Compare the2025 Subaru LegacyVS 2025 Honda Civic

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

Safety

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The Legacy 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 Legacy is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Honda Civic, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Legacy	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	3.4 sec	2 sec

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

The Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring 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 Legacy 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, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning 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 Subaru Legacy is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	325
Neck Injury Risk	26%	30%
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	444
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 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 Subaru Legacy is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	195
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	216 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	220	268
Spine Acceleration	62 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	260
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	681 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 Legacy has a standard 620-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.

Engine

The Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (182 vs. 150) and 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 133) than the Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (260 vs. 200) and 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 232) than the Civic Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Legacy Sport/XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Civic Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Legacy	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	5.7 sec	6.2 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	14.5 sec	18 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6 sec	7.2 sec
Quarter Mile	14.3 sec	14.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99 MPH	92 MPH
Top Speed	140 MPH	114 MPH

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

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the Legacy and the Civic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Legacy’s 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 Legacy has 7.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Legacy has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 12.4 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Legacy	Civic
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.2 inches

The Legacy’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 Legacy stops shorter than the Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Legacy has larger tires than the Civic (225/55R17 vs. 215/55R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Legacy Base/Premium has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Civic LX Sedan.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Legacy’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Civic’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Legacy more stable handling and braking.

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the Civic Sport Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Legacy Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Legacy 2.5i 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.

Passenger Space

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

The Legacy has 6.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Civic (105.5 vs. 99).

The Legacy has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Legacy has a larger trunk than the Civic Sedan (15.1 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

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

The Legacy’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.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Legacy. The Civic doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Legacy 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.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Legacy Limited/Touring, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Legacy Limited/Sport/Touring’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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Legacy’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Legacy Base). The Civic doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Legacy’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 Legacy 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 Legacy Limited/Touring 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 Legacy’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.

Both the Subaru Legacy and Honda Civic offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Legacy offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Civic’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

Both the Legacy and the Civic offer available heated front seats. The Legacy Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Civic.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Legacy Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Civic doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Legacy’s optional (except Base/Premium) 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 Legacy and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring 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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $990 less than the Civic over a five-year period.

Recommendations

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

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