Honda Civic review - decent looks but it's no Type-R - MPG and running costs

MPG and running costs 

It won’t come as any surprise that the i-DTEC turbodiesel makes the most sense if you want to keep your fuel bills as low as possible. Neither of the petrol engines can get anywhere near the 78.5mpg official combined figure that it delivers; even driven quickly it easily achieves over 50mpg. Driven normally that diesel should manage over 60mpg, while its 94- to 98g/km emissions figures mean it’s free of road tax. Choose the Tourer and that emissions rating does creep up a bit over the 100g/km threshold, but the nominal £20 it’ll cost you annually is unlikely to break the bank.

The best the petrol units can achieve is the 52.3mpg from the 1.4 i-VTEC; the 1.8i-VTEC trails that with an economy figure of 48.7mpg. Add the automatic to the bigger petrol unit and the economy drops to 44.8mpg. Emissions in both are competitive. The slight advantage the smaller petrol engine might bring in the official economy figures is likely to be offset by the need to work the engine harder, making the jump to the larger petrol engine worth it, though it’s difficult to see beyond the diesel as a daily driver.

Honda and reliability go hand in hand, the firm famous for its exacting standard, so you can buy with confidence. Servicing is every 12,000 miles or annually, costing around £270, while Honda’s warranty is three years or 90,000 miles.