Ever since the Honda Insight crossed over to the great parking lot in the sky, Honda hasn’t had a hybrid version of the Civic for people to buy. Next year, however, that’s going to change.
The Honda Civic can be a little noisy on the road, but other than that, it’s a pretty fantastic compact sedan. It’s also rated at 33 mpg city and 42 mpg highway, which makes it pretty good on gas. Honda announced plans to bring back the Civic Hybrid, and says production of the sedan will begin in spring 2024, with production of the hatchback starting soon after. The press release didn’t include a lot of details, but it did say the 2025 Civic Hybrid “will be powered by a version of the award-winning Honda two-motor hybrid-electric system.”
Another clue in the release says, “This powerplant has already received significant global accolades including a recent Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems award for the 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid.” We can’t confirm that means the Civic Hybrid will make 204 hp like the Accord Hybrid, but with a line like that, it’s not entirely out of the question.
If we were making bets, we would probably say expect a detuned powertrain, but as enthusiasts, we’re going to choose to believe Honda plans to give us a hybrid Civic with more power than the Si. In the event that it is detuned, we wouldn’t be surprised if tuners such as Hondata quickly offer owners the opportunity to up the engine’s power.
The biggest question, though, is how much it will cost. Is Honda going after the new Prius, or is it going to target the much less expensive Corolla Hybrid? If it’s the former, the odds of getting a 204-hp Civic Hybrid will probably increase significantly. Unfortunately for us, we’re probably going to have to wait to get that answer until after the new Civic Hybrid is officially revealed, possibly later this year or early next year.