2026 Honda Civic vs 2026 Kia K4

The public data splits evenly; the trim-level specs decide it.

2026 Honda Civic

The 2026 Honda Civic is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 7 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Civic 4Dr, is EPA-rate…

2026 Kia K4

The 2026 Kia K4 is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the K4 4DR w/ DMS, is EPA-rated at 33 mpg …

	2026 Honda Civic	2026 Kia K4
Segment	Midsize car	Midsize car
Powertrains	Hybrid, Gas	Gas
Best combined mpg	49	33
Safety Signal	92	92
NHTSA recalls	1	1
Critical recalls	0	0
Owner complaints	27	8
NHTSA overall stars	5	5

Green cells mark the better value on that row. Complaint counts scale with sales volume; treat them as a pattern signal, not a verdict. Sources: EPA, NHTSA.

Recalls at a glance

Source: NHTSA

Civic

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Steering

SJS, MJU, QJT, VJV

1,693,199 vehicles

ProblemHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Hatchback Hybrid vehicles. The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty steering the vehicle.RiskDifficulty steering can increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2024. Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.

NHTSA campaign 24V744000reported Oct 3, 2024Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

K4

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Seat Belts

SC364

14,870 vehicles

ProblemKia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.RiskA seat belt buckle that is not latched properly can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers will inspect and replace the anchor buckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC364. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 20, 2026.

NHTSA campaign 26V135000reported Mar 6, 2026Kia America, Inc.