The Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla have been the go-to choices for affordable sedans globally for decades. That’s why when one of them has an advantage over the other it’s a big deal, which is exactly what we had with the Corolla Hybrid since 2020 model year. Honda is ready to strike back, though, since for 2025, the Civic is finally adding a hybrid powertrain as well as getting some significant enhancements this year. So now that we have a level playing field, who wins in a 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid vs. 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid battle?? Well, that’s what we are about to find out!
Pricing and Equipment
We’ve got a ton of things to cover in this comparison, including features, specs and performance, but let’s start off by quickly establishing the pricing for these affordable sedans.
While still affordable compared to most vehicles these days, both Civic and Corolla cost a good deal more than they did a few years ago, especially for the loaded models we have today. Starting with the new Civic, our Sport Touring Hybrid model rings in at $32,845 after destination.
Civic Hybrid (Sport Touring FWD): $31,750 | Options: +$0 | Destination: $1,095 | Total: $32,845
Keeping things equivalent, we also have the loaded version of the Corolla; the Hybrid XLE. This version rings in at a more-appealing price under $30,000.
Corolla Hybrid (XLE FWD): $26,600 | Options: +$1,536 | Destination: $1,095 | Total: $29,291
By the way, if you want to get the best price from local dealerships and access to invoice pricing info for these two models or any vehicle, we have a tool on our website to do just that. Click here for more information!
Exterior Design
Starting things out with the exteriors, you’ll see both have tasteful looks that don’t rock the design boat too much. The Civic has seen some updates this year to make it a bit more aggressive, and the Corolla continues with its classic design. We’re not going to grade subjective matters such as style preferences, but even despite the prices, both have full LED lighting. On the Corolla it’s a more premium projector style LED, and neither have fog lights.
Continuing to the sides, both have traditional designs and come in a couple inches apart from each other in length. I do want to also mention both the Civic and Corolla can be had in hatchback varieties for those of you looking for a bit more utility.
Length: 182.3-inches (Corolla) | 184.0-inches (Civic Sedan)
The bigger difference is the wheels sizing. The XLE Corolla still only comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, while the Civic has new 18-inch contrast alloys this year.
We will discuss how those wheel sizes impact ride quality later in the test drive for those concerned, but moving to the rear we have partially LED taillights on both. They’re also identical in features with no exposed exhaust outlets for these efficient models.
Additional Features
Moving along, both mirrors are heated and have blind spot monitoring built in and both also have each brand’s entire safety suite included as standard equipment.
That’s a big advantage these two have over the competition, and for warranties they have similar but not identical ones. Only the Toyota has 2 years of complimentary maintenance this year, since Honda has reduced theirs to only 1 year for all 2025 models.
More importantly, let’s see what’s different on the inside.
Interior Design
So, approaching the sedans, you will find smart entry systems for both, plus the Civic has remote start built into the fob free for life without subscriptions.
Next, opening the doors to the interiors, you’ll find nicely appointed cabins for the price. Let’s start by talking about the seats themselves. The Corolla has a two-tone beige Sof-Tex faux leather seat with 8-way power adjustment and heating. The Civic, on the other hand, has more premium real leather seating finished in gray, and it matches the Corolla with 8 ways of adjustment plus heating. Neither have memory seats and neither have lumbar support.
But let’s get into the major category of overall material quality. While low end Corollas have basic cabins, this top model has soft-touch plastic, leatherette, and piano black accents. The Civic has always had one of the best cabins in the segment with a full soft-touch dash, leatherette and the mesh single vent which continues this year. Tangibly, there isn’t a huge difference, but the Civic does feel more solid when you sit inside and shut the doors, so we’ll give it the win here.
After you startup these hybrids, you’ll see the gauges are quite different. The Corolla has a smaller 7-inch digital display while the Civic is rocking a full 10.2-inch cluster for this Sport Touring. That’s a lot more screen size, not to mention the impressive graphics on board.
Coming back to the steering wheels, both are leather wrapped and manual adjusting, and neither include heating, although you probably didn’t expect that anyways. Only the Civic has the premium touch of rain sensing wipers, though.
Storage and Technology
Just because these are compact sedans doesn’t mean you don’t need good storage spots, and that’s what we’re talking about next. Here, the Civic takes a big lead over the Corolla with a larger center console that fits a class-leading 11 donuts, deep cupholders, and also a larger front storage bin.
To stay charged up, both wireless charging pads and moving on to the shifters, you’ll find a traditional setup on both. Operation is easy, and when in reverse, you’ll find standard backup cameras. It’s only the Civic that has front and rear parking sensors as well as active trajectory.
For the climate controls, we have a single zone setup on the Corolla, but a premium dual zone setup on the Civic.
Also, more premium on the Civic will be your audio experience. The Corolla has a 9-speaker JBL sound system, while the Civic has a 12-speaker Bose setup. Overall sound quality is more impressive in the Civic.
Civic: 12-speaker Bose Premium audio
Corolla: 9-speaker JBL Premium audio
We mentioned at the beginning the Civic is refreshed this year, and one of the big improvements for 2025 is in the integrated technology. The displays themselves are going to be 8 and 9 inches respectively, which means the Civic has an 11% advantage in real estate. I want to note here that Toyota has confirmed availability of a 10.5-inch screen on the Corolla for the 2025 model year but that won’t be released for a few more months.
For functionality, both have standard wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and built in navigation. However, new this year, Civic adds Google built in for this top-end Sport Touring model. That means it has nice features like Google Maps, assistant and play store built in natively without even using your phone.
Wrapping things up, we have an auto-dimming mirror on the Civic but only garage door openers on the Corolla.
Both are also including standard size moonroofs at this price point.
Rear Seats and Cargo
Now heading around to the rear, you will continue to find differences between these two rivals. The Civic has always been one of the largest offerings and you’ll appreciate its nearly 3-inch legroom advantage over the Corolla, although headroom is identical.
Civic: Legroom: 37.4-inches | Headroom: 37.1-inches
Corolla: Legroom: 34.8-inches | 37.1 inches of headroom
Corolla fights back with more features in the rear seat area. The Civic only includes a center armrest, but Corolla further adds two USB-C ports for keeping devices charged up.
Both of them could benefit from some air vents.
The space trend continues as we head around to the trunks. The Civic has about a 9% advantage in overall cargo capacity, making it the more practical choice.
Both have 60/40 folding seats, and keep in mind if you need more space, they do offer those hatchback versions I mentioned earlier. Neither have spare tires.
Civic: 14.4 cu.ft.
Corolla: 13.1 cu.ft.
Alright, we’re done with the interiors now, which means it’s time to test out the performance and specs of the hybrid powertrains!
Powertrains
So, like we said at the beginning, Toyota has had an efficient hybrid powertrain advantage over Civic for the past 5 years, but now that’s changing. Arguably the biggest update for the Civic this year is Honda adding their two-motor hybrid powertrain as standard equipment to over half the trim levels. Not only will this add efficiency, but it also makes it substantially faster than the old 1.5 Turbo, with 200 horsepower and 232 lb. ft. of torque. Comparatively, the Corolla has a weaker hybrid system, making about 40% less horsepower and torque than the Civic. Obviously, that is going to make it a good deal slower when accelerating.
Civic: 2.0L I-4 + Electric: 200 hp | 232 lb.ft
Corolla: 1.8L I-4 + Electric: 134 hp |156 lb. ft.
Both have eCVT’s, or eCVT-like transmission arrangements. Power is routed to the ground via the front wheels of these testers, but the Corolla Hybrid can be had with AWD, unlike Civic.
Test Drive and Fuel Economy
Now even though both of these are affordable sedans, you still want good ride quality and premium noise insulation. The Corolla’s suspension is tuned very comfort-focused, and its smaller 16-inch wheels make for an excellent ride quality. While Civic isn’t bad, it’s not as comfortable and for noise insulation, unfortunately, we were not able to test the Civic Hybrid since we were on a media drive in Montreal, Canada. Stay tuned to the channel for when we can officially test this model out in Kentucky.
Corolla: 57.1 dB @ 55 MPH
Civic: – dB @ 55 MPH
So, the Corolla is more comfortable, but what about driving dynamics? While not a sports car, the Civic takes the lead here and feels buttoned down with quick and responsive steering. Simply put, you can feel more Civic Type R influence in the regular Civics’ than you can GR Corolla influence in the regular Corollas.
Lastly, let’s get to fuel economy. Both will surprise you in a good way coming in only 2% apart at 49 MPG combined for the Civic or 50 MPG combined for Corolla. These two will certainly save you at the pump for years to come.
Civic Hybrid FWD: 50/47/49 MPG
Corolla FWD: 53/46/50 MPG
Resale and Reliability
In our reviews and comparisons, we are also adding in reliability and resale information to give you a better picture of the overall value beyond just the original MSRP.
Beginning with reliability, we developed the Combined Reliability Index, which takes into account several studies from trustworthy sources, and combines them in a way that gives a more realistic picture. Honda and Toyota are two of the highest-rated brands, Honda being the 13 slots above the industry average, while Toyota is the very top brand for reliability, 16 slots above average.
We also put Mason’s economics degree to work to develop a detailed Predicted Resale Value tool. After 5 years and 60,000 miles, Honda has the industry’s highest predicted resale value of 64.79%, which is slightly higher than Toyota’s 2nd-highest 64.5%.
Resale is obviously important because it determines how much money you get back, but we can’t forget about the price difference at the original purchase. The Corolla costs $3,554 less than the Civic, which is honestly very substantial given the affordable price point.
I want to emphasize that if money, reliability or resale value matter less to you personally, feel free to disregard these points. And if you’d like to check out all our data about reliability and resale values, as well as learn about our methodology, make sure to head to www.carconfections.com/resale and www.carconfections.com/reliability. Buying a car is a big decision, and this is a great place to compare all the makes you might be cross-shopping.
2025 Honda Civic vs. 2024 Toyota Corolla winner!
So, there you have it; the objective winner is the Civic, but let’s discuss who should be “your” winner…
Civic:
- Larger rear legroom and trunk
- Better interior finishes
- Fun to drive
Corolla:
- More affordable
- More choices
- Can get gas or hybrid powertrains in the loaded XLE trim
Now we want to know your opinions, so make sure to head to the comment section and let us know which one you would pick!
Thanks for joining us for another Car Confections Comparison! We’ll catch you next time as we sample the latest automotive delicacies!
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