The Best and Worst Honda Civic Years, By the Numbers

Short answer: the 2020–2021 Honda Civic has the cleanest record of any Civic that has been on the road long enough to judge, and the 2014 (or the 2011, if you are shopping older) is the best budget pick. The years with the most problems are 2006–2008, 2016 and 2022.

The Civic's reputation for reliability is mostly earned, but not every model year is equal. Instead of repeating the usual advice, we went to the source: every owner complaint filed with the federal government (NHTSA) for 2005–2024 Civics. We then divided by how many Civics were sold each year, so a year that sold more cars doesn't look worse just for being popular.

The data: complaints per 10,000 sold

Model year	Complaints filed	Per 10,000 sold
2005	218	7.1
2006	957	30.2
2007	893	27.4
2008	790	23.3
2009	359	13.8
2010	396	15.2
2011	168	7.6
2012	454	14.3
2013	319	9.5
2014	290	8.9
2015	379	11.3
2016	1,079	29.4
2017	591	15.7
2018	737	22.6
2019	425	13.1
2020	223	8.5
2021	143	5.4
2022	881	61.9
2023	252	12.6
2024	121	5.4*

*2024 looks excellent, but it is too new to judge. Cars that have only been on the road a year or two haven't had time to develop problems.

The pattern: skip the first year of a new design

Honda redesigned the Civic four times in this period: for 2006, 2012, 2016 and 2022. Every one of those years shows a jump in complaints, and the rate falls in the following years as Honda works out the problems. That is the single most useful rule for Civic shopping: favor the second, third or last year of a generation over the first.

Best years to buy

2020–2021: best overall

The refined final years of the 10th generation, after Honda had fixed its early problems. The 2021 has the lowest complaint rate of any year in the data (tied with the too-new-to-judge 2024), and Consumer Reports also rates 2020–2021 as the most reliable years of this generation. They come with modern driver-assist safety features and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The one thing to keep up with: change the CVT fluid on Honda's schedule.

2014: best budget pick

The late 9th generation, after Honda's quick refresh of the rough 2012 launch. It has one of the lowest complaint rates in the data. It was also the year Honda replaced the Civic's traditional 5-speed automatic with a CVT, and a first-year transmission change often means trouble. Here, it didn't.

2011: the older surprise

Some buying guides say to avoid the 2011. Our numbers disagree: at 7.6 complaints per 10,000 sold, it is one of the cleanest years on record. It was the last year of the 8th generation, after the engine-block problem below had been dealt with.

Years to be careful with

2006–2008: the engine-block years

The known problem here is the engine block, which can crack and leak coolant, leading to overheating. Honda acknowledged it and extended coverage on 2006–2009 Civic engine blocks to 10 years with no mileage limit. That coverage has now run out on every affected car, and the fix is a new engine block: a major, multi-thousand-dollar repair.

If you are looking at one: check for coolant loss, a sweet smell, or any history of overheating, and ask whether the block was already replaced under Honda's extended coverage.

2016 (and to a lesser degree 2017–2018)

The first year of the 10th generation, and its most common complaint was air conditioning. The AC condenser is known to fail, and a replacement typically runs about $590–$775. Early 1.5-liter turbo engines, especially in cold climates, also had a problem with fuel getting into the engine oil ("oil dilution"). Honda extended warranty coverage for it at the time, but that coverage has also expired.

If you are looking at one: run the AC on max during the test drive, and on a turbo model, check whether the oil smells of gasoline.

2022: the highest complaint rate in the data

Part of this is that 2022 sales were unusually low because of the chip shortage, which pushes the rate up. But the problems are real: 881 complaints for a single model year. Federal regulators opened an investigation into "sticky steering" on 2022–2023 Civics, where steering effort briefly increases at highway speeds, and it led to a steering gearbox recall (NHTSA campaign 24V-744). The 2022 has had several other recalls as well, including one for the front passenger seat weight sensor, which controls whether the passenger airbag deploys.

If you are looking at one: run the VIN through NHTSA's free recall lookup and confirm every recall has been completed.

Before you buy any used Civic

• Check recalls. Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. It is free and takes a minute.
• Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic. It typically costs $100–$200 and is the best money you will spend.
• Ask for maintenance records. A well-kept car from a problem year can be a better buy than a neglected one from a good year.

Why no prices? Used-car prices depend on mileage, trim and region, and they change month to month. Repair costs don't, so those are what we list.

How we calculated this

Complaint counts come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database. Each complaint is counted once, even when the owner lists several affected components. Sales figures are published US calendar-year sales, which track model-year sales closely but not exactly. Complaints are reported by owners and not independently verified. These numbers show patterns across hundreds of thousands of cars. They can't tell you about the specific car in front of you. More on how Milemark's numbers work.