:

	Civic	Altima
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.4 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	511 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	516 lbs.	544 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	16 inches

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 Honda Civic Sedan is much safer than the Altima:

	Civic	Altima
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Injury Criterion	205	562
Head Peak Forces	no contact	109 G’s
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	625 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	1.26 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.85 in	2.2 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis Force	1138 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	892 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 12 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Civic Sedan
	FWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/47 hwy
		LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
Altima
	FWD	S/SV 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the Altima:

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
	FWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/45 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
Altima
	FWD	S/SV 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Civic Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Altima doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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 Altima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Altima SR requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 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 Altima doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops shorter than the Altima:

	Civic	Altima
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Civic LX Sedan’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Altima S’ standard 60 series tires.

Chassis

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Nissan Altima.

The Civic Sedan is 1 foot, 1.9 inches shorter than the Altima, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Altima uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The Civic has .2 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear legroom than the Altima.

Ergonomics

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Altima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 Altima’s passenger windows don’t open or close 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 Altima can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic has a standard Pushbutton Start that allows you to start the engine without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Altima SR/SV/SL offers an Intelligent Key.

The Civic’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 Altima’s power window (except driver window) switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Altima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Compared to the Nissan Altima, the Honda Civic Touring/Sport Touring eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Model Availability

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Nissan Altima 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 $550 to $6550 less than the Altima 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 55.63% to 60.2% of its original price after five years, while the Altima only retains 41.69% to 47.34%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $5951 to $15067 less than for the Nissan Altima.

Recommendations

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

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The Altima has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Nissan Altima by 57% during 2023.

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