The Honda Civic is considered by many to be the benchmark in the compact sedan segment. A Mazda 3 feels a little more more premium, a Corolla is cheaper, and a Kia K4 is more adventurously styled and also cheaper, but the Civic ticks many boxes that matter to buyers in this segment. If you’re shopping for a 2026 Honda Civic sedan, you may be confused about what trim to buy. Here, we’ll provide an overview of all five trims, as well as the one we recommend as the smartest buy.
Related: The Kia K4’s Features Put the Honda Civic On Notice
Civic Sedan Trims and Prices
Cole Attisha
There are four core Civic trims, so it’s not as overwhelming a selection as some rivals. However, we’ve also included the sporty Civic Si in this analysis, given its price overlap with the hybrids, which brings the count to five. Here are their prices:
- LX: $24,595
- Sport: $26,595
- Sport Hybrid: $29,295
- Civic Si: $30,995
- Sport Touring Hybrid: $32,295
The lower two trims and the Si are non-hybrids, while the other two are hybrids. Honda’s turbocharged gas engine used to be available as an option on models other than the Si, but that powertrain has been replaced by the current hybrid.
At $24,595, the base Civic is quite a bit pricier than the base Corolla, which starts at $22,725. Kia’s newer K4 is also cheaper, so if a low MSRP is a top priority, the Civic may not be the best option in this class. That picture changes if you have a bit more to spend, though.
Related: 2026 Nissan Sentra Vs. 2026 Honda Civic: 5 Major Differences
Powertrains: Three Distinct Choices
Honda
The LX and Sport come with a simple 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 150 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque. Power goes to the front wheels via a CVT. These models are rather slow, but efficiency is admirable at up to 32/41/36 mpg city/highway/combined for the LX.
After that, the two hybrids also have a 2.0-liter engine, but the addition of electric motors raise their outputs to 200 hp combined, and the electric motor alone serves up 232 lb-ft between zero and 2,000 rpm. As a result, acceleration is far punchier in the hybrids, and both get 50/47/49 mpg.
The Civic Si is the sportiest of the bunch by far. It matches the 200-hp output of the hybrid, but does so with a 1.5-liter turbo-four—it’s the only turbocharged model here. Torque works out to 192 lb-ft. Adding to the fun is a six-speed manual transmission, while special tuning of the suspension and steering make this the driver’s choice of the group. However, the Civic Hybrid is even quicker to 60 mph, and the Si’s efficiency (27/37/31 mpg) falls short of that model, too. But the Si isn’t only about speed, and the smile it puts on the face of its driver isn’t matched by any other Civic.
Related: I Drove the 2025 Honda Civic Si for a Week, and I’m Convinced That You Don’t Need a Type R
Feature Availability
Honda
The Civic LX starts out at a decent level, but you do miss out on some desirable extras. This trim gets the following standard features:
- Seven-inch color touchscreen
- Seven-inch TFT meter
- Four-speaker sound system
- Wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
- Automatic single-zone climate control
- One-piece fold-down rear seatback
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane departure warning
- Traffic sign recognition
- Forward collision warning
- Traffic jam assist
The safety spec is especially good for a base model, but if you don’t want your Civic to look like a rental-spec model, you’ll need to go for at least the Sport. This adds black mirror covers, a chrome exhaust finisher, and 18-inch alloys in place of the LX’s 16-inch steel wheels with covers. An eight-speaker sound system, red ambient lighting, sport pedals, and a much more versatile 60/40 split-folding rear seatback are further additions for the Sport.
Honda
The Sport Hybrid gets heated front seats, a one-touch power moonroof, and dual-zone automatic climate control. But the best stuff is reserved for the Sport Touring Hybrid with its front/rear parking sensors, nine-inch touchscreen, 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, 12-speaker Bose sound system, power front seats, and leather upholstery.
The Civic Si is the sportiest model, so although it doesn’t have all the goodies of the Sport Touring Hybrid, it comes with heated front seats, unique upholstery, lots of red trim, the upgraded infotainment screens, and a gloss black decklid spoiler.
Related: I Drove The 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid, Here’s My Honest Review
The Honda Civic Trim of Choice
Honda
If you need a cheap compact sedan, we’d give the LX a skip and opt for one of the Honda’s cheaper rivals. The Mazda 3 has a lot more power for similar money, while you’ll get more features from a Kia K4 for the same price. We’re also eliminating the Sport, which looks better but is stuck with the same, underpowered four-cylinder.
The Si is a brilliant sports sedan but appeals to a smaller niche of buyers who crave a manual, and the price to pay for its better performance is poorer efficiency. At over $32k, the Sport Touring Hybrid is great, but we’d rather get a more refined Accord or even an Acura Integra at that price point.
That leaves us with the Civic Sport Hybrid. Still under $30k, it offers a brilliant blend of performance and efficiency, being both quicker and much more efficient than the Si. It also adds some welcome features. It’s the sweet spot in the Civic sedan lineup and, although not the cheapest in its class, is easily one of the best small sedans around.