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The 2019 Honda Civic is available in sedan, coupe and 4-door hatchback body styles.
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The Honda Accord was all-new for 2018.
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Both cars offer excellent crash-test performance and standard active safety features.
The Honda Civic and the Honda Accord are two of the most trusted vehicles on sale in the United States today. Obviously, the Accord competes in a class up from the Civic, but the differences between the two vehicles don’t end there. Here, we’ll take a look at these two vehicles and highlight the differences that go beyond just size.
Basic Specs
The Honda Civic was fully redesigned for the 2016 model year. Three different body styles — sedan, coupe and 4-door hatchback — are offered; for the purposes of this comparison, we’ll be focusing on the sedan. Buyers have their choice of three different powertrains, including that found in the performance-oriented Si model. There’s also a high-performance Type R variant, but the Type R is outside the scope of this comparison. Changes for 2019 consist of slightly updated front-end styling, a new sport trim level for coupe and sedan models, the standardization of active safety features across the line and the addition of a physical volume knob. The 2019 Civic sedan starts at around $20,000 and reaches about $28,000 in fully loaded trim. See 2019 Honda Civic models for sale near you
The Accord was fully redesigned for 2018 and offers a single sedan body style and two different engines, plus a hybrid variant. Because the Accord is still very new, changes for the 2019 model year are kept to a minimum, and a slight reshuffling of trim levels and a small price increase are the only ways to tell a 2019 from a 2018 model. The 2019 Accord starts at around $24,000, while fully loaded examples exceed $36,000. See 2019 Honda Accord models for sale near you
Powertrains
Civic LX and Sport models come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder making 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. Upper trim EX, EX-L and Touring models come with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder making 174 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual or continuously variable automatic is available with either engine. In its most efficient configuration, the Civic returns 32 miles per gallon in city driving, 42 mpg on the highway and 36 mpg overall.
The Civic also offers a performance-oriented variant dubbed the Si, which uses a version of the turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder making 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. The Si comes exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission and returns 32 mpg combined.
The 2019 Accord is offered with two different engines, along with a hybrid variant. The base engine in the Accord is a variant of the 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder used in the Civic, in this case making 192 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. Higher trim models come with a 2.0-liter turbo four making 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. Accord Sport models equipped with either engine can be optioned with a 6-speed manual transmission; otherwise 1.5-liter models come with a CVT, while 2.0-liter Accords get a 10-speed automatic. With an automatic transmission, the Accord 1.5T earns 33 mpg combined, while 2.0 turbo-equipped models earn 27 mpg overall.
The Accord Hybrid uses a powertrain that is more or less carried over from the previous-generation model. Gas and electric motors combine to make 212 hp and earn 49 mpg combined.
Reliability
Honda has an excellent reputation when it comes to quality, and therefore buyers should see good reliability from all of their Honda vehicles. Honda offers a 3-year/36,000-mile basic and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is in line with what you get from other manufacturers.
Safety
Both the 2019 Honda Civic and the 2019 Honda Accord perform very well in crash testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2019 Accord is named a Top Safety Pick, while the 2019 Civic is expected to be named a Top Safety Pick, as well, thanks to the addition of standard active safety features.
Speaking of standard active safety features, the Accord offers adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, front automated emergency braking, automatic high beams, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist. Starting with the EX trim level, the Accord gains front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
The Civic’s available range of driver-assistance features become standard for 2019. This means all 2019 Civics come equipped with adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, forward-collision warning, front automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist. No Honda Civic is available with parking sensors, blind spot detection or rear cross-traffic alert.
The Civic and the Accord are both extremely safe vehicles, but the Civic’s lack of blind spot detection gives the Accord a leg up.
Dimensions
The Accord competes in the midsize segment, while the Civic is a compact; therefore, the Accord is bigger inside and out.
The 2019 Honda Accord is 192.1 inches long, 73.2 inches wide and 57.1 inches tall, while the Civic measures 182.3 inches long, 70.8 inches wide and 55.7 inches tall.
In the front passenger area, the Accord has 39.5 inches of headroom to the Civic’s 39.3. Both vehicles offer 42.3 inches of front-seat legroom. In their back seats, the Accord offers 37.3 inches of headroom and 40.4 inches of legroom, while the Civic offers 36.8 and 37.4 inches, respectively.
In terms of rear cargo space, the Accord offers 17 cu ft. to the Civic’s 15 cu ft.
Features and Interior Design
The Civic comes with a standard tilting and telescoping steering wheel and automatic climate control, and it’s available with such amenities as heated front and rear seats, power driver and passenger seats and a color driver’s display in the gauge cluster.
The Accord offers all of these amenities and more, such as a heads-up display, a wireless charging pad and dual-zone climate control, among other things.
Altogether, both the Civic and the Accord utilize Honda’s modern, current design language, resulting in a stylish and modern feel on the inside.
Infotainment
All trim levels of the Civic except for the base LX model receive a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display, while the Accord comes standard with an 8.0-inch screen. Both vehicles run Honda’s Homelink infotainment system and offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on most trim levels. The Civic gains a physical volume knob for 2019, but the Accord has offered one since 2018.
Autotrader’s Advice
The Civic and the Accord compete in different classes, and their sizes, packaging and prices reflect this. Both are based on relatively new designs and are among the more competitive vehicles in their segments with regard to features and amenities, fuel efficiency and driving dynamics. The Accord offers a few additional features like a heads-up display and blind spot detection, while the Civic offers the sporty Si and Type R models for anyone looking for a more engaging driving experience. The question of which vehicle is right for you really comes down to whether you need the extra space provided by the Accord.
