Generally speaking, the Honda Civic is an excellent car. We often praise the Honda Civic because of its value, performance, and overall dependability. However, some model years don’t earn the same adoration.

The 2016 Civic is a prime example. Honda completely redesigned the Civic to be its sharpest and boldest. Nonetheless, there were specific quality issues associated with the 2016 Civic that we will get into later. 

For 2016, Consumer Reports dropped the model in its overall reliability rankings. But flash forward a few years later, and the 2016 Civic is holding up strong. Now, Consumer Reports officially recommends the 2016 Civic. And even though this car isn’t perfect, it’s still worthy of your love. 

What’s so great about the 2016 Honda Civic?

What separates Honda’s Civic from other compact car class models is that it’s super fun to drive. The Civic feels energetic, and it’s suaver than you would think. For 2016, the Civic came with a 158-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder. 

Some of the base models will have a six-speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission. The standard Civic offers plenty of power for everyday drives. But if you want more juice, there is a 174-hp, turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine available on the 2016 Civic also. 

The Civic’s zippy engine choices contributed to its award as U.S. News’ 2016 Best Compact Car for the Money. U.S. News celebrated the 2016 Civic for its smooth ride quality, crisp handling, and superior fuel economy. This organization praised the Civic’s interior too. 

On the inside 

Honda’s redesign brought remarkable changes to the Civic’s. The 2016 Civic introduced a more premium cabin than in previous years. There are many soft-touch materials, even on the standard trim. The Civic can seat up to five people, and its rear seat is pretty spacious, plus the cargo room is also generous. Some models will have cloth seats; others will have leather. 

This Honda also offers plenty of features to keep you connected on the road. Standard models will have Bluetooth, Pandora connection, and a nice four-speaker stereo. For more tech, shop for models the 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. There are also a few active safety features available on this Civic, including a forward-collision warning. The main drawback to the Civic’s interior is that its touchscreen isn’t the most user-friendly.

About those potential problems 

As we mentioned earlier, there are a few problems associated with the 2016 Civic. There are three NHTSA recall actions on this model related to its engine cooling, exterior, and parking brake. While these may sound alarming, they impacted a relatively small group of owners.

Although, some owners did complain about frustrating AC problems, typically at the 37,350- mile mark. Still, there aren’t many significant complaints on the 2016 Civic considering Honda sold over 366,000 of them in the U.S. And as an owner of a 2016 Civic, I can say that this car still drives like new. I haven’t had any issues related to the previous recalls or with the AC, and we’re about 70,000 miles in.

Overall, the 2016 Civic is one of the best used cars you can get for around $14K, as U.S. News highlighted. It proved worthy of Consumer Reports’ seal of approval. Plus, it’s a pretty dependable car with low ownership costs.