Family car review: 2022 Honda Civic Hatch

How big is the boot of the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch?

The boot of the Honda Civic Hatch is a very good size, from empty it will hold thirteen shopping bags, which is three more than the previous model 2020 Honda Civic Hatch which held ten shopping bags. It's also comparable to the Subaru Impreza which fits eleven and the Kia Cerato GT which fits twelve. A Mazda3, Hyundai i30 and VW Golf all have smaller boots that fit ten shopping bags.

A twin side-by-side pram fits nicely in the boot of the Honda Civic Hatch with a bag of shopping.

A tandem pram fits in the boot with five shopping bags.

A single pram fits in the boot with four shopping bags around it.

A compact stroller fits with eight shopping bags.

Families with fur babies can fit a medium size dog in the boot of the Honda Civic Hatch comfortably.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

As well as being flat and carpeted making it ideal for an emergency nappy change (although you do have to lean over a bit of a lip above the rear bumper) the boot floor of the Honda Civic Hatch lifts up to reveal a hidden underfloor compartment, which can be handy for storing valuables etc.

The retractable roller blind in the Honda Civic Hatch is fantastic, you pull it across from one side of the boot to the other and it can retract away into the cartridge on the side of the boot. So there is no big parcel shelf store away. It can even be fixed on either side to suit left-handed or right-handed people. Genius!

How good is storage inside the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch?

The storage inside the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch is quite minimal in the back but in the front it is more generous and practical for families. Two cup holders in the front central console will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cups.

In front of them is a wireless phone charging pad with USB sockets and a 12V socket.

The central console storage is quite deep with a little shelf in the top.

The glove box will hold an iPad and wallet with the manual.

The front door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle and a wallet behind it and there are storage wells in the handles too.

Storage in the back is more minimal. The door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle and there are storage wells in the handles.

There is a single map pocket on the back of the front passenger seat that will hold and conceal an iPad.

There is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback of the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch with two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup in them too.

How noisy is the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch?

The Honda Civic Hatch is not a noisy car to drive. The media system is easy to navigate and use…

…it includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The camera image fills the whole screen and is a nice wide angle.

It also has other angles for you to view from.

The 2022 Honda Civic Hatch no longer has the indicator camera that comes up in the screen to see down the side of the car when you indicate, like in the previous model.

The doors and windows of the 2022 Honda Cicvic Hatch close gently, so they are not baby-waking.

The doors close quite easily with a gentle close, which was surprising for a car of this size. With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.

With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up! 

You can lock the doors and windows from the driver's door control panel.

How many child seats fit in the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch?

There are clearly labelled top tether anchorages for all three of the rear seats of the Civic Hatch. The two outer ones are in the backrests and the central one is under a flap on the boot floor. They are all easily reached and connected to through the boot.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats of the Honda Civic Hatch, they are hidden behind a detachable piece of upholstery fabric. Although not within plastic guides they are are nice and easy to connect to.

Any two Infasecure child seats fit nicely in the back of the Honda Civic Hatch. I installed the Infasecure Attain More and Aspire More in the outer seats. There is not enough room for a person to sit between them.

Legroom is good in the Honda Civic Hatch and with a rear-facing child seat installed in the second-row, we could just about fit a 186cm passenger in the front.

Posting Bub into their child seat was easy from inside and outside the Honda Civic Hatch, although it has a lower roofline than most SUVs, I didn't find it a problem.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed Bub in the back of the Honda Civic Hatch too if you only have one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch? And How good is the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch to drive?

The front cabin of the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch is comfortable. It has a honeycomb grill across the air vents on the dash.

The headrests are not adjustable forwards and back so it wasn't too comfy to were a ponytail!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are comfortable like the front ones. The central seat has a firm backrest where the fold-down armrest is. Legroom is good in the back and I had plenty of legroom behind a 182cm driver and I'm 162cm.

For the first year of my Bub's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Across the front dashboard, there are four air conditioning vents. Two in the centre and one at either end.

They can be easily controlled using the buttons on the central dash.

In the second row, there are air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box. I could reach the vents to adjust them for my children while driving.

Visibility in the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch is good and even with the two child seats in the back I still had good visibility out of the back and sides.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. The Honda Civic Hatch, was easy to park in our tight apartment block carpark.

The drive is pleasant, it's nice and smooth and not bulky like and SUV. I found it to have a small turning circle making it easy to maneuver and park. Great for the school run!

How safe is the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch?

The Honda Civic Hatch has yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!