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Next generation Honda Civic.

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The Honda Civic sedan and hatchback received very minor revisions for the 2025 model year. Changes that, unfortunately, also included some cost-cutting and deletion of a few items. (Like rear vents and USB plugs). Which logically means a new generation should be around late next year as a 2027 model.

The current Honda Civic is an excellent car. Especially the new Hybrid version. However, in my uninformed and unprofessional opinion, its biggest flaw is its design.

Many have noticed the Civic is somehow only really good-looking with every other generation. The 9th generation was basically a sad copy of the much more interesting and modern 8th generation, as the current model is just not as good-looking as the previous one. I think the great Honda Civic could be even more popular with a much more striking design. One that isn’t afraid of competing with the great-looking Toyota Prius. And really, if Toyota can transform the Prius into one of the most modern and attractive cars around, Honda can do it with the Civic.

Honda has also recently come up with really nice designs like the Prologue EV or the 2026 Passport. As well as the upcoming 0 Series sedan and SUV. If the trend lasts a couple of years, we could see a great-looking Civic as well.

I personally think the current generation was a huge step back from the previous design, and it never looked good. The 2025 “facelift’ doesn’t help either. While it is truly an excellent car, there is no reason for it to look so bad. Sales went down 49% in 2022 compared to the previous year. They have since picked up, but have never reached the numbers of the previous generation.

The 2025 Civic Hybrid is still probably one of the best choices for a compact sedan in the US. Especially as a hatchback. A few weird things are still missing, like a seat height adjustment for the passenger or USB plugs for the rear seats. But in general, it is excellent. What it really deserves is a much nicer design.

The illustration above shows what a next-generation Civic hatchback could look like.

Conversation 12 comments

  1. I agree that the 9th gen Civic looked more conservative than the 8th gen’s avant garde approach. The 8th gen was just way ahead of its time. I’ll say one good thing about the 9th gen – the cab forward silouette was a step forward. One arching curve across the car still looks modern today, especially after Honda started pursuing this nonsense about extended hood lines. The 2012 Civic was first to get that chrome grill bar and that made it look old. Then, Honda over-reacted on the exterior and the 2013’s exterior updates were just as frumpy and IMO less interesting. The real issue was 2012’s unfortunate interior materials and suspension tuning. Honda improved those in the 2013 but it and other Honda products that were similarly affected continued to suffer saleswise.

    Here’s what I think Honda’s real issue is today: when you sit and drive an older product from the 1990’s or even the 2010’s, then get into a current day Honda product, the new cars don’t have the same solid smooth feel to the suspensions or engines. Gone are the double wishbone front suspensions, the silent like a sewing machine engines, the laminated glass windshields and windows. The current engines are coarse, the seats aren’t nearly as comfortable, the seat coverings feel cheap. Honda spent so much time trying to fight Toyota tit-for-tat that they became Toyota. A Honda used to feel like a premium car and you paid that premium (usually about 2-3k more). And Acura felt like a luxury maker. Now, its barely scraping the premium segment. Both divisions have lost something essential due to cost cutting and pouring money down a hole pursuing too many side projects like fuel cells, biofabrics, and AFEELA.

  2. Electric and hydrogen make sense in Honda’s home country of Japan. And the Japanese prefer a high quality cloth seating surface over leather. That’s why those project exist. They just don’t fit American driver’s needs.

  3. Honda needs to update the exterior design
    of their products. Made them more appealing to the public. The interior is okay
    and the comfort of driving and riding is fine

  4. Vince you stated “A few weird things are still missing, like a seat height adjustment for the passenger or USB plugs for the rear seats.” And you are so on the money. That was the only reason I didn’t buy a Civic or an Accord, same issue. Bad back and I need to raise that seat up. No vents to save money? Crazy.

  5. The car is great except for the seats. I don’t even enjoy driving my car because the seats make it a miserable drive. I guess they took the zero gravity seats out to put these crappy seats in the car to save some money.

  6. @Richard Imatomi I’m sorry but a lot of current Honda interiors feel like a downgrade compared to their competitors at the same price, and they are very loud inside on the highway.

  7. I don’t see the Civic getting a height-adjustable passenger seat before tha Accord gets one, and believe it or not, the Accord doesn’t have one. Sitting in the Accord’s passenger seat is like sitting in a bathtub. And come to think of it, its driver’s seat is about as comfortable as sitting in a canoe. Major reason I decided not to buy one.

  8. I can’t believe in 2025 the Civic or Accord have so little seat adjustment or comfort. I’ve skipped this generation and will hold out for the next or I’ll go elsewhere.

  9. Completely disagree, 11th gen Civic is one of the best looking civic generations. 10th gen was much too “boy racer” and 8th and 9th gen looked like blobs on wheels (as a FA5 SI owner). Don’t get me wrong, none of the civic generations were bad looking but the 11th gens have a charm to them.

  10. Shape and look of great 10th gen while the 11th gen seems good only it’s rare side. I don’t understand why honda manufacturer repeats same mistake after one another model such like the 8th gen almost good they make another model 9 gen so weird from the front after 10th gen they do the same the 11th gen is quite boaring and outdated front. 11th gen sounds like a some 80 model honda. Who is your designer.
    Wel inside is an average to compare with German cars.

  11. The 5th generation Civic was a great shape and drive particularly on the 1.6 DOHC in Europe. 6th Generation was also a great drive with the various VTEC versions. Both models had double wishbone independent suspension. Amazing cars. Honda should have stayed with these designs but just a bit larger. Why did they change such a winning formula?

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