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Comprehensive Guide to the Honda Civic's Lifespan: How Far Can Your Honda Civic Really Go?

Tenth Generation Honda Civic RS

Honda, a Japanese carmaker, first released the Civic to the United States in 1973, selling 32,575 cars.

Estimations put total Honda Civic sales in the USA at 7.3 million cars by the 2021 year-end.

Over the years, the Honda Civic has built a reputation for being a reliable car with good fuel efficiency at an economical price.

A Honda Civic can easily last for over 300,000 miles with proper maintenance.

An exceptionally well-maintained Honda Civic can last over 500,000 miles.

Even an average Honda Civic that's been neglected and abused can last well over 200,000 miles!

This article will explain the following:

  • the Honda Civic's reputation as such a durable vehicle
  • the average lifespan of a Honda Civic
  • how Honda Civics stack up against other cars such as the Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, and the Hyundai Elantra

Table Of Contents [show]

    Tenth Generation Honda Civic RS
    Tenth Generation Honda Civic RS

    How Long Does A Honda Civic Last?

    The longevity of the Honda Civic stacks up relatively well versus other small cars.

    Drag Link
    Example Of 2007 Honda Civic For Sale With 358,283 Miles|

    Using sales data from autotrader.com and production data from carsalesbase.com, we can estimate how long Honda Civics stay on the road versus other models.

    Scroll down to find the bolded Honda Civic % of vehicles for sale. The %=vehicles for sale/total produced.

    A higher percentage for sale may indicate that more vehicles are still roadworthy and deemed saleable than another with a lower percentage.

    Longevity Comparison Table - Honda Civic vs. Other Models
    Make Model Years Of Sales Data Total Vehicles Produced Vehicles For Sale (>200k miles) % For Sale Annual Maintenance Costs Annual Insurance Costs
    Toyota Tacoma 2000 to 2012 1,903,479 317 0.01665% $626 $1338
    Cadillac Escalade 2000 to 2012 353,524 52 0.01471% $373 $1684
    Toyota Highlander 2009 to 2012 285,943 40 0.01399% $540 $1410
    Ford Edge 2006 to 2010 450,309 50 0.01110% $409 $1296
    Subaru Outback 2000 to 2012 903,166 94 0.01041% $515 $1378
    Honda Accord 2000 to 2012 4,660,421 332 0.00712% $360 $1310
    Jeep Wrangler 2000 to 2012 1,166,707 81 0.00694% $462 $1256
    Toyota Camry 2000 to 2012 5,270,729 340 0.00645% $489 $1432
    Nissan Frontier 2000 to 2012 844,962 53 0.00627% $420 $1394
    Jeep Grand Cherokee 2000 to 2012 2,074,148 127 0.00612% $492 $1414
    Honda Civic 2000 to 2012 3,932,856 229 0.00582% $306 $1536
    Dodge Durango 2000 to 2012 1,007,796 57 0.00566% $477 $1440
    Subaru Forester 2000 to 2012 809,230 36 0.00445% $563 $1346
    Hyundai Santa Fe 2000 to 2012 955,135 42 0.00440% $615 $1386
    Chrysler 300 2003 to 2012 791,297 29 0.00366% $557 $1548
    Toyota Corolla 2000 to 2012 3,933,414 144 0.00366% $479 $1400
    Nissan Altima 2000 to 2012 2,971,271 86 0.00289% $362 $1446
    Volkswagen Jetta 2000 to 2012 1,628,565 44 0.00270% $414 $1414
    Nissan Rogue 2007 to 2010 267,598 7 0.00262% $398 $1412
    Hyundai Sonata 2000 to 2012 1,681,992 43 0.00256% $579 $1426
    Ford Focus 2000 to 2012 2,716,831 67 0.00247% $547 $1358

    From the table above, we can see roughly twice as many Honda Civics still on the road as Ford Focuses, Volkswagen Jettas, and Hyundai Sonatas per vehicle produced (2000-2012 model years with more than 200,000 miles on the odometer).

    However, less than half as many Honda Civics are for sale compared to sturdier built vehicles such as the Toyota Tacoma, Cadillac Escalade, and the Toyota Highlander.

    Also, compared to larger cars such as the Honda Accord, Subaru Outback, and Toyota Camry, the Honda Civic scores significantly less.

    Factors To How Long a Honda Civic Lasts

    Multiple factors determine how long a vehicle will last on the road.

    They include maintenance, insurance, reliability, and trade-in value.

    Drag Link
    Example Of 2004 Honda Civic For Sale With 337,562 Miles|

    Honda Civic Maintenance Costs

    Maintenance costs greatly influence how long a vehicle will last on the road.

    If a vehicle is cheap to maintain, keeping the vehicle on the road will make more economic sense as it gets up in age.

    According to yourmechanic.com, the Honda Civic has an average annual maintenance cost of $306 USD.

    Honda Civic in the shop
    Honda Civic in the shop

    This compares well with the Volkswagen Jetta ($414) and Ford Focus ($547).

    Keep in mind that for model years 2001 and prior, all Honda Civics had timing belts that require replacement approximately every 60,000 - 100,000 miles.

    Timing belt replacements are somewhat pricey, normally ranging from $600 to $1000.

    Honda Civic Insurance Costs

    Insurance costs can also influence how long a vehicle will be on the road.

    Low insurance costs incentivize an owner to maintain and keep their vehicle on the road instead of paying higher costs on a newer vehicle.

    According to www.quoteinspector.com, the Honda Civic has an average annual insurance cost of $1536 USD. This is higher than the Volkswagen Jetta ($1414) and Ford Focus ($1358).

    Honda Civic Reliability / Complaints

    According to carcomplaints.com, the three main complaints are:

    1. Transmission failure, 2001 Honda Civic, Average cost to fix: $2300, Avg. miles: 104,000 miles
    2. Transmission failure, 2002 Honda Civic, Average cost to fix: $2300, Avg. miles: 110,000 miles
    3. Cracked engine block, 2006 Honda Civic, Average cost to fix: $2900, Avg. miles: 97,000 miles

    Carcomplaints.com ranks the 2001 Honda Civic as the worst Civic overall having the most complaints and having the highest maintenance costs.

    Honda Civic Depreciation / Trade-In-Value

    Cars that retain their value will often be kept on the road longer than cars that lose their value quickly and quickly be worth little.

    The Honda Civic is expected to depreciate 43% on average in its first five years.

    This compares favorably to the Honda Accord (45%) and Sentra (57%) but unfavorably to the Honda Fit (37%) and the Subaru Outback (43%).

    One trick to improve the depreciation rate of your Honda Civic is to use a properly sized steering wheel cover.

    Conclusion

    Suppose you're looking for a vehicle that will last you many miles. In that case, the Honda Civic makes an excellent choice because if taken care of, the Civic can give you over 500,000 trouble-free miles!

    Check our other studies to see how long the Honda Accord and Jeep Wrangler lasts.