Hi everyone, I’m looking for a new car and can’t decide between the Camry le 2025 and the Civic sport hatchback 2025. I was leaning toward the Camry but I’ve read some posts about build quality problems and other issues. I want to avoid recalls and extra maintenance if possible. What would you suggest? Should I skip the 2025 models and wait for 2026 or is the Civic good enough?
The Civic is in its third year of this generation. The Camry is in its first year.
Gia said:
The Civic is in its third year of this generation. The Camry is in its first year.
So does that mean the Civic is better?
You really can’t go wrong if your main worry is reliability. The Camry is new but its engine and transmission are the same as the previous model, which are very reliable. You see a lot of Camry hybrids and RAV4 hybrids as taxis for a reason. The interiors on the Camry are new and the only known issue is with the panoramic roof. Both cars might have some rattles and cheaper materials since they’re Honda and Toyota, not luxury brands.
I looked at both and chose a Camry. I do a lot of short trips and was worried about oil dilution problems with the Civic, plus the hybrid version isn’t out in the US yet. The 2026 Camrys will be released soon, so waiting might be an option if you want to avoid first year issues.
I’ve seen people talk about problems but I haven’t had any myself. I’ve only driven 700 miles and no rattles or weird noises. The car feels solid and I’m happy with it. Mine doesn’t have a sunroof. It’s AWD with convenience and cold weather packages.
I’d check out a Civic forum. They might have the same issues. These days, I prefer buying cars made before the pandemic instead of brand new ones.
I got the Camry LE with cold weather package because I wanted heated seats and steering wheel. Also, I wanted a spare tire instead of a repair kit. I wish the Camry had traffic jam assist like the Honda does, but with just adaptive cruise control it handles stop and go better than my old car. My backseat passengers like the Camry better than the Civic. The Civic hatchback is good if you need to carry bigger things. I don’t like sunroofs and Honda only offers them, but I got the Camry without one for more headroom.
I had some doubts about Toyota but from what I’ve heard they are really good with hybrids now.
Trevor said:
I had some doubts about Toyota but from what I’ve heard they are really good with hybrids now.
Toyota is already on their 9th generation of hybrids. I think they’ve got it figured out.