2012 Honda Civic MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2012 Honda Civic gets up to 32 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 44 mpg as a hybrid, across 5 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2012 Honda Civic · 5 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

32MPG combined

28 city 39 highway

$2,100 a year to fuel

1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed automatic · HF

Best hybrid version

44MPG combined

43 city 44 highway

$1,500 a year to fuel

1.5L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT

Best version saves $4,500 in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Fuel cost: 15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.47 a gallon (regular gas).

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 30, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $1,500 to $3,300 a year. Compared with 2011, the best gas version is up 3 mpg and the best hybrid version is up 3 mpg.

More complaints than a typical Civic year

The 2012 drew 148 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 122 for a typical Civic year.

Years to avoid: 2016, 2022, and 2023; best years: 2019 and 2021. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Civic year ranked The 2012 Civic's recalls and problems

Every 2012 Civic version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Hybrid
1.5L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT Best EPA listing: Civic Hybrid	44 mpg	43 / 44	$1,500
Gas
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed automatic · HF EPA listing: Civic HF	32 mpg	28 / 39	$2,100
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed automatic EPA listing: Civic	31 mpg	28 / 38	$2,150
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual EPA listing: Civic	31 mpg	28 / 35	$2,150
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed manual EPA listing: Civic · Premium fuel	25 mpg	22 / 31	$3,300

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.47 a gallon for regular gas and $5.48 a gallon for premium gas. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
1.5L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT	$1,524	$127	$7,619
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed automatic · HF	$2,095	$175	$10,477
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed automatic	$2,163	$180	$10,815
1.8L 4-cyl · FWD · 5-speed manual	$2,163	$180	$10,815
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed manual	$3,288	$274	$16,440

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

Does the hybrid pay for itself? See the payback for every model sold both ways.

Honda Civic MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 29 to 36 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 36 since 2017. Hybrid: 41 to 49 mpg (2010 to 2015, 2025 to 2026); 49 since 2025.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2012: gas 32 mpg · hybrid 44 mpg

Show as a table

Honda Civic best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	29	42
2011	29	41
2012	32	44
2013	33	44
2014	34	44
2015	34	44
2016	35	–
2017	36	–
2018	36	–
2019	36	–
2020	36	–
2021	36	–
2022	36	–
2023	36	–
2024	36	–
2025	36	49
2026	36	49

Every Civic year's ratings in one table

How the 2012 Civic compares

2012 compact cars covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2012 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota Prius Best: hybrid	48 mpg	–	$1,400
Honda Civic This page Best: hybrid	44 mpg	32 mpg	$1,500
Hyundai Elantra Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,100
Mazda3 Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,100
Volkswagen Jetta Best: diesel	32 mpg	28 mpg	$2,400
Kia Forte Best: gas	30 mpg	30 mpg	$2,250
Toyota Corolla Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300
Nissan Sentra Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300

2012 Civic recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 473 owner complaints for the 2012 Civic.

Owners most often describe power steering problems (48 complaints, 10%), then the airbag warning light (46). NHTSA's overall crash rating: 4 to 5 stars for the versions it has rated.

See the 2012 Civic recalls and problems

Questions

How much fuel does the 2012 Civic hybrid save?

Comparing two-wheel-drive versions at EPA's assumptions (15,000 miles a year, $4.47 a gallon), the hybrid costs $1,500 a year to fuel against $2,100 for the gas model: $600 a year, or $3,000 over five years.

Does the 2012 Honda Civic need premium gas?

Some versions do. EPA lists the 2.4L 4-cyl on premium, the rest use regular.

How does the 2012 Civic's MPG compare with the 2011?

For 2012, the best gas version is rated 32 mpg, up 3 from 29 and the best hybrid version is rated 44 mpg, up 3 from 41.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 29, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.47, midgrade $5.07, premium $5.48, diesel $6.38 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Oct 2, 2026 and complaint file dated Oct 2, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.