Compare the2026 Honda CivicVS 2025 Kia K4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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The Honda Civic has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The K4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The K4’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The K4 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid has standard HondaLink Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The K4 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Civic and the K4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Kia K4:

	Civic	K4
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	325	375
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	39 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	30.2%
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	70 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Kia K4:

	Civic	K4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	195	222
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	361 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	320
Hip Force	516 lbs.	678 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Civic Hatchback is safer than the K4:

	Civic	K4
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	238	253
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.46 in	2.01 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Civic’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the K4 runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 34 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Civic’s reliability 12 points higher than the K4.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

Engine

The Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (150 vs. 147) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (133 vs. 132) than the K4’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Civic Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 10 more horsepower (200 vs. 190) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (232 vs. 195) than the K4 GT-Line Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Civic Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the K4 GT-Line Turbo 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Civic	K4
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.3 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18 sec	20 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.2 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the K4:

		MPG
Civic Sedan
	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/47 hwy
	LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
	Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
K4
	LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/39 hwy
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the K4:

		MPG
Civic Hatchback
	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/45 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
K4
	LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/39 hwy
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Civic Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The K4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The K4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops shorter than the K4:

	Civic	K4
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the K4 (215/55R16 vs. 205/55R16).

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The K4 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The K4 base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Hatchback handles at .86 G’s, while the K4 GT-Line pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the K4 GT-Line (27.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Civic Sedan is 6.4 inches shorter than the K4, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Civic Hybrid uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The K4 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Civic has .3 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the K4.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 41% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

Ergonomics

The Civic’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The K4’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The K4 EX/GT-Line’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Civic Sport Hybrid’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers and the Civic Sport Hybrid Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The K4’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the K4’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Model Availability

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Kia K4 isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its October 2024 issue and the Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan won out over the Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 10 more times in the last 41 years. The K4 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2025 North American Car of the Year. The K4 has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Kia K4 by almost 9 to one during 2024.

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