2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport (Sedan) - Powerful, Economical, Practical

This is a car that I was very excited to review because it shows a new era of hybrid technology, which has been quite stagnant over the past few decades. Hybrids were always slow and boring, sacrificing power for maximum efficiency but cars like the Civic Hybrid (and Prius) show that you can also add power to the equation without sacrificing efficiency.  After spending a week with the Civic Hybrid, I was extremely impressed by the powertrain. I own a 2018 Honda Civic with the 2.0L, which is comparable to today's 2025 Honda Civic with the 2.0L and think that the hybrid powertrain is a huge upgrade, albeit a steep one. EV-like Driving Experience The new Civic Hybrid gives you an EV-like driving experience with instant torque right off the line. Punch the throttle and it zips forward unlike any traditional gas-powered car that requires a bit of engine spooling or turbo lag before the torque gets you moving. The electric motor almost exclusively directly powers the wheels except at highway speeds. The engine can directly power the wheels but there's no gears or CVT so when the engine is connected to the wheels, it's like being in final gear so it will only happen at freeway speeds under certain conditions. Engine & Cabin noise Of course, the engine noise will be apparent and even though the Civic Hybrid has the same system as the Honda Accord Hybrid's, the engine noise is far less isolated from the cabin. It's not noisy, it's just that the Accord does a far-better job at dampening the noise within the cabin (as it should for a more premium, heavier vehicle). Keep in mind I was driving the Civic Hybrid "Sport" and not the "Sport Touring", which has a little more sound dampening within the wheels. I'm not exactly sure how much quieter the Touring model would be, but hopefully I'll get to try it out and let you know. Civic Hybrid vs Accord Hybrid As for comparing the new Civic Hybrid to the Accord Hybrid, it's clear that the Civic is cannibalizing Accord sales based on the sales numbers and understandably so. It's gotten a lot bigger, more spacious, and the new hybrid variant is much more powerful (and lighter) than the non-hybrid variants of the Accord. It's almost filling the gap between the Accord and Civic. If you ever wanted the space of the Accord but without the higher price tag, this is it. Except, now you get the Accord's powertrain, too! However, this is still very much a Civic in terms of road noise. Coming from a 2018 Honda Civic, road noise was nearly identical at highway speeds. Of course, cruising along through the city will be much quieter with the electric motor doing much of the driving. Disappointments (Just two) My biggest complaints are with the infotainment system and gauge cluster, but these complaints only apply to the Sport Hybrid, not the Sport Touring. My issue is that with previous models of the Civic, only the base model, the LX trim, was stuck with the "worst" infotainment and gauge cluster. However, despite costing an extra 4 grand on top of the base model and being two trims higher, you still get the same infotainment display and half-screen gauge cluster found in the LX. Even with the Accord, all Hybrid variants get the bigger display but only the Touring model gets Google Built in. I really think that for the price, the Civic Hybrid Sport deserves a little more premium features. Overall though, the Civic Hybrid is a fantastic car. If you're looking for a modern hybrid with excellent interior space there really is no other option. It's bigger than the Prius (and also more powerful and nearly as efficient). It's also a great way to bridge the gap between a traditional gas-powered vehicle and pure EV.