Looking for a compact car with a long list of standard equipment? Don’t pass up the 2020 Honda Civic, a small-yet-mighty model that’s offered in sedan, coupe and sporty hatchback styles to suit your exact needs.
How reliable is the 2020 Honda Civic?
The 2020 Civic has received high reliability ratings, including a J.D. Power “Quality & Reliability” score of 76/100. Also, Kelley Blue Book named the 2020 Civic the “2020 Best Buy: Compact Car” for its reliability and resale value.
- Owner reviews: 4.73 stars
- Expert reviews: 4.6/5
Using data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plus our own database of Vehicle History information, we’ve created a summary of owner and expert reviews, recalls, formal complaints and more about the 2020 Honda Civic to inform your purchase!
More about the Honda Civic
The Honda Civic made its debut in the early 1970s and has been in continuous production ever since. As one of the top-selling compact cars in the United States, the Civic has a reputation for its versatility and performance.
Now in its 10th generation of production (which began with the 2016 model year), the 2020 Honda Civic is available in sedan, coupe and hatchback body styles. It comes in six trim configurations, with standard equipment including:
- Automatic climate control.
- A safety suite with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking and more.
- 16-inch steel wheels.
- A 2.0L four-cylinder engine (158 horsepower).
The 2020 Civic is also offered with a more powerful turbocharged 1.5-liter engine (174 horsepower) on its EX, EX-L and Touring trims. Looking for the most power? Check out the Civic Si, which puts out 205 horsepower with its turbocharged engine.
2020 Honda Civic Recalls and Complaints
A thorough search of both NHTSA reports and VehicleHistory.com reviews reveals just a couple of potential reliability issues with the 2020 Honda Civic. And as of November 2020, there are no open recalls on this model.
Check out a couple of the most notable owner complaints regarding the 2020 Honda Civic below, which are mainly related to the car’s engine and standard safety features.
Finicky Lane-Departure and Collision-Mitigation Systems
NHTSA Complaint IDs: 11359991, 11298079
You should be able to rely on your car’s standard safety features to help you feel confident and secure while you’re behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, a couple of formal complaints filed with the NHTSA report issues with the 2020 Civic’s automatic safety features, such as the lane-departure system and collision-mitigation system.
In one complaint filed in September 2020, the owner reports that the vehicle’s collision-mitigation system “falsely detects shadows from bridges or trees as objects/vehicles in the road,” thus falsely applying the brakes.
This same owner claims that the lane-departure system will “try to veer off the road at every exit” if the car is traveling in the right-hand lane. The owner has reportedly shut off both safety systems due to recurring problems.
In another complaint filed in January 2020, the owner of a 2020 Civic reports two instances of the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system engaging when it shouldn’t have, almost causing an accident each time.
Engine won’t Start
Source: VehicleHistory.com Reviews
While the majority of the owner reviews on VehicleHistory.com are positive, there are a couple of reviews that mention problems with the 2020 Civic’s engine.
In one October 2020 review of the Civic EX, the owner reports that just two days after buying the car new, the engine would not start. It is unknown if the cause was a dead battery or something more serious.
Another reviewer, Dean Sao, posted in November 2020 that his 2020 Civic Hatchback was bought new in June and only has 600 miles on it, and the engine will already not start.
It is worth noting that every new Honda comes with a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, as well as a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, so these vehicles’ repairs should be covered.
Check out the Vehicle History Report
Before you buy your next car, make sure you have the full picture. Check the Vehicle History report on any make and model at your convenience. We make it easy to access the specs, photos, reviews and other details you need!
