Skip advert
Advertisement

Honda Civic hatchback (2015-2022) - Practicality & boot space

While the latest Honda Civic has lost the previous car’s ‘magic’ seats, it remains a practical proposition

Carbuyer Rating

3.6 out of 5

Owners Rating
Be the first to review
Practicality & boot space Rating

3.5 out of 5

The outgoing Honda Civic had something of a party trick in its ‘magic’ rear seats, which would flip up, cinema-style, to reveal a flat and easily accessible load area. Honda says that as natty as these were, few owners used them, so the latest Civic’s rear seats have been robbed of the magic. Dispensing with them has facilitated placing the Civic’s fuel tank lower down, though, which reduces the car’s centre of gravity for improved handling. You can still get the Magic Seats in the Jazz and HR-V.

Honda Civic interior space & storage

Despite this change, the Civic is a practical car. The only downside of note is that rear headroom is tight for six-footers, but elsewhere the news is better. There’s plenty of legroom in the rear and interior cubbies abound, while neat touches – like the large central cubby and wire-tidying clips behind the gearlever – clearly indicate thought has been put into how owners will use their Civics.

Boot space

The latest Honda Civic’s boot is big and clever. Most models have 478 litres of storage, which is around a hundred litres more than the Golf, Astra and Focus, but the Sport and Sport Plus models don't give you a removable boot floor and capacity reduces by 58 litres. You can expand the Civic’s carrying capacity to 1,580 litres if you lower the rear seatbacks. Although the space isn’t perfectly square thanks to a fair amount of intrusion from the rear wheelarches, the sheer volume on offer makes this easy to overlook.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The boot’s cleverness comes from a sliding ‘tonneau’ style parcel shelf, which extends from and retracts into a small plastic box on the side of the boot. This a) saves space and b) ensures when carrying large items that require more room, you don’t have to accommodate a bulky parcel shelf as well as your belongings. It’s a neat trick.

Towing

The diesel Civic is the engine of choice for those seeking to pull a caravan or trailer, as it manages 1,400kg, whichever gearbox you pick. The 1.0-litre petrol engine can tow 1,200kg, while the 1.5-litre engine can pull up to 1,000kg. That’s assuming you choose the manual gearbox, though: pick the CVT automatic and those capacities drop to just 800kg. Disregard the automatic, and you should be able to tow a small to medium sized caravan, but the Civic is only likely to be a mediocre tow car compared with rivals like the Skoda Octavia, many versions of which can tow up to 1,800kg. You can't tow with the Sport model because it has centrally mounted exhaust pipes.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Which Is Best?

Cheapest

  • Name
    2.0 eHEV Elegance 5dr CVT
  • Gearbox type
    Auto
  • Price
    £35,005

Most Economical

  • Name
    2.0 eHEV Sport 5dr CVT
  • Gearbox type
    Auto
  • Price
    £36,505

Fastest

  • Name
    2.0 VTEC Turbo Type R 5dr
  • Gearbox type
    Manual
  • Price
    £50,650

Andy is Carbuyer's managing editor, with more than a decade of experience helping consumers find their perfect car. He has an MA in automotive journalism and has tested hundreds of vehicles.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s best PCP finance offers
Carbuyer best new car deals hero
Deals
11 Oct 2024

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s best PCP finance offers

Renault 5 review – iconic supermini reinvented as an EV
Renault 5 front quarter
In-depth reviews
7 Oct 2024

Renault 5 review – iconic supermini reinvented as an EV

The best cars for snow and winter driving 2024
Best cars for winter
Best cars
10 Oct 2024

The best cars for snow and winter driving 2024

Tips & advice

View All
Car dashboard warning lights: the complete guide
Car dashboard symbols and meanings
Tips and advice
26 Mar 2024

Car dashboard warning lights: the complete guide

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps
Charging station
Tips and advice
23 Jul 2024

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?
PCP vs HP
Tips and advice
17 May 2022

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Best cars

View All
Top 10 best car interiors
Peugeot 208 hatchback
Best cars
25 Jun 2021

Top 10 best car interiors

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
Best electric cars
Best cars
16 May 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024
The best cheap-to-run cars 2023
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024
Fastest hot hatchbacks hero
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024