Used Car Checklists

2026 Honda Civic: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the brakes. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Honda Civic2026
Owner complaints
7
Recalls
0
Crashes reported
1
1 injury
Reliability
Excellent
94/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2026 Honda Civic. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/7 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/2

3

Cold start, engine bay, and underside

Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1

4

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on neighboring Civic years

Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.

2025 Civic

49 owner complaints
  • Steering 13
  • Automatic emergency braking 9
  • Fuel system 7

Worth adding to your 2026 checks

  • Run the VIN for open recalls 24V744000 and 24V763000 and confirm repair parts are actually available.
  • Drive at highway speed and make small steering corrections, feeling for sticking or a sudden release.
  • Turn the wheel slowly at parking speed and listen for clicking, popping, or creaking.
Open the 2025 checklist

2024 Civic

131 owner complaints
  • Steering 68
  • Automatic emergency braking 9
  • Transmission 5

Worth adding to your 2026 checks

  • Check the VIN in federal recall records and confirm the steering gearbox recall has been completed.
  • Drive 30 minutes at highway speed, then make small steering corrections and feel for sticking or notchiness near center.
  • Ask for service records showing any steering rack or EPS unit replacement, or a pending backordered part.
Open the 2024 checklist

Which Civic is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2026 Honda Civic. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
1.5L 4-cylGasFWD31 mpg
2.0L 4-cylGasFWD36 mpg
2.0L 4-cylHybridFWD49 mpg
  • The 2026 Honda Civic was sold in three versions. Confirm which one this is from the window sticker, the engine cover, or the VIN report before you compare prices.
  • On the hybrid, watch for the car moving off on electric power at low speed and for any hybrid system warning on the dash.
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Civic that averages well under the EPA 31 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2026 Honda Civic, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Brakes21 crash

    Automatic emergency braking fails in both directions. In one report, the car brakes hard on its own and shows a brake warning with nothing ahead. The day was clear, the camera was clean, and the car behind nearly rear-ended it. In the other, the system does not stop the car at an intersection, and the crash injures 1 person. Before that crash, a dash warning said the view was obscured in clear daylight, and the dealer found nothing wrong. Both problems show up within weeks of purchase, and both put the car at risk of a collision.

How the 2026 compares with other Civic years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2026 has the fewest owner complaints of the 9 Civic years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2026 Average of other years
  • Brakes27

Also looking at these instead of a Civic?

Cars shoppers compare with the Honda Civic, with their own 2026 checklists.

2026 owner complaints, side by side