Tuesday 24th February 2026: Fresh of its Wheels Car of the Year award, Honda Civic has now taken out Drive Car of the Year’s Best Urban Car under $60k category, with the Civic e:HEV LX winning for the second year running.
Drive Car of the Year Awards is one of Australia’s most eagerly awaited annual showcases of automotive excellence, celebrating the standout new vehicles on the market.
“Winning a Drive Car of the Year award for the second consecutive year is an honour, and it reinforces just how exceptional the Civic and our Honda hybrid is” said Director of Automotive, Robert Thorp.
“To be acknowledged again by such a respected media outlet confirms that we’re delivering a car that genuinely resonates with Australian drivers, and leads the market in innovation, quality, and everyday usability.”
James Ward, Drive Director of Content & 2026 Drive Car of the Year Judge highlighted the Civic e:HEV LX as “Classy and sporty with a premium edge. Prestige motoring with effortless efficiency. Simply a joy to drive.”
Featuring Honda’s revered e:HEV hybrid powertrain technology mated to an intelligent e-CVT, Civic delivers an exhilarating 315Nm of torque while seamlessly switching between multiple drive modes to optimise performance and efficiency.
The Civic award adds to Honda’s recent success in the Drive Car of the Year categories, with the Civic e:HEV L winning Best Urban Car Under $50k last year in 2025, the CR-V VTi L winning best medium SUV under $50k in 2023, and the Civic Type R winning best performance car under $60k in 2017.
“Honda’s market-leading e:HEV hybrid has proved popular since its introduction and this year will be rolled out across additional grades in the Honda ZR-V and CR-V ranges, giving more Australian drivers the opportunity to experience the engaging performance and efficiency enjoyed by the Drive judges” said Mr Thorp.
“Another important Honda to launch with e:HEV in 2026 will be the all-new Prelude which we look forward to unveiling locally at the Melbourne Motor Show this April”.
