Honda Civic Type R (2017 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]
Summary
The Honda Civic Type R is a high-performance version of the regular Honda Civic five-door family hatchback. The current model was launched in 2017 and ended production in 2021.
The Civic Type R was given a light update in early 2020, when a new Sport Line model was added to the range. Its performance is the the as the regular model, but the bodywork has been toned down somewhat. A Limited Edition model was also released, although it sold out almost immediately.
The Honda Civic Type R has received unanimously positive reviews from across the UK motoring media, as well as many awards. It has been highly praised for its driving dynamics, both in terms of performance as well as comfort, which are almost universally regarded as best-in-class. The main criticisms have related to its extroverted styling and poor-quality infotainment system.
This generation ended production along with the rest of the Civic range in 2021. An all-new Type R is expected to accompany the next-generation Civic, which is due in 2022. Unlike this model, which was built in Swindon, England, the new model will be built in Japan.
Key specifications
Body style: Mid-size five-door hatchbackEngines: petrol
Price: From £31,870 on-road
Launched: Summer 2017Last updated: Spring 2020
Production ended: Autumn 2021
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
The Car Expert
Score: 8.6 / 10“The new Honda Civic Type R is a much more complete performance hatch than its predecessor, more potent, but also significantly more practical as a daily driver.”
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Auto Express
Model reviewed: Limited EditionScore: 9 / 10“Honda’s engineers have made only small tweaks but the overall package feels sharper than ever – and a total hoot to drive on track days. The price doesn’t even look that bad, compared with some rivals, so it’s a pity the production run is so limited.”
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Score: 9 / 10“This facelift has not broadened the Honda Civic Type R’s talents to the point where it can outdo the Golf GTI as the best all-rounder on the hot hatch market. But the updates do add yet more driver appeal to a vehicle recognised as the enthusiast’s choice at this price point.”
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Score: 8.2 / 10“The latest Honda Civic Type R still looks bonkers, but it’s no longer a one-dimensional back street hero. Instead, it’s a simply stunning 21st century hyper-hatch and a worthy rival to the Focus RS and the Volkswagen Golf R.”
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Autocar
Score: 9 / 10“For getting from A to B as fast and entertainingly as possible on typically tight and twisty British secondaries, the Honda Civic Type R is up there with the best.”
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Score: 9 / 10“Uncompromising but thoroughly exploitable, and with a chassis that takes ownership of an engine capable of delivering thunderous power and considerable reward when wringing it out to the redline, Honda’s latest effort stays true to the very best Type R values.”
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Car
Model reviewed: Limited EditionScore: 8 / 10“I honestly don’t understand how the Honda Civic Type R is still so head and shoulders above the competition this many years after being launched, but there we are.”
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Score: 10 / 10“The styling may narrow this car’s appeal but, based on these first few hours behind the wheel at least, it deserves a wide audience. If you’re a hot hatch fan, this is one of the very best of the current crop.”
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Car Keys
Score: 10 / 10“If you want a fun front-wheel-drive hot hatchback, there remains no better option on sale today than this Honda Civic Type R. It already was brilliant to drive, but slight mechanical tweaks have only made it even better.”
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Carbuyer
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8.6 / 10“The nimble, responsive Honda Civic Type R delivers thrills without sacrificing comfort or practicality”
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Carwow
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 9 / 10“The Honda Civic Type R marries racing-car performance with just enough practicality that you can live with it every day. Those outrageous looks will definitely divide opinion, though.”
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Company Car Today
“Honda has something of a hot hatch and performance car pedigree, and the new Civic Type R offers more extreme looks than any that has come before. To drive, the Type R mixes racing car lunacy with almost complete civility.”
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Daily Mail
Score: 10 / 10“This is a no-holds-barred raving lunatic of a car, the antithesis of everything Shakespeare, enough to make Mary Berry throw herself into a cesspit of soggy bottoms. It’s creations such as this that threaten the very fibre of Strictly Come Dancing and the calm and moral cache of Cash In The Attic.” (Chris Evans)
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“It’s a powerful and high performing car, but thanks perhaps to its British and Japanese pedigree, it also has impeccable good manners.”
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Daily Mirror
Score: 8 / 10“If you’re the modest type, let’s be honest, this garish car isn’t for you. It takes a certain confidence to own this car and plenty of people would say it looks a bit yobbish. But, truth be told, I loved the Honda Civic Type R. It’s an authentic driving experience and the funnest car I’ve driven in a long time.”
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Evo
Model reviewed: Range reviewScore: 10 / 10“Aesthetically displeasing perhaps, but the FK8 Civic Type R is magnificent. An honest real-world superhero.”
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Heycar
Model reviewed: Score: 9 / 10“Hot hatches have never been as powerful or wild as they are now, and the Honda Civic Type R is one of the wildest of the lot. Not only does it have a giant spoiler and angular styling, it also delivers exhilarating performance of 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds on the way to a 169mph top speed.”
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Honest John
Score: 10 / 10“If you want your hot hatch to turn heads, then the Honda Civic Type R beats rivals like the Ford Focus RS hands down. It has great performance and handling too – and yet it’s a car that isn’t too tricky to live with on a daily basis. And that’s exactly what a hot hatch should be – an everyday performance car.”
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The Intercooler
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 9 / 10“The Honda Civic Type R is as good as ever. The chassis is still spellbinding along a UK B-road. It’s at its best in Comfort, where the suspension is wonderfully compliant yet no so fluid it loses all control of the masses. The way this thing steers, goes, stops and grips is unparalleled in the class.”
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The Sun
“The Honda Civic Type R is a boy racer’s wet dream”
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The Sunday Times
Score: 6 / 10“Wonderful to drive, embarrassing to be seen in” (Jeremy Clarkson)
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol manual GTScore: 10 / 10“The Honda Civic Type R is just as talented as it ever was, and – if you aren’t deterred by the way it looks – its blend of wide-eyed thrills and everyday usability is every bit as compelling as ever.”
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Score: 8 / 10“A truly great, if utterly single-minded, machine. You might find the styling extreme, but it’s there for a purpose and it works. You could use a Honda Civic Type R every day, but it doesn’t ride particularly well and the engine could become tiring. Get it on a track, though, and it’s a superhero.”
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Top Gear
“It works, too. For all the brilliance of the Civic’s chassis and the punch of its performance – both of which deserve a lot of praise – it’s the refinement that’s most stark about this new car. It may look like a motorsport refugee, but it’ll require no change in lifestyle if it’s your only car.”
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What Car?
Model reviewed: Range reviewScore: 10 / 10“The Honda Civic Type R offers awesome performance and precise handling, yet it’s also a practical and comfortable everyday car.”
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Which?
“The cartoonish styling may divide opinion, but there’s no doubting the Honda Civic Type R is a full-blooded hot hatchback that can hold its head high among its more upmarket competition.”
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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
Overall rating: 5 stars
Date tested: November 2017
92%
ADULT OCCUPANT
75%
CHILD OCCUPANT
75%
VULNERABLE ROAD USERS
88%
SAFETY ASSIST
Read full Euro NCAP review
Eco rating
No eco rating
The Honda Civic Type R has not been lab-tested by Green NCAP. Check back soon.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Honda Civic Type R has received
2021
- The Car Expert Awards – Hot Hatch Class Champion
- What Car? Awards – Best Hot Hatch for Practicality
2020
- Auto Express Awards – Best Hot Hatch
- What Car? Awards – Best Hot Hatch
2019
- Auto Express Awards – Best Hot Hatch
- What Car? Awards – Best Hot Hatch
2018
- Auto Express Awards – Best Hot Hatch
- What Car? Awards – Best Hot Hatch
- News UK Motor Awards – Best Hot Hatch
- Autocar Awards – Readers’ Champion Award + Best Affordable Drivers Car.
2017
- Top Gear Awards – Car of the Year
- Auto Express Awards – Best Hot Hatch
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Keyword: Honda Civic Type R