CarTold

2020 vs. 2021 Honda Civic: What Changed

Our records for the 2020 and 2021 Honda Civic show one difference in the specifications and ratings tracked below.

NHTSA's frontal crash rating goes from 4 and 5 stars in 2020 to 5 stars in 2021.

Four campaigns cover both years. One campaign (fuel system) covers the 2020 and not the 2021.

Fewer campaigns do not establish better reliability. Confirm each car's coverage and repair status by VIN.

The campaigns that separate them

Imported NHTSA recall campaigns that name one of these two model years but not the other, with their component labels. Campaigns covering both years are left out of this list.

Only the 2020

  • 21V215000 fuel system

Only the 2021

No campaign names this year that does not also name the other.

A campaign may cover only part of a model year's production. Use the campaign number to ask an authorized dealer whether the car's VIN is included and what work remains. Our recall tool finds model-year campaigns; this guide explains the vehicle-specific check.

Side by side

2020 2021
Engines listed 1.5L 4-cyl, 2.0L 4-cyl 1.5L 4-cyl, 2.0L 4-cyl
Drive types Front-Wheel Drive Front-Wheel Drive
Fuel types Regular Gasoline, Premium Gasoline Regular Gasoline, Premium Gasoline
Combined MPG 25–36 25–36
Recall campaigns 5 4
Complaints on file 230 157
Investigations 0 0
Complaint totals reflect different time on the road, sales and reporting. They cannot rank these years for reliability. The categories below identify symptoms to read about, not failure odds. How reporting time affects the comparison.

What owners reported, by system

2020

Other 70 (30%)
Electrical 33 (14%)
Drivetrain 31 (13%)

2021

Steering 64 (41%)
Other 36 (23%)
Electrical 17 (11%)

Full reports

Open each year's report to read the recall, investigation, manufacturer communication and EPA variant records on file:

2020 Civic full report 2021 Civic full report Every Civic year compared

Sources and methodology