2020 Honda Civic Review

It's fair to say that the Civic officially found its way out of the woods back when Honda introduced this latest generation in 2016. For nearly a decade prior, we were underwhelmed with the Civic's design and quality. But Honda got this latest 10th-generation Civic right and, for now, is content to polish at the margins.

While most Civics stay par for the course in 2020, the hatchbacks get a host of updates — several of which debuted on other body styles last year. This year, the Civic hatch gets front and rear styling updates that include revised foglight housings and blacked-out front trim accents. Inside, there are a few new features in different trims (a power-adjustable driver's seat in EX trims, for example) plus additional sound insulation, which should help quell some of the road noise complaints we've had with this current model.

Honda is also expanding the availability of Civic's optional six-speed manual transmission to include the hatchback's top Sport Touring trim. At a time when automakers can't get rid of the old-school stick shift fast enough, this move is a refreshing commitment from Honda to keep the connection between car and driver strong.

All of this adds to the 2020 Honda Civic's other strengths that include quick acceleration, crisp handling and cargo-carrying versatility. While it's still worth checking out the competition — including the sporty and recently redesigned Mazda 3, the weather-beating Subaru Impreza and the value-packed Kia Forte — the Honda Civic continues to set the benchmark.

Notably, we picked the 2020 Honda Civic as one of Edmunds' Best Gas Mileage Cars for 2020.

What's it like to live with the Civic?

The Honda Civic has long been one of the better compact cars, but its 2016 redesign was nothing short of game-changing. Not only did it help revitalize the Civic nameplate, it shifted our expectations of what a compact car could be. This generation Civic is well-regarded for its spacious cabin, excellent ride quality, upscale interior materials and superb handling. We're also smitten with its powerful and efficient turbocharged engine. We liked it so much, in fact, that we plunked down our own money to buy one. To read about our experiences with a top-of-the-line Touring sedan, read our long-term Civic test. Note that while we tested a 2016 Civic, all of our observations still apply to the 2020 model.