Do you want a car that isn’t going to kill your wallet on the loan payment or at the gas pump? You may need either the Ford Focus or the Honda Civic. Both vehicles are great and choosing between them is pretty tough. Thankfully, this guide can help you spend less time researching and more time driving!
Price
How much money are you willing to pay for your next vehicle? Thankfully compact cars are pretty cheap. Of these two vehicles, the Ford Focus is the cheapest. The S trim is listed on Ford’s website with a starting MSRP of $16,775, while the Honda states the Civic LX has a starting MSRP of $18,740. The Civic is much more expensive, but will it hold up and be worth the extra three grand?
Fuel Economy
The reason most people buy a compact car over a mid-size sedan is for better fuel economy. After all, the less you need to fill up, the more money you save. The fuel economy for the 2017 Ford Focus is estimated at 27 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. The 2017 Honda Civic gets very similar gas mileage with 28 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. While close, the Civic could save you a little in the long run.
Size
Just because you’re getting a compact car doesn’t mean that you want your knees to slam against the dashboard every time you drop into the driver’s or passenger’s seat. For taller people, the Honda Civic might be the better choice. Reviews state that it’s an impressively roomy small car and that it’s a bit roomier than in the past. It may be worth giving the Civic another shot if you’ve sat in one previously and found that it was cramped.
That isn’t to say that the Ford is too small for everyone. The front seats are definitely roomy, but the backseats can feel tiny. Reviews state that it’s a squeeze for adults to sit in the rear seats. This may not be an issue for people that rarely have passengers, but it’s always better to have a little more room just in case.
Reliability
How much are repairs going to cost? We want to believe that vehicles will last forever, but that’s sadly not the case. Sometimes they need repairs, and these can be expensive. Between the 2017 Ford Focus and the 2017 Honda Civic, the latter shows a history of better reliability. While the newest model hasn’t been reviewed, the 2016 version received 4.5 out of five stars with J.D. Power and Associates.
The Ford Focus is in a similar predicament. While the 2017 model hasn’t been tested, the 2016 version was and only received 2.5 out of five with J.D. Power and Associates. Due to this lower than average score, it seems clear that the Honda Civic is a stronger option on the reliability front.
In fact, Honda shows a strong history of reliability with every model receiving over four out of five-star rating with J.D. Power and Associates since 2011.
