Head-to-head
2026 Honda Civic vs 2026 Lexus ES
The Lexus ES edges it, 84.1 to 78.2, on fuel & range, tech & comfort, performance. The Honda Civic is ahead on price and space & cargo.
A
2026 Honda Civic
The 2026 Honda Civic is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize sedan with 7 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Civic 4Dr, is EPA-ra…
vs
A2026 Lexus ES
The 2026 Lexus ES is sold in the U.S. as an electric and hybrid midsize sedan with 6 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the ES 350e (19 inch W…
Verdict · default weights
2026 Lexus ES
Slight edgeThe Lexus ES edges it, 84.1 to 78.2, on fuel & range, tech & comfort, performance. The Honda Civic is ahead on price and space & cargo.
Price 2026 Honda Civic leads by 48.8
Fuel & range 2026 Lexus ES leads by 57.5
Tech & comfort 2026 Lexus ES leads by 25
| Category · weight | 2026 Lexus ESoverall 84.1 | 2026 Honda Civicoverall 78.2 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricew 4 | 51.2 | 100 | ||||||||||||
Base MSRP of the trim (or the model's lowest trim). Lower is better. | ||||||||||||||
| Fuel & rangew 3 | 100 | 42.5 | ||||||||||||
EPA annual fuel cost and combined mpg / MPGe; EV range when both are electric. | ||||||||||||||
| Safetyw 4 | 81.4 | 75.8 | ||||||||||||
NHTSA 5-Star rating, WhichTrim Safety Signal (open recalls by severity), owner complaints, standard driver-assist features (from the press kit, or from what the manufacturer filed with NHTSA where there is none). Open park-outside / do-not-drive advisories cost 25 points. | ||||||||||||||
| Space & cargow 2 | 93.3 | 100 | ||||||||||||
Seats, cargo volume behind the 1st and 2nd rows, rear legroom. | ||||||||||||||
| Performancew 2 | 98 | 75.8 | ||||||||||||
Horsepower, torque and horsepower per ton. | ||||||||||||||
| Tech & comfortw 3 | 100 | 75 | ||||||||||||
Standard (1) and optional (0.5) infotainment, convenience, climate and interior features from the manufacturer's press kit. | ||||||||||||||
| Warrantynot compared | No data | No data | ||||||||||||
| Overall | 84.1 | 78.2 | ||||||||||||
Trim vs trim · 6 of 7 categories compared
Lexus ES: base trim ES 350e Premium FWD · Honda Civic: base trim LX FWD. Pick a trim in the tool to compare any other trim.
Change what matters to you →Scores are 0–100 per category from the data on this page. The weights are yours to set.
Where the gap is
the biggest differences, from the scorecard's own numbersWhere the 2026 Lexus ES wins
- It has drawn fewer owner complaints (1 against 32 filed with NHTSA).
- It is rated 127 combined against 49 (EPA mpg or MPGe).
- It costs $750 a year less to fuel on the EPA's estimate ($600 against $1,350).
Where the 2026 Honda Civic answers
- It lists 28 standard driver-assist features against 2.
- It starts $23,800 lower ($24,995 against $48,795 base MSRP).
What they share
- 5 seats.
Ranked by how far apart the two score on each measure, so a price gap and a horsepower gap are compared on the same scale. Every figure is on this page.
Specifications side by side
50 specs · manufacturer press kits| Spec | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Base MSRP (excludes destination) | $48,795 | $24,995 |
| Engine Basics | ||
| Aspiration | — | naturally aspirated |
| Cylinder count | — | 4 |
| Engine displacement | — | 1,993 cc |
| Engine type (full description) | Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (Front) | Atkinson In-Line 4-cylinder |
| Fuel injection system | — | gdi mpi |
| Valve configuration | — | DOHC 16-Valve |
| Engine Output | ||
| Horsepower | 221 hp | 150 hp |
| Torque | 198 lb-ft | 133 lb-ft |
| Fuel Economy | ||
| MPG (city) | — | 32 mpg |
| MPG (combined) | — | 36 mpg |
| MPG (highway) | — | 41 mpg |
| Transmission | ||
| Final drive ratio | — | 3.941 |
| Transmission type | — | Continuously Variable Transmission |
| Dimensions Exterior | ||
| Overall height | 61.4 in | 55.7 in |
| Overall length | 202 in | 185 in |
| Overall width | 75.6 in | 70.9 in |
| Wheelbase | 116 in | 108 in |
| Cargo | ||
| Cargo volume behind 2nd row | 13.3 cu-ft | 14.8 cu-ft |
| Total interior volume | — | 99 cu-ft |
| Seating | ||
| Passenger seating capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Headroom | ||
| Front headroom | 38.3 in | 39.3 in |
| Second-row headroom | — | 37.1 in |
| Third-row headroom | 37.8 in | — |
| Legroom | ||
| Front legroom | 41.9 in | 42.3 in |
| Second-row legroom | — | 37.4 in |
| Third-row legroom | 40.7 in | — |
| Weights | ||
| Curb weight (maximum) | 4,652 lbs | 2,875 lbs |
| Curb weight (minimum) | 4,608 lbs | 2,875 lbs |
| Gross vehicle weight rating | 5,810 lbs | — |
| Suspension | ||
| Front suspension type | Independent MacPherson strut-type | MacPherson Strut |
| Rear suspension type | Multilink | Multi-Link |
| Steering | ||
| Steering type | EPS | Variable Ratio Electric Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion |
| Turning radius (curb-to-curb) | — | 36.1 ft |
| Brakes | ||
| Front brake diameter | 340 mm | — |
| Front brake type | ventilated disc | ventilated disc |
| Parking brake type | — | Electric |
| Rear brake diameter | 339 mm | — |
| Rear brake type | ventilated disc | solid disc |
| Wheels | ||
| Wheel diameter | 19 in | 16 in |
| Wheel material | forged alloy | Full Covers |
| Tires | ||
| Tire size | — | 215/55R16 93H |
| Fuel System | ||
| Fuel tank capacity | — | 12.4 gal |
| Minimum recommended octane | — | 87 |
| Connected Services | ||
| Connected services brand | Lexus Interface | HondaLink |
| Connected services trial (premium tier) | 36 months | — |
| Connected services trial (standard tier) | 60 months | 36 months |
| Shoulder Room | ||
| Front shoulder room | 57.5 in | 57 in |
| Second-row shoulder room | — | 56 in |
| Third-row shoulder room | 53.9 in | — |
Green marks the better value where the direction is unambiguous (more room, more power, lower price). Blank rows are specs the press kit does not publish.
Equipment, feature by feature
152 features · differences first, then sharedSafety36 differ · 36 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow | — | std |
| Forward Collision Warning (FCW) | — | std |
| Panoramic View Monitor | opt | — |
| Driver's and Front Passenger's Advanced Front Airbags (SRS) | — | std |
| Driver's and Front Passenger's Front Side Airbags | — | std |
| Lane Departure Warning (LDW) | — | std |
| Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) | — | std |
| Rearview Camera with Dynamic Guidelines | — | std |
| Side Curtain Airbags with Rollover Sensor | — | std |
| Rear Outboard Passenger's Side Airbags | — | std |
| Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) Body Structure | — | std |
| Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) | — | std |
| Auto High-Beam Headlights | — | std |
| Blind Spot Information System (BSI) | std | — |
| Brake Assist | — | std |
| Child-Proof Rear Door Locks | — | std |
| Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) | — | std |
| Direct Ignition System with Immobilizer | — | std |
| Driver Monitor | opt | — |
| Driver's and Front Passenger's Knee Airbags (SRS) | — | std |
| Electric Parking Brake with Automatic Brake Hold | — | std |
| Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) | — | std |
| Front Cross Traffic Assist | opt | — |
| Hill Start Assist | — | std |
| Intuitive Parking Assist with Auto Braking and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | opt | — |
| Lane Change Assist | opt | — |
| Lexus Safety System+ 4.0 | std | — |
| Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH): Lower Anchors (2nd-Row Outboard), Tether Anchors (2nd-Row All) | — | std |
| Rear Pedestrian Detection | opt | — |
| Rear Seat Reminder (RSR) | — | std |
| Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM) | — | std |
| Seat-Belt Reminder for all Seating Positions | — | std |
| Traffic Jam Assist | opt | std |
| Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSR) | — | std |
| Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control | — | std |
| Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) | — | std |
Infotainment31 differ · 31 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi Hotspot Capability | std | — |
| 12.3-inch Multi-Information Display | std | — |
| 160-watt Audio System with 4 Speakers | — | std |
| 2 front 60W USB-C ports | std | — |
| 2 rear 15W USB-C ports in armrest | opt | — |
| 2 rear 60W USB-C ports | std | — |
| 7-Inch Color Touchscreen | — | std |
| 7-Inch TFT Meter | — | std |
| Android Auto™ Compatibility | — | std |
| Apple CarPlay® Compatibility | — | std |
| Bluetooth® and USB smartphone connectivity | std | — |
| Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® | — | std |
| Bluetooth® Streaming Audio | — | std |
| Drive Connect with Cloud Navigation, Intelligent Assistant and Destination Assist w/ minimum 3-year-trial* | std | — |
| Head-Up Display | opt | — |
| HondaLink® | — | std |
| Integrated Streaming w/ Spotify® | std | — |
| Lexus app | std | — |
| Lexus Interface w/ 14.0-inch touchscreen display | std | — |
| Mark Levinson® 17-speaker, 1,800-watt PurePlay Surround Sound Audio System | std | — |
| Radio Data System (RDS) | — | std |
| Remote Connect* (minimum 3-year trial included) | std | — |
| Safety Connect* (5-year trial included) | std | — |
| Service Connect* (5-year trial included) | std | — |
| SiriusXM® with 360L (3-month trial included) | std | — |
| Speed-Sensitive Volume Compensation (SVC) | — | std |
| USB-C 3.0A Charging Port (1) Front Seats | — | std |
| USB-C 3.0A Smartphone/Audio Interface (1) - Front Seats | — | std |
| Wireless Android Auto™ Compatibility | std | — |
| Wireless Apple CarPlay® Compatibility | std | — |
| Wireless Phone Charger (Qi) | std | — |
Convenience10 differ · 10 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Push Button Start | — | std |
| 12-Volt Power Outlet (Front) | — | std |
| Cruise Control | — | std |
| HomeLink® garage door opener | std | — |
| One-Touch Turn Indicators | — | std |
| Power Door Locks | — | std |
| Power trunk w/ kick sensor | std | — |
| Power Windows with Auto-Up/Down Driver's and Front Passenger's Windows | — | std |
| Security System with Remote Entry and Trunk Release | — | std |
| SmartAccess | std | — |
Climate3 differ · 3 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Climate Control System | — | std |
| Dual-zone climate control with interior air filters, smog sensor and automatic recirculation mode | std | — |
| Multi-zone climate control w/ rear-seat controller | opt | — |
Seating14 differ · 14 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| 10-way power-adjustable driver seat w/ memory and 4-way lumbar adjustment | std | — |
| Driver's Seat with 8-Way Power Adjustment | std | — |
| Heated and ventilated front seats | std | — |
| Heated Front Seats | std | — |
| Heated and ventilated rear seats | opt | — |
| Lexus Memory System for driver's seat, outside mirrors and steering wheel | std | — |
| 10-way power-adjustable driver seat w/ memory and 4-way lumbar adjustment | std | — |
| 2-way power-adjustable driver's side rear passenger seat and 4-way power-adjustable rear passenger seat w/ ottoman and massage function | opt | — |
| 5-Person Seating Capacity | — | std |
| 8-way power-adjustable passenger seat w/ memory | std | — |
| Driver's seat power cushion extender | opt | — |
| Front Passenger's Seat with 4-Way Power Adjustment | std | — |
| Front seat radiant knee heater | std | — |
| One Piece Fold-Down Rear Seatback | — | std |
Interior15 differ · 15 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Heated steering wheel | std | — |
| Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column | std | — |
| Active noise control | std | — |
| Cargo Area Light | — | std |
| Center Console Armrest with Storage Compartment | — | std |
| Front Beverage Holders | — | std |
| Illuminated Steering Wheel-Mounted Controls | — | std |
| Map Lights | — | std |
| Perforated NuLuxe® interior trim | std | — |
| Perforated semi-aniline leather interior trim | std | — |
| Sliding Sunvisors | — | std |
| Thematic ambient lighting | std | — |
| Thematic ambient lighting w/ bamboo layering trim | std | — |
| Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column | — | std |
| Floor Mats | — | std |
Exterior27 differ · 27 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| One-Touch Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature | std | — |
| Heated power-folding outside mirrors with auto tilt-down in reverse | std | — |
| 19-inch alloy wheels | std | — |
| 21-inch alloy wheels | opt | — |
| Acoustic front and side window glass | std | — |
| Auto Easy Door Closer (soft close) | std | — |
| Capless Fuel Filler | — | std |
| Compact Spare Tire | — | std |
| Cornering lamps | std | — |
| Digital latch electronic door handles | std | — |
| Fin-Type Roof-Mounted Antenna | — | std |
| Headlamp washer | opt | — |
| Heated power-folding outside mirrors with auto tilt-down in reverse | std | — |
| Heated Side Mirrors | std | — |
| LED Brake and Taillights | — | std |
| LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) | — | std |
| LED headlamps and daytime running lights | std | — |
| LED headlamps w/ auto leveling and daytime running lights | std | — |
| LED Headlights with Auto-On/Off | — | std |
| LED taillamps | std | — |
| Power Side Mirrors | — | std |
| Push-to-Release Fuel Filler Door | — | std |
| Rain Sensing Windshield Wipers | std | — |
| Rear camera washer | std | — |
| Two-Speed Intermittent Windshield Wipers | — | std |
| Windshield wiper de-icer | opt | — |
| Rear-Window Defroster with Timer | — | std |
Powertrain13 differ · 13 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Front-Wheel Drive | — | std |
| AC dual-voltage charging cable supporting Level 1 (120V) and Level 2 (240V) input | std | — |
| Atkinson In-Line 4-cylinder (Engine Type) | — | std |
| Braking regen paddle shifters | std | — |
| CCS to NACS (J1772 to J3400) AC plug adapter | std | — |
| CCS1 to NACS (J1772 combo to J3400) DC plug adapter | std | — |
| Continuously Variable Transmission | — | std |
| Direct Fuel Injection | — | std |
| Drive Mode Select (ECO, Normal, Sport, Custom) | std | — |
| Dynamic Drive Modes | — | std |
| Eco Assist™ System | — | std |
| Honda Maintenance Program 1yr / 12k miles | — | std |
| Idle-Stop | — | std |
Chassis3 differ · 3 listed
| Feature | Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD |
|---|---|---|
| MacPherson Strut Front Suspension | — | std |
| Multi-Link Rear Suspension | — | std |
| Variable Ratio Electric Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering (EPS) | — | std |
Highlighted rows are where the two differ. Wording is the manufacturer's own.
Safety record
NHTSA recalls, complaints, NCAPLexus ES
Safety Signal 100 A
NHTSA overall —
Frontal / side / rollover — / — / —
Recalls 0
Owner complaints 1 · 0 crashes · 0 fires
Most complained about Unspecified (1)
Top recalls
No recalls on file.
Honda Civic
Safety Signal 92 A
NHTSA overall ★★★★★
Frontal / side / rollover ★★★★☆ / ★★★★★ / ★★★★★
Recalls 1
Owner complaints 32 · 3 crashes · 0 fires
Most complained about Forward Collision Avoidance (12), Steering (7), Service Brakes (5)
Top recalls
- high Steering 24V744000 · 1,693,199 vehicles
Ownership
EPA, manufacturer warranty| Lexus ESES 350e Premium FWD | Honda CivicLX FWD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $48,795 (base trim) | $24,995 (base trim) |
| Price range across trims | $48,795 – $60,195 8 trims | $24,995 – $32,695 4 trims |
| Powertrains | BEV, HEV | HEV, GAS |
| EPA configuration compared | ES 350e (19 inch Wheels) | Civic 4Dr |
| Combined mpg / MPGe | 127 | 49 |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $600 | $1,350 |
| EV range | 307 mi | — |
| Basic warranty | — | — |
| Powertrain warranty | — | — |
| Roadside assistance | — | — |
Common questions
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsWhich is better, the 2026 Lexus ES or the 2026 Honda Civic?
The Lexus ES edges it, 84.1 to 78.2, on fuel & range, tech & comfort, performance. The Honda Civic is ahead on price and space & cargo. On WhichTrim's default weights the 2026 Lexus ES scores 84.1 and the 2026 Honda Civic 78.2. The weights are yours to change — move what you care about and the verdict recalculates on the page.
Which is cheaper, the 2026 Lexus ES or the 2026 Honda Civic?
The 2026 Honda Civic starts lower — $24,995 against $48,795, a gap of $23,800 at the trims compared here. Both are manufacturer MSRPs before destination, options and dealer charges.
Which has the better safety record, the 2026 Lexus ES or the 2026 Honda Civic?
2026 Lexus ES: no NHTSA rating yet, grade A, 0 recalls. 2026 Honda Civic: 5 NHTSA stars, grade A, 1 recall. Crash ratings come from NHTSA's own tests; the grade is WhichTrim's read of the recall record, and the two can disagree.
What are the biggest differences between the 2026 Lexus ES and the 2026 Honda Civic?
Where the 2026 Lexus ES wins: it has drawn fewer owner complaints (1 against 32 filed with NHTSA), is rated 127 combined against 49 (EPA mpg or MPGe), and costs $750 a year less to fuel on the EPA's estimate ($600 against $1,350). Where the 2026 Honda Civic answers: it lists 28 standard driver-assist features against 2 and starts $23,800 lower ($24,995 against $48,795 base MSRP). What they share: 5 seats.