Shopping for a pre-owned vehicle involves plenty of research into safety, reliability, and other factors. To make your decision easier, the folks at iSeeCars.com put together a roundup of this year’s top used cars. They compiled a list of the safest and most reliable vehicles based on their analysis and top average NHTSA safety scores. The verdict? The Honda Civic offers the best used car value. 

Here’s a closer look at this popular compact and what makes it such a great used car.

The Honda Civic is the best used compact car

In the used compact car category, iSeeCars.com selected the Honda Civic as number one, with the Toyota Corolla the runner-up. 

The iSeeCars.com team gave the Honda Civic an overall score of 9 out of 10. It earned the top ranking for the longest-lasting compact car. It has a solid 56 percent retention rating. The Civic also boasts an average safety rating of 4.8 out of 5 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The demand for sedans isn’t what it once was. That said, demand for the Honda Civic has remained solid. It’s the type of car that parents pass along to their driving-aged kids for its longevity, dependability, and safety.

The folks at iSeeCars.com explain that the Civic is long-lasting because it has a better chance of reaching 200,000 miles than its peers. Along with boasting a strong retention value, the Civic offers great value to consumers looking for a good used compact car. The Civic is also hard to beat for fuel economy.

The Corolla came in second place. iSeeCars.com gave it an overall rating of 8.8 out of 10. It has a 51.7 percent retention rate over a five-year period.

The Honda Civic’s reliability and no-fuss attitude

The folks at CarsDirect agree the unassuming Honda Civic is a great used car and has been for many years. According to them, the Honda Civic is among the highest-rated small, affordable cars for dependability and reliability. They explain that the Civic offers great gas mileage too.

The Honda Civic is also a favorite used car because, in most cases, it needs little maintenance. It’s appealing because it doesn’t require much attention beyond regular oil changes. And it doesn’t break down often. 

You’ll find used Honda Civic models for just about any budget. They come in a wide range of body styles, including a two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback. There are also performance models like the Civic Si and Type R. Used Civics offer something for every driver and driving style, including a manual transmission.

The 2021 Civic at a glance

The latest Honda Civic is fun to drive, according to the folks at Car and Driver. But it loses none of its practicality in the bargain. They recommend it.

Today’s Civic is not just affordable, dependable transportation. Honda stepped up its game to put the long-running Civic back in the game. This model year, find sedan and five-door hatch body styles (the brand retired the coupe and SI models, MotorTrend reports). The 2021 Civic comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and offers an available 1.5-liter turbocharged four producing up to 180 hp.

The new Civic has standard driver-assist features aplenty. You get Honda Sensing Safety & Driver-Assistive Technologies. They include a collision mitigation braking system, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, and more. There’s not a lot in the way of infotainment features that come standard, but that’s one of only a few drawbacks.

Though the base model is a little bare-bones for Car and Driver’s taste, the publication recommends the 2021 Honda Civic because it should please most shoppers looking for good value in a compact.