Compare the2025 Honda Civic SiVS 2025 Ford Mustang

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Si 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 Ford Mustang doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si 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 Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Mustang’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic Si and the Mustang have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Honda Civic Si is safer than the Mustang Fastback:

The Honda Civic Si achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Mustang is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford With 33 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Ford.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 13th.

The Civic Si has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Mustang. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Civic Si’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang’s standard 50 series tires.

The Civic Si handles at .97 G’s, while the Mustang EcoBoost Fastback pulls only .95 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Honda Civic Si may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 1100 pounds less than the Ford Mustang.

The Civic Si is 5.4 inches shorter than the Mustang, making the Civic Si easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The Civic Si is 5.7 inches shorter than the Mustang Dark Horse.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Si a Mid-size car, while the Mustang Fastback is rated a Subcompact.

The Civic Si has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Mustang can only carry 4.

The Civic Si has 13.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mustang Fastback (96.6 vs. 82.8).

The Civic Si has .7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 8.4 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Fastback.

The Civic Si has a larger trunk than the Mustang Fastback (14.1 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 20% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

The Civic Si’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them. Ford does not offer a locking feature on the Mustang’s standard power windows.

The Civic Si has two rear doors to provide better access for cargo and rear passengers. The Mustang doesn’t offer rear doors.

The Civic Si’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Mustang Premium/Convertible/Dark Horse.

The Civic Si has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic Si and the Ford Mustang, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 10 more times in the last 41 years. The Mustang has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

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

The Honda Civic outsold the Ford Mustang by almost six to one during 2024.