I'm a student on a budget. I know Civics are great economy cars in the sense that they get good MPG and repairs are cheaper. However, I was wondering about a Civic Hybrid. Are civic hybrids as reliable as regular civics?

Concidering a hybrid is essentially a computer, would the cost of potential repairs on a civic hybrid be more than what I would save on a regular civic? For argument's sake we'll say I save around $450 a year in gas money if I buy a Civic Hybrid.

Thank you.

 

I don't know that there is any difference in reliability between hybrid and non-hybrid Civics. You might want to look at Consumer Reports data for the past couple of years to get an idea.

However, if you are on a (strict?) budget, it might make more financial sense to look at the DX or LX non-hybrid Civic models. You're still going to get great gas mileage and you'll save lots of money. The base DX has an MSRP under $15K - that's a savings of over $7000 compared to the hybrid.