Compare the2025 Chevrolet MalibuVS 2025 Honda Civic

The Malibu’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Malibu has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Malibu and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Malibu is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Malibu	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	172	325
Neck Injury Risk	18%	30%
Neck Stress	216 lbs.	241 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	252/306 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	272	444
Neck Stress	169 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	162/232 lbs.	275/164 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Malibu is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Malibu	Civic
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	549 lbs.	805 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Malibu’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Civic’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Malibu’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Malibu third among midsize cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 32 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 18th.

The Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (163 vs. 150) and 51 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 133) than the Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Malibu is faster than the Honda Civic 4 cyl.:

	Malibu	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.6 MPH	84.1 MPH

Both the Malibu and the Civic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Malibu’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Civic Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Malibu has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Malibu has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 12.4 gallons).

For better stopping power the Malibu’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

	Malibu	Civic
Front Rotors	11.8 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.3 inches	10.2 inches

The Malibu stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Malibu	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Malibu RS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Civic (245/45R18 vs. 235/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Malibu LT offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Civic’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Malibu’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the Civic (111.4 inches vs. 107.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Malibu is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Malibu handles at .88 G’s, while the Civic Sport Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Malibu executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The front grille of the Malibu (except 2.0 Turbo) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Malibu LT is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan:

	Malibu	Civic
Full-Throttle	71 dB	78 dB

The Malibu has 3.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Civic (102.9 vs. 99).

The Malibu has 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear legroom, 4.5 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic.

The Malibu has a larger trunk than the Civic Sedan (15.7 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

The Malibu’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Malibu has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Civic has no towing capacity.

When two different drivers share the Malibu LT, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Malibu Premier’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Civic doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Malibu’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Civic does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Malibu and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Malibu is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Civic prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Malibu’s standard front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Civic’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Malibu LS/LT’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Civic doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Malibu’s standard Keyless Access System allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Pushbutton Start standard on the Civic only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the car. Pushbutton Start is not available on the Civic Sport/Touring.

The Malibu’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Malibu’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Civic’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Malibu to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Civic doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Malibu LT with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Civic’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Malibu and the Civic offer available heated front seats. The Malibu Premier also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Civic.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Malibu LT keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Civic doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Malibu LT’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Malibu and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Malibu LT has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Malibu LT offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Civic doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Malibu LT’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Civic doesn’t offer an automated parking system.