2025 Honda Civic Hybrid taps 2 motors for nearly 50 mpg

The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid will achieve an EPA combined fuel economy rating of nearly 50 mpg when it reaches U.S. showrooms in the coming months, Honda confirmed Tuesday.

Honda previously said that the hybrid powertrain could catch 40% of Civic sales, and as such it will be available in both sedan and hatchback body styles. The two available trim levels—Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid—are positioned at the top of the lineup.

With an anticipated 200 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque in both grades, the Civic Hybrid will also be among the most powerful Civic variants. As previously confirmed by Honda, that power comes from a 2.0-liter inline-4 running on the efficiency-focused Atkinson cycle, and integrated with the automaker’s familiar 2-motor hybrid system, noteworthy in how it omits the need for anything resembling a conventional transmission.

That allows the electric motor system to come to the fore, especially at city speeds, which brings the responsive acceleration and near-instantaneous torque delivery of an EV. The gasoline engine acts more as a generator, and becomes a bit more noticeable at higher speeds.

The 2025 Civic Hybrid fills a gap that’s existed in Honda’s U.S. lineup since the discontinuation of the Insight hybrid sedan in spring 2022—at which time the return of the Civic Hybrid was initially confirmed for the U.S. This is consistent with Honda’s current strategy of making hybrid versions of its core models rather than hybrid-specific models. And the final-generation Insight was closely related to the Civic, anyway.

Rivals to the Civic Hybrid include the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which both offer at least one configuration earning 50 mpg combined or more. The Corolla Hybrid is also available with all-wheel drive, while the Honda and Hyundai only offer front-wheel drive. Honda is planning a new all-wheel-drive system for future hybrids, but it’s not being deployed on the Civic just yet.

The 2025 Civic Hybrid arrives as part of a mid-cycle refresh for the current-generation Civic for the new model year, which also bundles small styling changes. Google built-in apps are also available for the first time on a Honda, albeit only on the Sport Touring Hybrid grade.

Civic Hybrid production will start with the sedan, which will be built in Alliston, Ontario, and is due to reach showrooms next month. Hatchbacks will be built in Greensburg, Indiana, and are scheduled to reach showrooms this summer. Both the engine and hybrid system are made at facilities in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Honda’s only current all-electric model is the 2024 Prologue, based on General Motors’ Ultium underpinnings. A mid- to large-sized EV based on Honda’s own dedicated e:Architecture is due to follow in 2025. Honda aims for 2 million annual EV sales by the end of the decade.