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Why Some 2016 Honda Civic Owners Report Low MPG

2016 Honda Civic claims one of, if not the highest combined MPG in the non hybrid compact sedan class. What’s your MPG?
2016_Honda Civic_Sedan

With a stated combined fuel efficiency of 31 to 35 miles per gallon, 2016 Honda Civic, specifically the direct fuel injected turbocharged, CVT shifted Touring, claims not only the highest power output in Civic’s history, but the highest fuel efficiency achieved in a Civic sedan since the exit of the small-body Civic hatchbacks of the mid 1990s.

Now, before a handful of my astute and well studied Honda-philes, throw my tattered body to the internet gods for omitting a later Civic offering from this analogy, I’ll kindly remind the gathering horde that model year fuel economy comparison is not the basis for the story here.

The bottom line: Some 2016 Civic owners are reporting far lower MPG

While tripping over my growing pile of junk mail Monday morning, I fell across an item of interest ; something most near and dear to most Civic owners -- and certainly a pre-purchase consideration when weighing the attributes of North America’s best selling retail sedan over Toyota and others.

There it sat on my monitor like a stinking halibut caught over the weekend and forgotten in the backseat to rot in the warming sun. Members of the CivicX.com online owners forum were pointing to far lower combined fuel economy, some as low as 21 mpg, while asking the community if this was normal?

Here’s this member’s answer: Your 2016 Civic's fuel economy will vary, here’s why

Weather: Cold weather, slip and slide road condition will lower your fuel economy - a lot! Your Civic is working harder, burning more fuel.

Fuel formulation: Seasonal changes in gasoline formulation at the refinery will impact your fuel efficiency

Increased tire to road friction: Studded tires, sand on the road: Hey, when your car works harder, it burns more fuel!

Rabbit Starts, hard braking: We tend to drive a bit more aggressively when first experiencing the joy of new car ownership.

Winter weather: Increased use of accessory fans, defrosters, seat heater, etc -- adding greater load strain on the engine resulting in lower MPG. The same is true for summer driving with the air conditioning blasting.

Initial engine and drivetrain break in: Dispite today’s low-friction engine and drive component technologies, it does pay to in future fuel efficiency dividend to consciously “break - in “ your new Civic.

The bottom line is this

2016 Civic owners, regardless of region, will most likely experience lower than stated MPG in the first month or two of new car ownership. Is this normal? Yes.

By allowing your 2016 Honda Civic, regardless of variant, some engine and component break-in time, after a couple of weeks, and assuming that you’re not one of our Canadian or East Coast readers driving around in sub-zero temperatures, your fuel efficiency will increase.

It’s not unusual for Torque News to receive reports from Honda owners that regularly exceed the manufacturer's published EPA, MPG -- we anticipate the same from Civic.

To our friends who have purchased 2016 Civic, give it a month or two, Spring is just around the corner.

Automotive News
Honda

Comments

Ray (not verified)    December 7, 2016 - 6:27PM

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Just got a leftover 2016 civic EX-T with CVT. Have put 200 miles on it (had 6 on it when picked up). Taking it easy while on the break-in period mainly just driving locally but not in heavy traffic but a fair amount of stops for lights and such and almost no highway the average mpg is at 40.5 since leaving the dealers lot. I expect that to go up 1 to 3 mpg after the break-in period. My acura actually didn't hit its best MPG till I had a few thousand miles on it. I suspect highway mpg will be around 50. Mine was built at the Canada factory for what its worth. I have not used the ECO mode at all.

Sabrina (not verified)    December 7, 2016 - 11:32PM

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Just got the 17 civic ex out the lot about 2-3 weeks ago and my average is 29 mpg. I drive pretty calm and hopefully this average goes up...

Patty (not verified)    December 12, 2016 - 8:51PM

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I have a 2016 civic 1.5 turbo. I got between 40 -44 mpg until my first oil change and service in Oct. since my mileage has progressively decreased to 35.2 now. My tires were filled to 36 to prepare for winter temps. Service did some recall work, is it possible that has done something to my mileage? It's just now starting to get really cold, I hate to see it continue to drop. What mileage should I expect for northern Ohio winter months? I was so happy bragging about my new Honda's mileage.

Maya Zan (not verified)    December 13, 2016 - 5:11PM

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My 2016 Honda CR-V ex was brand new. Only 1 mile on it. I have now driven 330 miles on it and it's showing 19.6 mpg. I drive in a suburban area to work, so there are some stop lights but not a ton like in the city. I'm a very eco friendly driver. I kept the Econ button on. I'm now questioning my purchase. Even in city conditions, I should get better mileage than this.

Alex P. (not verified)    December 16, 2016 - 9:33PM

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We just purchased a 2016 Honda Civic Ex-T with 67 miles on it 1 week ago with a full tank. 2 days later we were at 1/2 tank with 115 miles. We immediately filled back up to full at 115 miles. Currently we are at 173 city miles and 3/4 tank full. This means collectively we've put 106 miles on the car and using 3/4 of a tank. This CANNOT be normal! If this car is supposed to use 31 mpg x 12.4 tank then a full tank should get about 384 miles and 3/4 of a tank should get about 280... correct? I live in Long Island, NY, it has been very cold since we got the car, we have used the remote start about 4x and we have not driven on the highway. Help!

Robert M Cotter (not verified)    December 17, 2016 - 6:54AM

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Gas mileage is not a function of weeks, or half-tanks and quarter tanks etc. Fill the tank. Reset trip "A" to zero. Drive the car. Fill the tank. Note how many miles you have driven (trip "a") and divide that number by the number of gallons you pumped into the tank. Typically it will look like this: 319/9.8 = 32.5 mpg. This is what my 2016 EX-T gets. So give the car a chance. It will be fine. Bob

Alex P (not verified)    December 20, 2016 - 11:15AM

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Bob,
I will monitor it as you advised, with hopes that we reach optimal mileage. Thanks.

Lesley (not verified)    December 19, 2016 - 2:48PM

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I bought my Civic EX on Sept 5, 2016. Average mileage is 26.5 - 27. The low field light turned on around 265 miles! It is worst then an electric car! I used to drive a Toyota Yaris, the mileage was ~35miles. Can run 380 miles per tank.
I took it to the Honda Dealer to check whether any problem they said that if the service light not on, there's no problem and no maintenance required. They refer me back to Honda.
Someone should organize class action again Honda. They are not honest in advertising the fuel economy performance.

Parks McCants    December 20, 2016 - 12:49PM

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Welcome Lesley. Seriously? Your fuel efficiency will vary dependent on gasoline formulas, road conditions, traffic, weather, personal driving style, etc... I've averaged well over 40 mpg in the new Civic turbo and no less than 36 mpg in the EX. Good luck.

lesley (not verified)    December 20, 2016 - 12:55PM

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Hi Parks, I found that driving in the city MPG is about 26. Driving in the highway about 27. Not much difference. So there must be something wrong with the car.
The sale manager in south bay Honda suggested me to take the car to another dealer to get 2nd opinion.

Jenn (not verified)    December 29, 2016 - 4:40PM

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So disappointed. My 16 Civic Ext is getting less than 26 mpg. I'm not a rough driver by any stretch. The car has 1500 miles. Dealer referred me to call honda who has been extremely rude and said the fuel economy is an estimate. Complete bs. If I only did 70 percent of my job I'd be in serious trouble. Yet honda can get away with 70 percent fuel economy. Wish I would have stayed with Toyota.

Parks McCants    December 29, 2016 - 7:38PM

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Welcome Jenn. While it's true that your fuel efficiency can very, dependent on region, weather. terrain, and fuel formulation, an average MPG of 26 may or may not be the norm for your specific car. Share with me a bit about your particular model, weather and driving conditions. Thanks.

Jenn (not verified)    December 30, 2016 - 6:46AM

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I live in the Cincinnati area. Weather has been 30-60 degrees in the two months I've had the car, driving on highways and city with some small hills and stop lights. I have the 2016 Civic EXT that claims 31/41 mpg with 35 mpg combined. I'm getting 30 percent less efficiency. The EPA averages include adjustments for ethanol etc and I'm still 10 mpg under which to me is too much variance. Honda has been very very rude. My 08 Scion tC gets better mileage. Honda told me that there was a recall in October that was fixed. I bought the car in November. I bought it because of the fuel savings as my number one reason.

Parks McCants    December 30, 2016 - 2:07PM

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Thank you Jenn. Your combined MPG does appear to be a bit low. I'm sure you know from experience that your fuel efficiency will increase with warmer weather. Please know that the stated MPG is a U.S. agency testing derived average. Thus: "Your indevidual fuel economy will vary." As to Honda's hot-line rudeness. That is unfortunate and unnecessary. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&path=7&year=2016&make=Honda&model=Civic%204Dr&srchtyp=ymm

Robert M Cotter (not verified)    December 29, 2016 - 8:26PM

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2016 Honda Civic EX-T, car has 5,600 miles on the odometer. My latest fillup looks like this: 310 miles driven, 9.9 gallons consumed. That figures out to 31.31 MPG.

lesley kong (not verified)    December 30, 2016 - 3:00PM

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I have the same model 2016 Honda Civic EX and same problem of low fuel efficiency.
It average about 26.5MPG. Not much difference whether I drive in the city or on the highway.
The dealer can't find any problem. Call Honda and they gave me the same BS also.
Can someone organize a class action against Honda on this problem?

Robert Murillo (not verified)    January 14, 2017 - 10:36PM

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Is their a recall for this fix. The reprogramming of the cpu? Does this fix the low mileage issue. Local driving and only getting 23 mpg. Fustrated

Chad (not verified)    January 23, 2017 - 10:50PM

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I baught my 16 touring civic last month, I live in Wyoming at a higher elevation. I drive 70 miles to work 70 miles back home. I'm averaging 30 mpg. I baught the car for the 42 MPG! Volkswagon bought my TDI back so I got this car. Pretty disappointed!! I drive highway only and yes we get high wind and bad roads. I have a Subaru Outback that gets 28 on the same trip EPA says 31 mpg. it's heavy all wheel drive with snow tires, my Passat gets 38 EPA says 42. I also had a 2005 Achord that got 35 mpg all day long on the highway in the same area. All my other cars were off around 4mpg from EPA which is understandable, but 11 mpg off with my Civic, that is insane!!

Rachel (not verified)    February 18, 2017 - 12:44AM

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Bought a brand new 2016 Civic EX in Oct 2016. At 800 miles on the odometer we drove interstate (Vegas-SLC) and put on 800 miles round trip. Weather was great, no issues and we averaged 75 MPH. We got 30 MPG. Our car currently has 4000 miles on it and we're driving the same route right now, good weather, no traffic ego button on, etc. we just had to fill up part way and we're averaging 32 mpg.

For reference, we've driven the same route dozens of times in various weather conditions in our 2013 Honda Civic. In that car we always averaged 39-42 MPH. The 2016 is supposed to better gas mileage but it doesn't... taking it to the dealership when we get home.

David Malone (not verified)    June 17, 2017 - 2:00PM

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We got our Honda civic 1.5 Turing Dec 22,2015. As of 6/17/2017 and 59,378 mile, we have gotten 48-53.1 mpg 677 mile to 12.4 gallon tank of gas. Our speed is between 35-70 city/highway. 50 Miles around trip work and home. We live in SC. Just change first set of OEM tires.

Jaime west ridge (not verified)    November 10, 2017 - 2:40PM

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Bought 2017 4 door sedan civic turbo not getting proper mileage Econ drive
I’m a easy on the gas driver
At times gauge is telling I’m averaging 19 miles to the gallon
Also it takes 2 miles from my home to work
Now it’s taking me 3 miles according to the gauge
I truly believe something is wrong
Please help

A full tank on my easy driving goes 240 miles
I thought civics are suppose to be a gas saver

Parks McCants    November 10, 2017 - 5:08PM

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How's it going Jaime? How Economy mode works in a 4 cylinder Honda: Generally, what happens when the Economy mode is selected in a 4 cylinder gasoline engine powered car is: Deaden the Throttle-By-Wire gas peddle response, and adjust climate control fans to a lower speed, resulting in less impact on engine torque, thus, less fuel is used. At best, you may gain a 1 MPG increase in fuel efficiency -- that's it! The Economy mode is most effective while driving at relatively high speed on the highway. It's not necessarily effective while driving on surface streets. Looking to your MPG: True dat! Based on the 12.3 gallon capacity of the tank, you're approaching 20+ mpg, *(closer to 22) in combined, mostly surface street driving. Remember, your fuel gauge will register empty, with the low fuel warning light coming on, with 1.5 gallons remaining in the fuel tank for reserve. Also, the grade of gasoline used will effect overall engine performance and fuel economy. Where are you buying your fuel? Finally, what Civic trim level do you own? 2.0L, 1.5 L turbo, CVT or manually shifted? Finally, if you truly believe that your Honda is consuming more fuel than indicated by current EPA ratings, take it back to the dealership service department. Thanks for reading. Keep us posted as to your outcome. P.

Aurangzeb (not verified)    December 25, 2017 - 8:46AM

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There are a number of things you need to check. Do let us know how you calculate the fuel average.
1. Change the Petrol pump and see if that makes a difference.
2. Get your throttle body/Carburettor, MAP/MAF sensors cleaned with a good cleaner. Also get the IAC Valve cleaned, make sure to lubricate it with a few drops of ATF oil after cleaning.
3. Change your Air filter and see if a blockade has been installed if the car was or is being used on CNG. It can also be in the shape of tape which covers the air cleaner box letting less air going towards the intake manifold. If you find a blockade remove it!
4. Use STP "Complete Fuel System Cleaner" or any other good ones you can find. For better results use it more concentrated.
5. Change the fuel filter. Use genuine fuel and air filters.
6. Change your spark plugs, use stock plugs. Look for the recommended plugs.
7. If all this doesn't improve your fuel average, consider changing your driving style.

Joseph L (not verified)    April 7, 2018 - 12:50AM

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I drive a 2016 civic lx. I mostly drive city (home-school and home-work) it's about a 5 min drive to school and 10 to work. Econ mode doesn't make a huge difference but my mileage is terrible at 22/23 mpg. Like wtf?! My 2008 ford focus did a consistent 28-30mpg