2013 Honda Civic

Showing the 2013 Civic EX-L. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 1.8 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

About every 2013 Civic

The 2013 Honda Civic has 329 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, and air bags is the most cited part with 116. Combined fuel economy ranges from 25 to 44 mpg across versions, with a 5-year fuel cost of $7,380 to $16,100 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 4 overall stars. No recall campaigns are listed for this model year.

Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.

Fuel economy
25–44 mpgcombined; city 22–43, highway 31–44; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$7,380–$16,100U.S. average; Ohio $6,600–$15,170 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026. Other versions: $7,500, EPA's own estimate, for a fuel EIA has no price for; not priced for any state
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
329filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2013 Civic. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 329 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Civic. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air bags11619124
Electrical system41100
Steering39401
Service brakes38201
Unknown or other30102
Engine24200
Power train23000
Structure23303
Vehicle speed control20403
Seats16003
Fuel/propulsion system15000
Tires11000
16 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)9000
Visibility/wiper9000
Suspension8105
Wheels8000
Exterior lighting5105
Seat belts5305
Visibility5000
Fuel system, gasoline2000
Engine and engine cooling1000
Equipment adaptive/mobility1000
Forward collision avoidance1000
Hybrid propulsion system1000
I suspect the car seat is counterfeit1000
Other/i am not sure1000
Service brakes, air1000
Service brakes, hydraulic1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 20061,465
  2. 20071,278
  3. 2008988
  4. 2009429
  5. 2010413
  6. 2011172
  7. 2012474
  8. 2013329
  9. 2014298
  10. 2015394
  11. 20161,083
  12. 2017605
  13. 2018755
  14. 2019454
  15. 2020235
  16. 2021159
  17. 2022961
  18. 2023336
  19. 2024142
  20. 2025105
  21. 202631

Every Civic year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2013 Civic. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 81 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2013 Civic, the latest on Feb 25, 2021. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (14), electrical system (13), fuel system (12), structure (12), engine (11).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Defect petition DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
Electrical systemJan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023
Petition withdrawn
NHTSA's record and documents
Engineering analysis EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
Air bagsSep 17, 2021Open
NHTSA's record and documents
Engineering analysis EA19001
Electrical overstress · covers 11 makes
Air bagsApr 19, 2019Closed Sep 19, 2024
NHTSA's summary names recall 16V668000, 18E043000, 18V137000, 18V363000, 20V024000
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2013 Civic.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2013 Honda Civics for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Civic
Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline28 / 39 / 32
Civic
Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline28 / 35 / 31
Civic
Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylManual 6-spdPremium Gasoline22 / 31 / 25
Civic HF
Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline29 / 41 / 33
Civic Hybrid
Front-Wheel Drive
1.5 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline43 / 44 / 44
Civic Natural Gas
Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cylAutomatic 5-spdNatural Gas27 / 38 / 31

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data