Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Toyota Corolla's best version gets 50 mpg combined against 49 mpg for the Honda Civic.
Honda Civic
49mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT · 4-door
Toyota Corolla
50mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.8L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT · rated 50 mpg
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2025 Civic and 1 recall for the Corolla.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Civic | Corolla |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 49 mpg 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT · 4-door | 50 mpg 1.8L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT · rated 50 mpg |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 36 mpg | 35 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid 49 mpg | Hybrid 50 mpg |
AWD or 4WD available | No | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,300 | $1,300 |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $5,000 | Saves $5,000 |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 2 | 1 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 91 | 33 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | 5 stars | 5 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 9.5% (clearly better) | 10.5% |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2016. The Civic rated higher in 3 and the Corolla in 7 of the 11 years both were sold.
- Honda Civic
- Toyota Corolla
2025: Honda Civic 49 mpg · Toyota Corolla 50 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Honda Civic | Toyota Corolla |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 35 | 34 |
| 2017 | 36 | 34 |
| 2018 | 36 | 34 |
| 2019 | 36 | 36 |
| 2020 | 36 | 52 |
| 2021 | 36 | 52 |
| 2022 | 36 | 52 |
| 2023 | 36 | 50 |
| 2024 | 36 | 50 |
| 2025 | 49 | 50 |
| 2026 | 49 | 50 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Honda Civic (left bar)
- Toyota Corolla (right bar)
2026: Honda Civic 1 recall · Toyota Corolla 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Honda Civic | Toyota Corolla |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 3 |
| 2018 | 6 | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 | 6 |
| 2021 | 4 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 |
More on each model
- 2025 Honda Civic MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Honda Civic by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Toyota Corolla MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Toyota Corolla by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Civic or the Corolla?
For 2025, the Corolla. Its best version is rated 50 mpg combined; the Civic's best is 49 mpg.
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Civic is rated 5 stars overall and the Corolla 5 stars. Rollover risk is 9.5% for the Civic and 10.5% for the Corolla.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.