2025 Honda Civic Hatchback First Drive: Get the Hybrid, Get the Hatch

• Hatchback body style rounds out the updated 2025 Honda Civic lineup.
• 2.0-liter gas engine comes standard, but the 200-hp, 50-mpg hybrid is the star of the show.
• Hatchback costs $1,200 more than an equivalent Civic sedan.

A lot more utility for a little more money

The Civic Hatchback and sedan are maybe 95% the same, with the only difference being what's going on behind the back seat. The sedan has a traditional trunk with 14.8 cubic feet of space, but the hatchback can accommodate 24.5 cubic feet of cargo, plus a whole lot more if you fold the rear seats flat, though Honda hasn't released that spec as of this writing.

Headroom and legroom measurements for both front and rear passengers are identical regardless of the Civic's body style, so there aren't any advantages (or disadvantages) one way or the other in this department either. All of the Civic sedan's cabin tech carries over as well, with Google built-in integration displayed on a 9-inch touchscreen on the top-spec Sport Touring. (Other models get a 7-inch screen without Google built-in.)

The only major differentiator between the two Civic models is that the hatchback isn't available in the sedan's base LX trim level. The cheapest Civic Hatchback you can buy is the Sport, which costs $28,545, including $1,095 for destination — a $1,200 upcharge over the Civic Sport sedan. From there, the Civic Hatchback gets the same Hybrid Sport and Hybrid Sport Touring trims, priced from $31,045 and $34,045, respectively. Those are also $1,200 more than their Civic sedan counterparts.

The hybrid option is fantastic

There's a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four under the hood of the base Civic Sport Hatchback, offering 150 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque, solely paired with a continuously variable transmission. (The manual gearbox is dead for 2025 unless you want a Civic Si or Type R.) But this isn't the engine worth talking about.

Instead, the spotlight shines on the Civic's new hybrid powertrain, which combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a pair of electric motors. The result is a healthy 200 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque, making the Civic Hybrid more powerful than the performance-oriented Civic Si. Even better, the hatchback is still expected to return 50 mpg in the city, 45 mpg on the highway and 48 mpg in the EPA's combined cycle.

On the road, the Hybrid Hatch moves. I'll be curious to see what kind of 0-60 mph time this thing pulls off at the Edmunds test track because it certainly scoots when you pull away from a stop and will chirp the front tires if you aren't careful. Overall, the Civic Hatchback exhibits crisp handling; it turns in well and is easy to place on the road. Visibility is great, too, and standard driving aids like lane departure assist and blind-spot warning aren't super overbearing.

You'll notice paddles on the Civic Hatchback's steering wheel, but those aren't for shifting gears. Instead, you can move up and down through various strengths of regenerative braking, slowing the car through recuperative energy when you take your foot off the throttle. It's a little annoying that the regen strength resets to the default setting every time you hit the brakes, but the way to get over this is to drive the Civic Hatch in Sport mode. There, the regen setting stays locked until you shut off the car. Sport mode gives you stronger power delivery and a little more steering weight, too.

Hybrid Hatchback is the best Civic

The Civic Hatchback is a little more expensive than its equivalent sedan variants, but you really do get what you pay for. The added five-door functionality can't be beat, and this body style simply looks better — plus you can get it in the hatchback-exclusive shade of Sand Dune Pearl pictured here.

The 2025 Honda Civic is already a winner thanks to small but meaningful updates and a fantastic new hybrid powertrain. Now that it's available as a hatch, this comfortable, efficient compact car really is the total package.