5 Cars More Reliable Than A Honda Civic

Car enthusiasts don't only envision ourselves in German-made luxury cars or exotic Italian beauties; we all have to get to work and know that there are better choices out there for daily driving. Most performance, classic, and other enthusiast-favorite cars end up with low mileage totals because they're just not practical for everyday use.

Some owners are fearful of bringing down the value of a rare model by damaging it or racking up too many miles, an in reality driving a quirky sports car can be more of a hassle than it is charming. Having to hunt down parts and a competent mechanic for a specialty car is also a real concern of many owners, which is why many true car lovers tend to buy something dull yet reliable for their daily duties.

The Honda Civic has evolved over several generations since the 1970s and is one of the best-selling models of all time at over 25 million units. You'll find everything from classic muscle machines to exotic supercars in John Cena's eclectic car collection, but it's a Honda Civic he chooses for everyday driving. Granted it's a high-performance Type R, but he's a high-performance individual.

Cena is far from the only person to choose a Civic for everyday transportation, but are there more dependable options out there? Believe it or not, there are plenty of other cars that beat the Civic in terms of reliability according to established and widely accepted metrics. Here are a few models that should deliver comparable or better dependability as a Honda Civic at a similar price point. We'll use the 2022 Civic as a benchmark since it's been around long enough to have a well-documented track record yet hasn't aged to the point where its age is becoming a liability.

We can't in good faith suggest any brand-new models as reliable alternatives to the Civic as none have yet had a chance to prove themselves; so with that in mind we've selected the 2023 Toyota Camry as our first Civic alternative.

This Toyota is perhaps just as much of a 'go-to' solution for a reliable ride as the time-tested Civic; while it might be an obvious choice it's still a great place to start. The '23 Camry is well into the eighth of the Camry's generations, which has given Consumer Reports' most reliable automaker time to work out the kinks. The 2023 Camry also ranks as one of the most reliable Toyota hybrids ever, and J. D. Power honored this year's Camry with an 83 out of 100 consumer rating and a stellar 88 for quality and reliability. That's one point overall and seven better for reliability than the '22 Civic we've chosen for our benchmark, but the Camry also measures up well elsewhere. More than 300 owners submitted ratings at Kelley Blue Book, and the 2023 Camry comes in with a reliability rating of 4.1 out of 5. 

More than half rated it five out of five overall, and many noted they hadn't had to spend a penny on anything other than routine maintenance like oil changes and new tires. The Camry isn't all that exciting and even the SE hybrid's 7.4-second 0-60 time won't win many races, but that's not really what we're after here. The Camry is the obvious choice for people who just want a drive-it-and-forget-it taskmaster, which makes it easy to highlight it as a top Civic alternative.

There's an old saying that goes "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," and the millions of people that have put their faith in the Toyota RAV4 can't all be wrong. With that in mind, you probably stand a good chance of getting a solid and dependable car if you follow in their footsteps.

The 2022 model year is worthy of mention, with an 81/100 overall consumer rating from J.D. Power and a top-tier 87 for reliability and quality. The redesigned 2026 RAV4 is only available as a hybrid, but the 2022 version is time-tested and can be had for several thousand dollars less than a brand-new 2026 model. Edmunds scores the 2022 version 4.5/5 for reliability, and the EPA measures combined city/highway fuel economy for the hybrid variant at 40 miles per gallon.

The 2022 RAV4 also has a good track record with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which issues safety recalls and logs customer complaints. The 2022 RAV4's four variants have been subject to a total of seven recalls, with three of them limited to the plug-in hybrid RAV4 Prime.There are 131 customer complaints for all four variants, compared to more than 500 logged for the 2023 Civic. The RAV4 is now the world's best-selling car to boot, if going with the crowd carries weight with you.

In the Hyundai Elantra we find another budget-oriented sedan that seeks to impress the commuters of the world, and the Korean automaker's cars have come a long way since the first Excel arrived in the U.S. in 1986. Folks who have no interest in quarter-mile times or skidpad numbers and don't want another cookie-cutter crossover might find the Elantra's basic sedan form to be a perfect fit. The 2024 Elantra boasts impressive scores of 83/100 overall and 86/100 for reliability from J.D. Power, both a bit ahead of the 2022 Civic's marks. The NHTSA has barely taken notice of this car, issuing just a single recall for a faulty EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve. 

Only 45 owners have logged complaints with the organization, which is a single-digit percentage of the 2022 Civic's total. Owners weighing in at Kelley Blue Book recommend the 2024 Elantra at a rate of 77%, scoring it 4.2 out of 5 stars overall and for reliability. A few owners report transmission problems, but the bulk of the complaints are for minor issues like infotainment system hiccups and a lack of premium features.

It might be a little long in the tooth now, but that doesn't mean you should overlook the humble Mazda 3 when perusing the classifieds in search of a dependable daily driver. We test drove the 2020 Mazda 3 a few years back and found it boasted a lot more personality than some of its rivals, including the Civic. We also highlighted it as as a good option for enthusiasts thanks to its premium feel and available manual transmission, but the Mazda 3's reliability makes it a practical choice as well.

J.D. Power scores the 2020 Mazda3 at 82/100 overall and for reliability, matching the 2022 Civic's overall score and besting it for reliability by a point. Owners weighing in at Kelley Blue Book scored it 4.3/5 overall and 4.2/5 for reliability, with comments like "this is my third Mazda, and the quality, reliability, and craftsmanship is great!"

When Edmunds put it through a 20,000-mile road test, only two issues popped up. The key fob failed once likely due to a dead battery, and an overeager automatic emergency braking system made itself known before staff became aware of an NHTSA recall for the issue.

While the Toyota RAV4 is the global sales leader, the Honda CR-V isn't far behind. The CR-V enjoys the same solid reputation as many other dependable Japanese-made options out there, including the Civic.

The 202 CR-V has an 81/100 overall rating and an 82 for reliability from J.D. Power, one point combined better than its Civic cousin. This difference isn't overwhelming, but it's a solid indication that Honda put the CR-V together well. The three variants of the '22 CR-V have been subject to a total ofseven recalls, with five of those coming for all-wheel drive variants.The NHTSA has logged more than 100 fewer complaints for the 2022 CR-V compared to the same year Civic, and you can haul quite a bit more in the rugged crossover than you can in Honda's compact sedan.

We drove the 2023 CR-V hybrid back when it was new and found the handsome Honda's upgraded propulsion system impressive. The CR-V is spacious and loaded with standard safety tech, which — in addition to a brilliant reliability record — justifies putting your family in the stylish crossover instead of the duller and less utilitarian Civic.

The intent of this article is not to cast aspersions on the Honda Civic, as it has proven itself to be reliable over several decades. In looking for comparable options that meet or exceed the Civic's proven track record for dependability, we looked at data for similar models from trusted industry sources like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power as well as owner reports submitted to Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and other notable outlets. 

Official government reporting from the NHTSA and EPA was also considered to help make final cuts for this list, and we limited our research to models within three model years of our comparison vehicle (the 2022 Civic). This was so older vehicles weren't penalized for extra wear and to exclude newer ones that haven't been on the road very long. In order to keep our suggestions relevant we also chose models that when new were priced similarly to the 2022 Civic, which ranged from $23,645 to just over $30,000 plus taxes and fees.