Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla

Which used car has the cleaner record?

We line up what owners actually reported to NHTSA — complaints and recall campaigns — for both cars, so you can compare their paper trail before you buy.

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Side by side	Civic	Corolla
Body type	Sedan	Sedan
Years sampled	2016, 2020, 2024	2016, 2020, 2024
Owner complaints	1290	580fewer
Recall campaigns	11	6fewer
NHTSA investigations	10	10
Overall safety (NHTSA, US)	5/5	5/5
Combined economy (EPA, US)	6.9 L/100km	6.7 L/100km

Body type

Civic: Sedan
Corolla: Sedan

Years sampled

Civic: 2016, 2020, 2024
Corolla: 2016, 2020, 2024

Owner complaints

Civic: 1290
Corolla: 580fewer

Recall campaigns

Civic: 11
Corolla: 6fewer

NHTSA investigations

Civic: 10
Corolla: 10

Overall safety (NHTSA, US)

Civic: 5/5
Corolla: 5/5

Combined economy (EPA, US)

Civic: 6.9 L/100km
Corolla: 6.7 L/100km

The quick read

Over the sampled model years, the Honda Civic has 1290 complaints and 11 recalls, and the Toyota Corolla has 580 complaints and 6 recalls. Lower numbers point to fewer reported issues, but always confirm the exact car with a VIN check.

Check a Civic VIN Check a Corolla VIN

NHTSA (US) owner-complaint and recall counts over recent model years. A reliability signal, not a check of any one car. Always run the VIN.