Say “Honda” and “Civic” in the same sentence, and many are likely to jump to either the sporty Type R or to the idea of barebones, rental-spec commuting. In this case, only the first thought is correct, because the 2026 Civic lineup has a lot to offer from an affordability and enjoyment perspective – and you don’t need to opt for the $50,000 Type R to get it.
That’s because the Sport Touring Civic model exists, combining elements of performance, efficiency, creature comforts, and reasonable pricing. The 2026 Civic is the car no one regrets buying, and here’s why.
All data, specs, and pricing has been sourced from the automaker and are correct at the time of writing; manufacturers reserve the right to change or update pricing and specs at any time.
The Honda Civic Lineup
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
For 2026, the Honda Civic lineup covers a variety of trims, powertrains, and body styles; there are four sedan trims, and three hatchback models, for seven in total. The Honda Civic nameplate has been around since the early 1980s and has evolved over 11 generations to become one of the best-selling cars in the USA.
Honda’s recent sales figures show that only the CR-V beats the Civic lineup for popularity. The SUV sold 226,114 units in the first half of the year, while the Civic moved 132,440 models until June. Even popular rivals that also tick the boxes for reliability and affordability haven’t been as sought after: the Mazda 3 Sedan and Hyundai Elantra sold fewer than 11,000 and 80,000 units, respectively, over the same time period.
Civic Sport Touring: What Is It?
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
The Civic Sport Touring trim is the pinnacle of the Civic lineup, available as a sedan or a hatchback. In either case, the Sport Touring is exclusively available with an award-winning powertrain that gives the otherwise humble commuter the distinction of being one of the best value-for-money buys in 2026.
Hybrids aren’t new to the Civic nameplate, and the powertrain in the Sport Touring version of the Civic has been around for more than a decade. This is the fourth generation of the two-motor hybrid system, and it’s been such a success for the brand that it also powers the new Honda Prelude sports coupe. This hybrid setup is part of what makes the Sport Touring Civic such a great buy.
Civic Sport Touring In Review
Sport Touring Features
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
Civic Sport Touring models come equipped with everything that Honda has available for the model range. It’s the most well-equipped model and thus includes the standard safety suite called Honda Sensing, which features forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, collision mitigation, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition. Over and above these standard items, the Civic Sport Touring also gets low-speed braking control and front and rear parking sensors.
There’s seating for five, with the hatchback models offering more cargo volume in the trunk than the sedan (24.5 cubic feet vs 14.8 cubes). Whether you opt for the stylish hatch or the regular sedan, the Sport Touring comes with leather seats that are heated in front, with power seat adjustment as standard. Dual-zone climate control and ambient lighting are part of this top-tier trim’s standard content.
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
As for audio and multimedia, the Civic Sport Touring has the largest infotainment screen at nine inches, paired with a 12-speaker Bose Premium sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, and Google Built-In. The top trim gets HD Radio and a 3-year data plan for Google Built-in. There’s wireless charging for your devices, too. The driver’s digital gauge cluster is a 10.2-inch display, and like the features mentioned here, is exclusively available to this top trim.
These niceties are a great bonus for a car that costs around $33,000, but the party piece is the award-winning power plant under the hood.
Performance Specs For The Civic Sport Touring
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
The Civic Sport Touring is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to two electric motors, which makes a combined 200 horsepower – the most in the lineup that isn’t a Type R or Civic Si. This is the same hybrid setup found in the Accord and CR-V hybrid, and has been awarded the Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems award for the third year in a row.
This engine sends power to the front wheels via a CVT, and is good for a 0-60 time in the low six-second range. This is sufficient to turn a humble family commuter into a fun-to-drive vehicle.
“…the hybrid is now the one to get if you’re looking at the Civic. It has such a smooth ride with great acceleration. You will completely forget you’re even driving a hybrid until you cruise by the gas station instead of needing to stop to fill up the tank.”
– Nicole Wakelin, Senior Road Tester, CarBuzz
There’s more to this powertrain than simply being the most potent in the non-performance lineup – it’s going to save you money, too.
Civic Sport Touring Gas Mileage
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
The Honda Civic lineup isn’t overly thirsty to begin with, but the hybrid models take efficiency to another level, with the Honda sedan getting the best mpg figures of all models. The non-hybrids get best gas mileage figures of 32/41/36 on the city/highway/combined cycles, but the hybrid sedans will return 50/47/49 mpg. The hybrid hatchbacks are only one or two miles per gallon behind. The Sport Touring Honda Civic is the most efficient model you can get in 2026 – and, despite being at the top of the range, it’s very reasonably priced.
Price: Civic Sport Touring Models Compared
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
Honda has been near the top of the segment with the Civic for a long time, and that’s largely due to the mix of reliability and a strong feature list for a very reasonable price. The cheapest models in the range are the non-hybrid LX Sedan and Sport Hatchback, which are priced at $24,695 and $27,895, respectively (excluding destination). The sedan lineup also gets a Sport model, priced at $26,695 before switching to hybrid power.
The base hybrid models are both called Sport Hybrid and have MSRPs of $29,395 and $30,595, with the hatchback being the slightly more expensive one. At the top of the ladder sits the Sport Touring Civic hybrid, with a sticker price of $32,395 for the sedan, and $33,595 for the hatch. Add the $1,195 destination charge to the MSRP and you come out under $35k in both cases.
Sport Touring Honda Civic Is The Best Value For Money
2025-2026 Honda Civic Sport TouringHonda
The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid makes a solid case as a competitor to the Civic right now – it costs under $30,000 for the top trim, and will achieve similar fuel economy figures. But behind the wheel, it’s the Civic Sport Touring that wins buyers over – and the Honda offers a better investment in the long run.
According to CarEdge, the Honda Civic will hold its value best, retaining 71% of its value over five years while the Elantra loses out. After 5 years, the Elantra will only be worth 60% of its original value. Honda is one of the best brands to buy if depreciation matters to you. At under $35,000 for the top trim in the lineup, the Sport Touring is the best bang-for-buck Civic you can get right now.
Sources: Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, EPA, CarEdge
FAQ
Q: What Does a Honda Civic Touring mean?
Sport Touring is the name of the top trim in the 2026 Honda Civic lineup. It’s the best equipped version of the Civic and comes with a 200-horsepower hybrid powertrain.
Q: Is LX or Touring better?
The Sport Touring trim is the most expensive and best-equipped model in the Civic lineup. The LX is the base model – it doesn’t have the leather interior, larger multimedia screen, or comfort features like heated seats. It also doesn’t have the more powerful, more fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain. In this regard, the Sport Touring trim is the best option, even if it more expensive.
