Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Honda Civic

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front 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.

With its standard EyeSight, the Subaru Impreza is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Honda Civic, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

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

The Impreza Sport/RS has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, 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 Impreza and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impreza has a standard 530-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (152 vs. 150) and 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 133) than the Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Civic doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Both the Impreza and the Civic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Imprezas have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Civic Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Impreza has 6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Impreza has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons).

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

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Civic are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Civic:

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Civic LX/Sport Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Impreza’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Civic Sport/Sport Touring Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The front grille of the Impreza 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.

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

The Impreza has .5 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more rear headroom and 4.3 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Civic Sedan (20.4 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impreza’s hatch uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Civic’s useful trunk space.

The Impreza’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Civic. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 14% lower rating, Honda is ranked 12th.

The Impreza’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 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.

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

The Impreza’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.

The Impreza has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Civic Sport Hybrid/Sport Touring Hybrid.

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