New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign, Pictures, Engine – The New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback is a five-door vehicle that is small, functional, and unassuming—exactly what you may imagine when you think of the perfect first automobile. However, I immediately purchased a Scion FR-S—two doors, manual gearbox, low-slung, and rear-wheel drive (RWD)—after graduating and landing my first big-boy job.
It was difficult to drive it year-round in Toronto traffic and snow, but I persevered because I was (and, in some respects, still am) a die-hard car enthusiast who thought that everyone’s first car should be RWD and have three pedals as a kind of trial-by-fire driver instruction.
New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior and Interior
The Civic’s headroom is also rather decent for what is ultimately still a tiny car, and its backseat legroom is very large, nearly as liberal as that of many compact crossovers. For instance, Honda’s own Acura RDX SUV has only a little more headroom and legroom in the back than this Civic. In contrast, both measurements remain unaltered when compared to the Civic sedan. In addition to having a good amount of pockets and storage spaces up front, the minimalist interior greatly enlarges the room. But the main benefit of having a hatch is that it can carry more cargo. 693 L of storage space is available when that hatch is opened.
New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Specs
This car is equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen, 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry with push-button start, automatic climate control, and one-touch up-and-down front row windows. Upgrades on the Sport include twin exhaust tips, aluminum pedals, 18-inch wheels, a sunroof, and multi-zone climate control. New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign
Choose the top Sport Touring model shown here. The Civic has a fully digital instrument cluster, parking sensors, LED fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, a larger nine-inch touchscreen, wireless charging, a powered driver’s seat, leather upholstery, and a high-end 12-speaker plus subwoofer audio system that sounds good. There are no nice-to-have amenities like chilled front seats or a head-up display.
Engine and Performance
The 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that powers the Civic Hatchback in Sport or Sport Touring trims produces 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty for most daily driving and makes freeway passes pretty simple. Although this engine has a little more power than the previous model—six horsepower and fifteen lb-ft, to be exact—the sound of this engine is the more obvious improvement. This Civic sounds more like a real automobile than the outgoing Civic, which had a cow-like mooing sound.
Since the hatch is always a few dollars more expensive than the matching Civic sedan, Honda fitted this 1.5L to all save the least expensive LX variant. That version gets a 2.0L with 158 horsepower and natural aspiration. Conversely, Honda equips all sedans with the 2.0L save for the premium Touring and Si models. The hatchback’s advantage over the sedan is that it comes with a manual transmission regardless of trim level, whereas the sedan only has a CVT unless you choose Si. New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign
New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Fuel Economy
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rates the manual Civic hatch at 8.5 L/100 km in the city, 6.3 on the highway, and 7.5 overall. After more than 600 kilometers of mixed driving, the little Honda’s trip computer showed 7.4 L/100 km, exceeding its own rating. Feel free to select the least costly grade of fuel at the pump because regular gasoline is all that is required. The manual Toyota Corolla Hatchback is rated at 7.6 L/100 km, whilst the three-pedaled Mazda3 Sport consumes 7.8 L/100 km.Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rates the manual Civic hatch at 8.5 L/100 km in the city, 6.3 on the highway, and 7.5 overall. After more than 600 kilometers of mixed driving, the little Honda’s trip computer showed 7.4 L/100 km, exceeding its own rating. Feel free to select the least costly grade of fuel at the pump because regular gasoline is all that is required. The manual Toyota Corolla Hatchback is rated at 7.6 L/100 km, whilst the three-pedaled Mazda3 Sport consumes 7.8 L/100 km.
This may or may not be the first car I’ve driven with a stop-start system and a manual because most manual-equipped cars these days are either performance versions that don’t care about fuel economy or cheap, bargain basement compacts that aren’t fancy enough to have it. The two technologies work well together, which is quite unexpected given that starting manually takes an extra second anyhow. Honda’s stop-start mechanism, however, operates very quietly regardless of the gearbox. New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign
New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Safety Features
In addition to being comfortable to sit in and look at, the cleverly constructed inside is also quite simple to see out of. The Civic has the finest outward visibility of any modern car in recent memory because Honda made a special effort to give it a very low cowl and some of the thinnest A-pillars in the game. New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign
Regarding semi-autonomous technology, the Civic hatch is equipped with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping, which performs decently, if not better than the industry norm. However, only vehicles with the automatic continuously variable gearbox (CVT) are eligible for low-speed follow and traffic-jam help, so yes, you will need to feather your own clutch during rush hour. However, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and forward collision warning are all standard. It’s a good list. However, like with the most expensive sedan, rear cross-traffic warning is only available on this top Sport Touring model level.
New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Price and Release Date
The base LX model of the New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback costs $28,000. A mid-trim Sport model will cost $31,500, while the top Sport Touring tested here costs a whopping $35,000. (The fee stays the same regardless of transmission).The Honda Civic is the most expensive car in its class, while being the best in terms of quality. New 2026 Honda Civic Hatchback Redesign
For example, a Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE with a CVT costs about $32,000, whereas the same Toyota with a manual transmission costs just less than $30,000. A manual front-drive. For instance, a Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE with a manual transmission costs just under $30,000; the identical Toyota with a CVT costs almost $32,000. In contrast, a Mazda3 Sport GT with a manual front-drive still costs less than $33,000. Perhaps the most surprising is that Honda’s own 200-hp Civic Si sedan mid-level performance vehicle begins at $33,150 and, after fees, costs less than $35,000, which is more than $2,000 less than this more practical but still somewhat unremarkable hatchback.