Compare the2025 Honda Civic Type RVS 2025 Subaru BRZ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Subaru BRZ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Subaru BRZ doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Honda Civic Type R has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The BRZ doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Type R deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Type R’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The BRZ’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Type R has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the BRZ Limited offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic Type R has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the BRZ Limited offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Both the Civic Type R and the BRZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The Honda Civic Type R has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The BRZ has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Type R’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Civic Type R has a standard 500-amp battery. The BRZ’s 390-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (315 vs. 228) and 126 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 184) than the BRZ’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic Type R is faster than the Subaru BRZ (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Type R gets better fuel mileage than the BRZ 6-speed Manual (22 city/28 hwy vs. 20 city/27 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic Type R uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The BRZ requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Civic Type R’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The BRZ doesn’t offer launch control.

The Honda Civic Type R has a downshift rev synchronizer that automatically raises engine speed to make downshifts perfectly smooth. This keeps the car from lurching during downshifts, preventing loss of control during cornering. The BRZ doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

For better stopping power the Civic Type R’s brake rotors are larger than those on the BRZ:

The Civic Type R stops much shorter than the BRZ:

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the BRZ (265/30R19 vs. 215/45R17).

The Civic Type R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the BRZ Premium’s standard 45 series tires. The Civic Type R’s tires are lower profile than the BRZ Limited/tS’ 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the BRZ Premium. The BRZ’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Civic Type R offers an available space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the BRZ; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Civic Type R has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The BRZ’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Civic Type R has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The BRZ doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the BRZ (107.7 inches vs. 101.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Type R is 4.2 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the BRZ.

The Civic Type R Touring handles at 1.04 G’s, while the BRZ Premium pulls only .94 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic Type R has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The BRZ uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Type R a Large car, while the BRZ is rated a Minicompact.

The Civic Type R has standard seating for 5 passengers; the BRZ can only carry 4.

The Civic Type R has 21.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the BRZ (99 vs. 77.2).

The Civic Type R has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.6 inches more rear headroom, 7.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the BRZ.

The Civic Type R’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The BRZ’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Civic Type R’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The BRZ does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Civic Type R’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The BRZ has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

If the windows are left open on the Civic Type R the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the BRZ can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Civic Type R has a standard rear wiper. The BRZ doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Civic Type R has standard extendable sun visors. The BRZ doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Civic Type R’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the BRZ Limited/tS.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Civic Type R has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The BRZ doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Type R has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The BRZ doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2025 North American Car of the Year. The BRZ has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Subaru BRZ by almost 75 to one during 2024.