Honda Civic Hybrid

Honda’s take on the hybrid. Not as accomplished as the Prius, but still very competent. You can still be similarly frugal in a cheaper, faster diesel though.

• Comfort

  Drives like a normal Civic, so it’s light with an occasionally tough ride over poor surfaces. Plenty of room in the front, but the sedan back makes headroom tight for rear passengers.

  

• Performance

  There’s a 1.3-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor which gives overall performance of 12.1 seconds to 100km/h with economy of 4.6L/100km. That’s slightly slower and less economical than the Prius.

  

• Cool

  Not in any way. Only manages to be fraction cooler than the Prius because the Hollywood clique haven’t embraced it in quite the same way.

  

• Quality

  Relax – it’s a Honda. They don’t tend to go wrong, even complex ones like the Hybrid. Though the shape looks a bit outdated, you do get the Civic’s clever swoopy dash design.

  

• Handling

  Grip and body control are excellent, but can get crashy when the tarmac is bad. Gets wheezy out on the open road.

  

• Practicality

  Limited bootspace because of that saloon rear end and battery pack in the boot. The Prius has more space back there… and you know how much we hate complimenting the Prius.

  

• Running costs

  Excellent economy and low CO2, but the last-gen of Honda hybrids – the IMA – lost almost 50 per cent of their value over the first four years. Does everyone prefer a 320d instead to be frugal?