2027 Honda Civic adds a $28,495 Sport-L trim with leather and heated seats

Honda has priced the 2027 Civic and added a trim aimed squarely at buyers who want a nicer cabin without paying for the hybrid. The new Civic Sport-L sedan starts at $28,495, before a $1,295 destination charge, and brings leather upholstery, power-adjustable and heated front seats and dual-zone climate control, features Honda had reserved for hybrid trims, to a gas-powered Civic. Honda announced the lineup on Oct. 8 and said 2027 Civic sedans and hatchbacks are starting to arrive at dealers now, with the Sport-L following by the end of the year.

The rest of the range carries over with small price increases. The base Civic LX sedan starts at $24,995, or $26,290 with destination, which Car and Driver calculates is $300 more than the 2026 car. Hatchbacks run $1,200 more than the equivalent sedan, and the LX is sold only as a sedan.

What the Sport-L adds

The Sport-L slots between the gas Sport and the Sport Hybrid, and most of what it adds used to be hybrid-only. Leather seats, power front-seat adjustment and silver interior trim came from the top Sport Touring Hybrid. Heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a passenger seatback pocket and illuminated vanity mirrors were previously limited to the hybrid trims. Power comes from the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder and CVT as the other gas models, rated at 31 mpg city, 39 highway and 34 combined in the sedan.

That makes the Sport-L a straightforward choice for buyers who drive mostly on the highway or who don't want to pay the $1,200 gap to the Sport Hybrid. The hybrid still wins on fuel economy by a wide margin, at 49 mpg combined in sedan form, and Honda says hybrids account for more than 30% of Civic sales this year.

"With the new Civic Sport-L, we're making some of Civic's most desirable premium features more accessible, giving buyers another smart reason to choose Civic," said Luis Guerra, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales at American Honda.

A Prelude trick for the top hybrid

The other change for 2027 is on the Civic Sport Touring Hybrid, which gets Honda S+ Shift, the drive mode first used on the 2026 Prelude. It simulates a stepped performance transmission, with virtual rev-matched downshifts, gear holding and enhanced engine sound through the speakers. Every 2027 Civic keeps the Honda Sensing suite as standard, including Collision Mitigation Braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist.

Honda leans hard on value in its pitch. It says the Civic's average transaction price this year, hybrids included, is below the industry's average price for a used vehicle, and that the car is the most popular vehicle in America with Gen Z and first-time buyers. Honda says it has sold more than 13 million Civics and that the car has been America's best-selling compact since 1973.

What changes next for Civic production

The current 11th-generation Civic is approaching the end of its run. Automotive News reported this week, in a story summarized by Car and Driver, that Honda is pushing the start of production of the next CR-V to April 2027 and has dropped plans to build the next-generation Civic at its Greensburg, Indiana, plant. According to that report, Civic hatchbacks would come from Japan once the new generation arrives, while sedans would still be built in Canada. Honda's Oct. 8 announcement does not address those plans.

For shoppers, the near-term picture is simple: the 2027 Civic is on sale now with prices up modestly, and the Sport-L gives gas-only buyers a well-equipped option for under $30,000 including destination.