New Toyota Corolla vs Honda Civic: costs
These hybrid hatchbacks from Honda and Toyota are two of the best family cars you can buy. But which should you choose?...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
Whichever way you view it, the Toyota Corolla is the cheaper option. For cash buyers, not only does its brochure price undercut the Honda Civic's, but the Corolla is also available with a bigger discount. It works out cheaper in the long run, too, because it's predicted to depreciate at a slightly slower rate and cost less to insure.
Both contenders put up a strong fight when it comes to fuel economy. With the Corolla achieving an impressive 50.5mpg in our real-world True MPG test and the Civic not far behind (49.5mpg), the difference in fuel costs works out to be only around £100 over 36,000 miles.
For anyone buying on PCP finance, your monthly repayments will be slightly lower if you opt for the Corolla, too. On a three-year deal with a £3000 deposit and a 10,000-mile annual limit, the Corolla will cost you £468 per month, compared with the £489 you'll pay for the Civic.
Because their list prices and CO2 outputs are very similar, it won’t make any difference which of our contenders you choose to run as a company car; you’ll sacrifice £284 per month from your salary either way, assuming you’re in the 40% tax bracket. However, it’s worth noting that a fully electric alternative such as the MG 4 EV will cost you less than a tenth of that per month.
Both cars are generously equipped, coming with LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, climate control, heated front seats, keyless entry, rear privacy glass, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and wireless phone charging. The Civic adds rear air vents, which are reserved for higher-spec trim levels on the Corolla. Neither offers much in the way of options.
The Corolla has an excellent track record when it comes to reliability, with a 97.7% rating in our most recent survey. This Civic was too new to feature, but the previous one was well down the order in the family car class. Toyota ranked second (out of 32 brands) in the overall league table, whereas Honda was 12th.
The Civic comes with a three-year warranty, while the hybrid system is covered for five years or 90,000 miles. The Corolla’s three-year warranty can be extended for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles, provided you have your car serviced at franchised dealer every 12 months or 10,000 miles. The Corolla’s hybrid battery can be covered for up to 15 years on the same terms.
