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2021 Honda Civic vs. 2021 Toyota Corolla

Date: March 11th, 2021

Do a search for “best compact car.” There’s a good chance that the first model you see in the results is either a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla. That’s been the case for decades now, with either the Civic or the Corolla being recognized as each year’s small car supreme more often than not. For all intents and purposes, both sedans are exceptional; but this is America, and there’s always a winner. Here are the top 5 reasons why the new Civic is better than the Corolla.

#5) Fuel Efficiency

Hop in the 2021 Civic EX. You’ll first notice its simply stunning cabin and stunningly comfortable seats. But once you get on the road, it’s your wallet that will benefit most. That’s because the new Honda Civic EX (and EX-L) returns a combined 36 mpg (32 city/42 hwy), which averages out to nearly 450 miles of range on one fill-up.

The base Corolla L gets 33 miles per gallon combined, while the Civic EX-comparable Corolla XLE returns just 32 mpg combined. Every 422 miles you’ll need to hit up a gas station, too, which is far from ideal.

	2021 Civic EX Sedan	2021 Corolla XLE
MPG City	32*	29
MPG Highway	42*	37
MPG Combined	36*	32
Range	446	422 miles

 

#4) Passenger Space

All things considered equal, the Civic and Corolla are quite spacious lil’ compact cars. In fact, some would even say they’re the most spacious sedans in their class. That’s not really the case, as the Corolla spec sheet puts it squarely behind the Civic.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla’s passenger volume equals just 88.6 cubic feet, which runs about average (or slightly above average, depending on how you classify the “compact car” segment). Virtually every other Corolla interior dimension pales in comparison to Civics’: Front headroom, rear legroom, shoulder room, you name it.

Inside the 2021 Civic, you’re granted 97.8 cubic feet of passenger volume, plus 39.3 inches of front headroom, 37.4 inches of rear legroom, and far more shoulder room than the Corolla. If you value comfort and room to stretch, Civic is the obvious choice.

	2021 Civic LX	2021 Corolla L
Headroom (front/rear)	39.3 in / 37.1 in	38.3 in / 37.1 in
Legroom (front/rear)	42.3 in / 37.4 in	42.0 in / 34.8 in
Shoulder Room (front/rear)	57.0 in / 55.0 in	54.0 in / 51.7 in
Passenger Volume	97.8 cu ft	88.6 cu ft

 

#3) Trunk Space

Ah! The trunk! Home to everything from golf bags to roadside emergency kits to bags of old clothes that you’ve been meaning to donate since January. Anyone with a car knows how convenient it is to have a trunk that can house random junk alongside groceries.

In that respect, the 2021 Civic is the clear favorite, offering a 15.1-cubic-foot trunk (or boot, as they say across the pond). That’s best in its class, and certainly better than the Corolla and its 13.1-cubic-foot trunk.

	2021 Civic LX	2021 Corolla L
Cargo Volume	15.1 cu ft	13.1 cu ft

 

#2) Engine

Like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, with both the Civic and Corolla, you get two avenues to venture down.

First, the standard powerplants: Civic LX comes with a base 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that melts butter at 6700 rpm (redline) with its 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque; Toyota Corolla L is fitted with a lackluster 1.8-liter 4-cylinder that makes just 139 hp and 126 lb-ft of torque.

Choose the more arduous, fast-paced path forward? With the Civic, that means bumping up to the EX or EX-L, which earns you the right to churn out 174 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque with its 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder. Corolla SE and XSE models can’t match that output with their 2.0L 4-cylinder that makes 169 hp and only 151 lb-ft of torque.

	2021 Civic LX	2021 Corolla L
Horsepower	158 @ 6500 rpm*	139 @ 6100 rpm
Torque	138 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm*	126 lb-ft @ 3900 rpm

	2021 Civic EX-L	2021 Corolla XSE
Horsepower	174 @ 6000 rpm*	169 @ 6600 rpm
Torque	162 lb-ft @ 1700-5500 rpm*	151 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm

 

#1) Dual-Zone Climate

You thought we were going to go with something more obvious at the No. 1 spot, didn’t you? Something like infotainment or navigation or safety? While Civic beats Corolla in all three, we felt that the convenience factor was more important to shoppers like yourself. That’s why we put Civic’s standard dual-zone climate control system here.

Unlike the Corolla, every 2021 Honda Civic is equipped with dual-zone climate, which, again, allows front riders to choose their own individual adventures. Driver sweating like a pig in heat? Drop the A/C down on the driver-side vents. Passenger freezing their you-know-what off? Ramp up the heat on the passenger side. To each their own.

Additionally, the Civic gets standard rear-seat heater ducts. Just one more reason to pick Honda over Toyota in this small car battle of brawn and wits.

So, will you be having the Civic in Rallye Red, Aegean Blue Metallic, or Crystal Black Pearl? Either way, we’ll gladly take your order for a new Civic in Denver. Visit Kuni Honda on Arapahoe, located at 10750 E Arapahoe Rd in Centennial, CO, to get a deal on the 2021 Honda Civic today. Our Centennial car dealership serves shoppers throughout the Denver area, including Littleton, Aurora and Parker.

Disclaimers:

30 city/38 highway/33 combined mpg rating for LX and Touring trims. 29 city/37 highway/32 combined mpg rating for Sport trim. 32 city/42 highway/36 combined mpg rating for EX and EX-L trims. Based on 2021 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions and other factors.

158 @ 6500 rpm (SAE net), 174 @ 6000 rpm (SAE net)

138 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm (SAE net), 162 lb-ft @ 1700-5500 rpm (SAE net)