Honda Civic Real World MPG

Karen_S · May 2005

This discussion is for Civic owners to report their actual MPG. Please be sure to include your Civic specifics; manual, automatic, or hybrid CVT.

"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

crazygrrrl · May 2005

I've got a 2003 Honda Civic LX sedan (automatic transmission). It has 34,600 miles on it and is meticulously maintained.

My commute is about 85% freeway with the usual stop and go traffic in certain sections. I also drive through a lot of medium sized hills in my commute. I commute alone and I weigh only 125 pounds so the car doesn't really have much to carry.

This is my car's real-world MPG:

If I drive granny style, I get about 37 MPG.
If I drive like a lead-footed hot rodder, I get 32 MPG.
I usually average 34.5 - 35 MPG a month.
On long trips on flat roads my Civic usually gives me 41 MPG.

How did everyone else do?

polymorpha · June 2005

Through 11K miles my 2004 Civic DX with standard transmission has averaged 36.1 mpg (calculated as total miles divided by total gallons). I expect that to improve by perhaps 1 mpg after I have had it a whole year as summer mileage is usually higher than in the cooler seasons. My driving is 70% city and country and 30% interstate highway, mostly in southern New England.
I suppose that is not bad as non-hybrid gas-powered cars go, but it is about 3 mpg lower than in my 1991 Civic. Acceleration is slightly better, but I'd trade that for the added mileage.

artycat · June 2005

Does anyone know anything about the mpg for the HX Civic coupe? It supposedly gets 44mpg highway according to the EPA; is this close? Thanks Arty :confuse:

204meca · June 2005

I tend to drive for economy most of the time with an occasional run thru gears to redline the gears about once a week. I expect to significantly beat the EPAs and my Hondas have hands down used less gas than any other cars in my family.

85 AWD 5spd wagon ave 30 in town, 40 on highway, best is 45 highway
92 HX 42-44 in town, 52 highway

94 Del Sol Si, AT: Ave 30-32 in town, 38-42 highway, best highway 45
97 Del Sol Si 5 spd 31-33 in town 37-41 highway, best highway 44
92 Civic Si 29-34 in town, 38-42 highway, best 43 highway. This is my current driver with 169,000 miles and it still consistently gets milege 10% of above range!

I was very disappointed with the current Civic SI model fuel economy, prevented my from seriously considering it.

artycat · June 2005

Thanks, I guess you'd say I expect to get the EPA estimates as the worse case. I know the Civic HX Coupe lacks a few amenities like PWs but it is inexpensive which is a plus and has other nice things on -- it isn't a base Civic which is even too basic for me. My husband has done nothing but complain since he had to shell out $600 to get the PWs fixed in our old clunker. Arty

bluearm · June 2005

I bought a 98 honda civic hatchback dx automatic two weeks ago. I like it,but the only disappointment i have is the MPG i got only 24 mpg

. which i thought i would get 30 mpg or more! any suggestions to improve my gas mileage?!

oluap · June 2005

I've never heard of a Civic, even an automatic, getting MPG that poor. Sounds like the car might need a tune-up. Also, bad alignment can cause your MPG to drop. Hopefully you bought the car for a good price!

bluearm · June 2005

i bought it for $7500 only 32,000 miles on it Front alignment was done , i checked the carfax report it had one owner, scheduled maintenance was done at a honda dealer, it looks like a brand new car to me the only problem is it doesn't have AC.
on that week i went to mount baldy the roads were very uphill . some places the car couldn't go over 45 could that be the reason? or could it be the tires they are almost worn off!
thank you

theracoon · June 2005

on that week i went to mount baldy the roads were very uphill

Mt Baldy in Southern California? Peak elevation of just over 10,000 feet? From an elevation of 1,200 feet or less?

Yes, you would get poor mileage driving in the mountains. Track your mileage while driving around without driving in the mountains. I think you'll see that it gets better.

JM2C

redrx · June 2005

I bought this car back in Jan. to be my commuter. My commute is roughly 50 miles round trip. About 35 miles of it is 55mph open road, the other 15 mixed city. The car had 163,000 miles when purchased & is a 5 spd. After new tires, alignment & a tune up I got it on the road in late Feb. At the time I was very dissapointed in mpg as epa est was 49/52 & I was averaging 38mpg. After about a month I checked tire pressure & found they were underinflated by about 4 to 5 psi. Front is supposed to be 35 rear 33. Now that temps have warmed + summer fuel & running front & rear tire pressures at 35psi I average about 55mpg. Worst since April has been 47mpg, best has been 59mpg. On my last fill-up I got 404mi. out of 7 gallons. It's only an 8 gal tank & I normally don't run it that low. I love this little car, 62hp motor is quick to 30 mph & it turns on a dime. The only downside, my fiance & dog. One slides around in the hatch area & the other thinks it rides too firm. :shades:

dfbidwell · June 2005

I drive a 1997 Civic HX w/ CVT trans and ~172,000 miles. I'm pretty good about tracking my mileage and I average about 40 MPG. I'm going to tune it up soon and I'll be curious to see if my mileage changes significantly.

artycat · June 2005

Thanks, I will be happy if my new HX gets close to the EPA.

artycat · June 2005

I'm hoping for something as good with my new HX. Keep me in the loop. HXs seem to be rare. I'm getting because I didn't want to pay what the hybrids cost and the EPA estimate was good. Thanks. Arty

stevedebi · June 2005

"I've never heard of a Civic, even an automatic, getting MPG that poor. Sounds like the car might need a tune-up."

Well, add our Civic to the list, 2002 EX, AT. We get about 27 MPG around town, sometimes as poor as 25 MPG. I have gotten it up to 35 MPG on the freeway during trips.

The car is dealer maintained, and I don't think it needs any tune ups. The tires are wearing evenly. Just went over 30K miles.

Karen_S · July 2005

Save Money on Gas

dfbidwell · July 2005

Sounds like you're driving with your brakes on! If your Civic is getting that kind of gas mileage consistently, I'd take it in to get checked out by a mechanic. Something is definitely wrong. JMHO.

bluearm · July 2005

Mt Baldy in Southern California? Peak elevation of just over 10,000 feet? From an elevation of 1,200 feet or less?
yes pretty cool mountain , i reached the summit twice very dangerous in the winter though!
i changed my engine oil now i'm getting 29 mpg city !!

i didnt think engine oil would make that much difference in gas mileage!
or probably it was from the uphill roads.

civicex05 · August 2005

I've had my EX Sedan with Automatic for over a month now and put about 3,000 miles on it. So far, the MPG is about what I expected. I drive about a 50/50 mix of city and highway with some of the highway miles in bumber to bumper traffic. I'm a fairly conservative driver, but every now and then, I really punch it in order to merge onto the freeway. Here is what I've experienced so far:

In 50/50 mix driving, I get about 32-34 MPG with the A/C running.
On a recent freeway trip (70-75 MPH), I got 36.2 MPG with the A/C running.

The mileage seems to be getting better with every fillup, and I'm extremely happy with the car. I'm looking forward to the fall and winter when the car is fully broken in, and I can turn off the A/C and hopefully get up to 40 MPG on the freeway. :shades:

dalaw · August 2005

Miles: 25,000
Highest ever: 39.6 mpg (speed limit highway driving with a/c)
Lowest ever: 28 mpg (frequent redlining)
Lifetime average: ~33 mpg

flynfl01 · August 2005

I have owned my 04 Civic LX coupe with manual for a little over a year now. Up until a couple of months ago, I typically got 33-35 MPG in the city, and 38-40 on the highway. During the past two months, my mileage has dropped considerably. Sometimes as low as 28. Lately i've been getting 28-32 in the city. My tire pressure is okay...all maintenance is up to date, including oil changes, tire rotations and new air filter. I have 15,000 miles and all of my driving habits are the same as they always have been. I am a very easy driver and don't drive fast or hard. I'm concerned about this. What has caused my mileage to drop? Should I take it to the dealer? If i do, what will they be able to do to check it out?

Thanks in advance.

civic4 · August 2005

I have approx. 22,000 miles on my 2004 Civic EX automatic. On a recent trip of aprox 364 miles, with the AC on, and a good deal of bumper to bumper highway miles in which we had to hit the brakes a lot, and with three bodies in the car on the way up, two on the way back, along with returning with a full trunk of food, (we went to stock up on meats at the commisary at Hanscom airforce base in MA, also amazing how we got THREE big cooler heavy and packed with meats, to fit in that trunk with space to spare, without having to put the back seat down). We averaged 37 MPG. Considering these factors which could have destroyed a car's ability to get anywhere NEAR that figure, I'd say the rest of the automakers should take a lesson. take the Civic's engine apart, piece by piece and find out how they do it.We are sold on the Honda Civic now and forever, LOVE THE CAR!!! Lots of looks too, I guess people are noticing the car more and more as the gas prices go up and up.

crv16 · August 2005

I've got 56k miles on my Civic now.

Highest ever: 42.5 mpg

Typical: 37-40

Mostly highway/back roads

jp187 · September 2005

I have had the car about a week. :shades:

First tank with mixed driving 31mpg.

2nd thru 3rd fillups on 600 mile trip. (each fillup at about 1/2 tank).

29mpg. Additional Info. Speeds avg 75-80 with air on, three people in car.
Driving through remnants of Katrina (big rain whole trip 10-20mph winds).
rpms at 4k around 80.

p.s. When you are going 80; blink you are at 90.

Drives better than my old crx Si.

hawkeye_stu · September 2005

I just purchase my new car last week and only have 356 mile on it. I drive it very easy around town and I am only getting 22mpg. I did a highway test that was 85% highway and 15% city and got 32mpg. The city mileage is way to low if you go by the city mileage listed on the new car window sticker. (31mpg). The air pressure in the tires is fine and the engine is purring like a kitten but 21mpg in the city is not acceptable. I know the engine is not broken in yet but I would think the mileage should be better than this. Any comments from the members of this discussion group would be greatly appriciated.

civicex05 · September 2005

I know the engine is not broken in yet but I would think the mileage should be better than this.

Be patient. I just bought a Civic EX Sedan with automatic back in July, and now have about 3,500 miles on it. My mileage has improved with every fill-up so far. I started out at 29 mpg in mixed driving, and is now up to 35 mpg.

It may not have any effect on mileage, but you should also check your oil level. Mine needed a quart after only 1,000 miles. It hasn't used any since then, so I can only assume that it was not filled properly when the car was delivered (I didn't check it when I bought the car). Good luck!

stevedebi · September 2005

"Sounds like you're driving with your brakes on! If your Civic is getting that kind of gas mileage consistently, I'd take it in to get checked out by a mechanic. Something is definitely wrong. JMHO.'

No, the wife never even uses the emergency brakes. The car is very peppy, and is eager to rev. It has been dealer maintained, and I have mentioned the MPG, but they did not find anything wrong.

hawkeye_stu · September 2005

I now have 1056 miles on my new car and the strictly city mileage is 24.4. I have not had time to do a highway only test but will do one soon. I will have a mixed city/hwy result by this weekend and will post the results soon after.

hawkeye_stu · October 2005

Mixed Hwy / City for the weekend was 29.4 mpg. I drove around the LA beach and did a 70 mile highway run to go to Chinatown and back. I only spent $11.00 in gas this weekend so that is not bad at all. I am getting over double the mileage my BMW convertable gets but I sacrafice in not being able to put the top down... Your damed if you do and damed if you dont.... :shades:

hawkeye_stu · October 2005

Ok, I filled up the gas tank on the way to work Monday morning. I drove all week back and forth to work, all city traffic. Saturday morning I drove to Palm Springs where I stayed overnight and most of the next day. On the way back home to LA and with 1/4 of a tank left I stopped too fill up the tank. The gas mileage for the week city/hwy was 32.60.

I hopped onto the highway with the full tank and drove back to the city. We hit some bad traffic and had some slowdowns but ended up getting 35.41 mpg for the highway ride home. Not bad....

inkyofok · October 2005

400 miles 39.5 mpg
200 miles 39.9 mpg

Expressway commute, flat, little AC necessary and 65 for 23 miles to work.
Not bad at all. I expect with 5w20 syn. at first change and break in to easily and regularly get the advertised 40 mpg which feels pretty good especially when seeing the bosses secretary get out of her full size hummer--and she is 5'2" --no joke.

I personally see no need for hybrid since it is great in pure city driving which I do not do often at all.

misterme · October 2005

Inkyofok wrote:
"I personally see no need for hybrid since it is great in pure city driving which I do not do often at all."

Congradualtions! Your MPG is commendable and you'll be saving alot of money vs driving it hard as many do.
However, your hybrid comment isn't correct.
While the Prius does best in city driving, the HCH is a great long runner.
I commute 98 miles 5 days a week. Just under half is rural country road, just under half is freeway with a few miles of terrible Atlanta rush hour traffic.

Most people see mid-upper 40's in the HCH. Short, light to light stop-n-go traffic typically gets low 40's, but quite a few get low to high 50's in both city and highway.
Since gas is so expensive I take it to the extreme and get mid to upper 60's and +900 mile tanks.
Your mileage is truly great, and if you desire to go higher , your own car is capable of doing so.....

If anyone would like some great tips on driving for efficiency I'd be glad to post a long one.

sr45 · October 2005

So inkyofok, you think it would be wise to put in syn oil for better gas mileage ?

xcel · October 2005

Hi Inkyofok:

If you are receiving the EPA highway in your 06 Civic already, you would have multiple 60 + mpg tanks in an 06 HCH when it arrives. The real interesting piece is that a hybrid when pushed can absolutely kill a non-hybrid in the FE department and that is irregardless of an all city or all highway commute. They were truly setup to beat the non-hybrids. Given the 06 HCH w/ the tax credit and possible local or state tax credits piled on make the HCH-II ~ the same cost as an 06 EX make it all the more interesting.

Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

inkyofok · October 2005

I find all the HCH comments interesting. With the upcoming tax credit of about $2500, the Federal government will be subsidizing all hybrids for a while. I agree, the comparison becomes more even with the tax credit. I wish a manual HCH could be had in the new one. The subsidized HCH will be about MSRP of $22,000 but with $2500 reduction when you file 06 taxes--it will be only about $1000 more than an automatic EX sedan depending on your dealing. The sunroof was big negative on that to me. the MPG would be little loss. Honda woke up and added to HAH this year since they want Acura TL prices for them.

If one adds a sunroof for about $1000 aftermaket (Yikes) then HCH 2k more and the 50 plus mpg would be nice.

ON syn oil, since 10k interval may be computed, synthetic is good choice and good for .5 mpg depending on brand. That partly covers the extra cost and you have peace of mind using the MID interval of up to 10k.

I felt pretty good about my mileage until you guys burst my bubble. I know the HAH is a failure in mpg area. A four banger HAH makes more sense just like Camry will be doing soon.

misterme · October 2005

Inkyofok, No! By all means I didn't mean to discourage you in the least.
You MPG is great and hope you keep up the good results!

xcel · October 2005

Hi Inkyofok:

I did not want to discourage you by any means either. I know that if your EX is pushed, it has a 55 mpg tank waiting for it too but you are lacking the tools to see the results and adjust your driving habits in real time is all. The same tips and tricks that work for the Hybrids generally work in the non-hybrid arena as well but with a lot more manual manipulations vs. automatic. I hope you find the time to look some of these tips and tricks up because although 40 mpg is great, I know it is worth so much more when pushed as any hypermiler would. These tips, tricks, and driving habit changes are not all that hard to learn/comprehend and use in the real world but it would have helped if you had the opportunity to spend a few tens of thousands of miles behind the windscreen of a hybrid of any type first

The Insight, HCH, Prius II, Escape HEV, Accord Hybrid, etc. have displays that will teach you the right way to push tanks. Most everything else from every manufacturer is lacking in the FE saving display department thus leading to most receiving truly ugly FE results because they do not know any better. I can bet most manufacturers would prefer that you not know what you are receiving in real time or over a segment or tank because of how poor it actually is in almost every automobile. On a similar note, if you were to take away the FE saving displays of most hybrids, their FE results would prove to be just as poor on a percentage basis vs. the EPA as well

In regards to synthetic, 0W-20 works just as well in the 06 Civic as it does in just about any other Honda. And fill it to between the marks, not to the top of the mark. Just check it more often is all Another FE saving - setup tip

Enjoy your new 06 Civic as it is a very nice automobile!

Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

misterme · October 2005

What Wayne is saying makes alot of sense.
I've been asked several times in the past (Especially my colleges at work) what is the best physical modification(s) to be done on a car to improve their MPG.

Among their thoughts are manifolds, modified injector, tires, oversize air filters and fuel magnet gimmicks.

Most of the time they are very surprised about my answer:
1. A good, reliable tire gauge used weekly
2. An easy to read Fuel Consumption Display placed in eyeshot of the driver, and the ability to use it.

My next commuter car, what ever it is must have #2.
If it doesn't come with one--- I'll install one, or have it installed...it matters that much.
Compare it to flying a plane on a moon lit night without instrumentation.
It can be done, but with more difficulty.

inkyofok · October 2005

You all know of any good plug in MPG devices I have read about earlier. Do they really work? Price about $130.

xcel · October 2005

Hi Inkyofok

No, they do not work. There is a scan gauge via OBD-II connection that offers a digital interface for real time FE that you can teach yourself to drive more efficient however. I do not have a link currently but I know Eric Powers from About.com has tested it and thought it was very useful.

Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

burnout1 · October 2005

34 mpg on first tank - 60/40 city/highway driving.

I set out Friday morning on a 30 mile ride, gas gauge had three bars. I got on the freeway and the gauge went to 2 marks and the low fuel indicator went on. Drove for about 15 miles on the freeway doing 60 mph and looked at the gauge and there were no bars!

So I filled up the tank and only 9.9 gallons of go-go juice went in. :confuse:

misterme · October 2005

I've heard alot of people's Civic has fuel gauge in accuracies on the last few bars.

Typically for me,
It will increment normally from full all the way down to about 5 bars.
Then suddenly plunge briefly to two bars, then one, then after a few miles all have gone out. :surprise:

I check my miles driven and see that I should still have plenty.
Sure enough then next day I'll start off and it will jump to 4 bars again.
Strange!

tld · November 2005

Here's a blast from the past to see how technology changes. I had a 85 CRX Si (91 HP) and put 172,000 on it. It averaged 35.1 over the lifetime. Nice little two seater weighing in at about 1600 lbs I believe. I don't think it could ever get it over 40 mpg though. However I raced it off and on in the SCCA for 7 years.

civicex05 · December 2005

After driving the car for 5 months and 10,000 miles, I thought I'd share my MPG numbers. In a 40% city/60% highway mix of driving, I usually get 34 to 35 mpg. On most freeway trips at 70 to 75 mph, I get 38 to 39.5 mpg. I still have not achieved that elusive 40 mpg tankful yet, but will try on my next road trip. I currently have my tire pressure at 32 psi, but will increase it to 35 psi to see if that helps.

I think I could improve my fuel mileage if I had real-time mpg feedback like the hybrids. Does anyone know if I could get an after-market device that does this?

David
p.s. Still love the car! Not one problem with it!

xcel · December 2005

Hi CivicEX05:

Some of the hybrid drivers are installing scan gauges in their non-hybrid automobiles. www.Scangauge.com should set you up although it does not have as detailed and intuitive display as the multiple FCDs in most hybrids

Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

warner · December 2005

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the tax break doesn't really get you $2,500 does it? Doesn't it mean that you can write off $2,500 of income? That would mean whatever your tax bracket is....for this example let's say it's 25%, you'd actually be getting 25% of that $2,500 not the whole $2,500 right? That means about $625 for someone in that tax bracket. It doesn't really bring the Hybrid vehicle too close to the EX model if I'm correct about how this tax break works.

Warner

mcap56 · December 2005

I could be wrong but as far as I understand it, it is a credit, not a deduction. Therefore, if the credit is 2,500, your final income tax due would be reduced by 2,500. Dollar for dollar. So, if I am right, this does bring it a lot closer to the regular EX. The real issue with hybrids are increased maintenance costs, what to do about the battery, and whether you have to get dealer service for the life of the car.

mcap56 · December 2005

My first tank was a bit above 27 MPG, mostly highway with some traffic (NYC area). I am hoping it will improve. I got much better with my 04 civic. Maybe the dealer didn't top it off.

mcap

warner · December 2005

I could be wrong but as far as I understand it, it is a credit, not a deduction. Therefore, if the credit is 2,500, your final income tax due would be reduced by 2,500. Dollar for dollar. So, if I am right, this does bring it a lot closer to the regular EX. The real issue with hybrids are increased maintenance costs, what to do about the battery, and whether you have to get dealer service for the life of the car.

Apparently, you are correct and I was mistaken! Here is a link to an article that attempts to explain it all. I've also included a chart that gives estimated credit amounts by vehicle. It seems to be a wacky system for calculating the tax credit, though.

link title

Make/Model TotalCredit

Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra (2wd) Hybrid $250
Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra (4wd) Hybrid $650
Ford Escape Hybrid (2wd) $2,600
Ford Escape Hybrid (4wd) $1,950
Honda Accord Hybrid $650
Honda Civic GX $3,600
Honda Civic Hybrid (auto) $2,100
Honda Civic Hybrid (man) $1,700
Honda Insight (auto) $1,450
Honda Insight (man) $0
Jeep Liberty $0
Lexus RX 400h Hybrid $2,200
Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI Diesel $0
Toyota Highlander Hybrid (2wd) Hybrid $2,600
Toyota Highlander Hybrid (4wd) Hybrid $2,200
Toyota Prius a Hybrid 3 $150

Upcoming Models

Make/Model TotalCredit
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid $0
Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra '08 Hybrid $900
Chevrolet/GMC Tahoe/Yukon Hybrid $1,800
Lexus GS 450h Hybrid $1,300
Mercury Mariner Hybrid Hybrid $1,950
Nissan Altima Hybrid $1,300
Saturn VUE Hybrid $0
Toyota Camry Hybrid $1,300

Hope this helps,

Warner

ricardocal · December 2005

Hello. I own an '02 EX Sedan that is dealer maintained under the severe service schedule. I check the tires and fluids once a week. Here is my data from last July and August when the car had 17,000 miles and I lived in Los Angeles:

Stop and go city driving for 4.1 miles one-way with a/c: 24 mpg.

Road trip from Los Angeles to San Jose, CA (338 miles), mostly flat, cruise, a/c all the way, at 72 mph: 38 mpg.

I'll be increasing my one-way driving next July. Have you installed a feedback gauge yet? If you have, has it helped you?

Thanks.

crissman · December 2005

I think I'm on my fourth tank now in the new '06 EX. For the normal daily commute (50/50) the mileage has been steadily increasing from 30 mpg to 32 mpg. Sure hope it keeps rising.

Honda Civic Real World MPG

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