It’s hard not to love the Civic. It’s easy, cheap, fun, and its range of options means there’s a little something for everyone. If you want a great daily driver, there’s a Civic for that. If you want a cheap first car, there’s a Civic for that. And if you’re wondering which Civic is the fastest, there’s a speedy Civic for you, too.
No wonder the 2022 Civic was the North American Car of the Year. Check out five of the fastest production Honda Civic models. (Note that 0 – 60 times are not an exact science, and some numbers may vary based on the testing source.)
5. 2014 Civic Si Sedan: 0 – 60 in 6.5 seconds
You’re going to notice a trend in this list of the five fastest Honda compact models—and it starts with a Civic Si. The 2014 Si came standard with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (not even a turbo) that produced a tidy 205 horsepower. As is proper for this sporty Civic, a manual transmission was the only option.
2014 Honda Civic Si Coupe | Honda
4. 2006 Civic Si Coupe 0 – 60 in 6.4 seconds
What year is the fastest Civic? It may surprise you to learn that some oldies-but-goodies are at the top. The 2006 Civic Si Coupe was able to haul from zero to sixty in as fast as 6.4 seconds, which was on par with sports cars like the BMW 3 Series. It made just 197 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The 2006 sedan variant was just a hair slower, at 6.5 seconds.
From the Archive: 2006 @Honda Civic Si vs. @VW GTI: https://t.co/XsdGwVqlRy pic.twitter.com/WKyXrum4uD
— Car and Driver (@CARandDRIVER) November 19, 2020
3. 2017 Civic Si Coupe: 0 – 60 in 6.3 seconds
The 2017 Si model made as much horsepower as its 2014 equivalent (205 HP) but from a sportier 1.5-liter turbo—the first Civic Si to do so. While specific numerical output was the same, the addition of the turbocharged engine was a gamechanger. The 2017 Civic Si Sedan was slower, tested by other sources at around 6.8 seconds.
2017 Honda Civic Si Coupe | Honda
2. 2017 Civic Type R: 0 – 60 in 5.4 seconds
2017 was a good year for fast cars. The 2017 Civic Type R—the first to be sold in the U.S.—arrived with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine making 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. It had a top speed of 167 mph and came standard with a 6-speed manual transmission with helical limited-slip differential.
The 2017 Honda Civic Type R is its own, unique, aggressive, excessive animal. First Drive Impressions: https://t.co/TN24G1Qqml #TypeR pic.twitter.com/BeCKcbxb92
— AutoTrader.ca (@autoTRADER_ca) June 29, 2017
1. 2019 – 2021 Civic Type R: 0 – 60 in ~5.0 seconds
The #1 spot is a little crowded because the latest Type R is the fastest production Civic you can get. Unsurprisingly, the fastest Civic comes loaded with the fastest Honda VTEC engine—a 306-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter. The 2022 Civic Type R boasts a 0-60 time of just 5.0 seconds. This performance has stayed about the same over the past few years. Zero to 60 Times reports that the 2021 and 2019 Type R models can sprint at similar speeds.
2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition | Honda
How fast is the 2023 Honda Civic Type R?
The 2023 Type R has completed some testing at the Nurburgring, but Honda hasn’t chosen to share any specifics in terms of speed and performance for the heavily hooded new model. However, according to Honda News, the 2023 Type R recently “lapped the Suzuka’s 3.6-mile figure-8 configuration in 2 minutes 23.120 seconds.”
This time was nearly one full second faster than the time set by the 2021 Type R Limited Edition. It was a record-breaking lap, which indicates that the all-new Civic Type R will be the absolute fastest production Civic yet.
Camouflaged 2023 Honda Civic Type R | Honda
The fastest Honda Civic mod
What’s the fastest Civic? If we look beyond just the production cars you can buy at a local dealership, the question gets a lot more complicated. The 1996 Jackson Racing Civic EX Coupe went 0 – 60 in 6.7 seconds. The 2010 Honda Civic Type-R Mugen did it in 6.0 flat. The 2004 AEM Honda Civic Si nailed it in just 4.5 seconds.
The Civic’s basic stock form is ripe for the tuning, and it’s one of the best project cars. Look up “Honda Civic mods,” and you’ll find forums, aftermarket parts companies, racing videos, and fan blogs. There are endless ways to customize a Civic, and some specialists take it to a truly insane level.
Consider also this 2,000-horsepower suped-up Civic that, in 2019, ran a quarter-mile in about 7.5 seconds. The newest Civic Type R takes about 13.5 seconds to cover the same ground. See Speedfactory Racing’s Civic sprint, as presented by That Racing Channel.
Keyword: Which Honda Civic is the Fastest?