New-look Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda3 rival goes hybrid only... except for Civic Type R: 2025 Honda Civic Australian release is imminent

The 2025 Honda Civic will go hybrid only when it arrives in Australia imminently, except of course for the flagship Type R. 

Honda’s stalwart small car has made the transition to pure petrol electric, following the lead of arch nemesis Toyota Corolla, while beating the Hyundai i30 and Mazda3 to the punch.

Pricing for the 2025 Honda Civic is yet to be revealed but there is a more attainable e:HEV L trim sitting beneath the e:HEV LX flagship for the first time.

New for 2025 is a refreshed front bumper and grille that improves aerodynamic performance, according to Honda. New-look alloy wheels feature, too. 

There are few changes inside with the same 9.0-inch touchscreen in the centre, although the multimedia system has been enhanced with built-in Google applications. These include Google Assist, Google Maps and Google Play with three years complimentary data.

Honda is yet to confirm what equipment will differentiate the new lower-sped e:HEV L grade from the top spec but imagine cloth interior, no heated seats and a down-specced sound system.

Colours have been updated with Red, White and Blue pearlescent shades available on the L and a new Sonic Grey hue reserved for the LX.

The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder is now gone, leaving the 135kW/315Nm e:HEV hybrid system that achieves 4.2 litres per 100km in the combined ADR cycle as the sole option.

The exception being Honda’s high-performance Type R. No facelift details have been revealed for the hot hatch yet but there’s no way it’s going hybrid. 

The 11th-generation Honda Civic has not sold in huge volumes, with its price point set beyond equivalent rivals. Honda has shifted just 830 Civics this year compared to over 9000 Hyundai i30s and Toyota’s Corolla result that is in excess of 19,000 units. It's selling in similar numbers to the BMW 1 Series hatch (799), which is now a price competitor.

Honda has yet to confirm pricing and final equipment levels. We expect the top spec e:HEV LX to remain around $55,000, before on-road costs, with the new L hybrid trim likely to climb beyond the $47,200 of the outgoing petrol LX.