What is the Ground Clearance of the 2022 Honda Civic?

Lisa Conant, Automotive Features Reviewer at CarParts.com

Reviewed by

Lisa Conant, Automotive Content Specialist

Automotive Features Reviewer at CarParts.com

Written by CarParts.com Research Team - Updated on September 15th, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Summary
  • Edmunds and Car and Driver claim that the 2022 Honda Civic has a ground clearance of 6.7 inches (roughly 17 centimeters). This is the distance between the road surface and the lowest point of a vehicle that isn’t meant to touch the ground.
  • While the 2022 Honda Civic has a high ground clearance for a compact sedan, it’s still too low to serve as an off-road vehicle.
  • Ground clearance is important to know so you can tell if your vehicle can safely drive over certain obstacles like speed bumps without putting its underside at risk. It also affects your car’s stability because vehicles with low ground clearance tend to handle better on the road.

Many sources differ on the ground clearance for Honda Civic units manufactured in 2022, but both Edmunds and Caranddriver.com give a matching figure of 6.7 inches (roughly 17 centimeters).

A ground clearance of 6.7 inches is considered tall for compact sedans like the Honda Civic. To give you a better idea of how high the Civic rides, let’s take a look at another sedan. The 2022 Subaru Impreza is one of the Civic’s primary competitors. It has a ground clearance of 5.1 inches (12.95 cm), so its lowest part sits 1.6 inches lower than that of the Civic.

Can You Go Off-Road With the Honda Civic?

While the 2022 Honda Civic has a high ground clearance for a compact sedan, it is still too low to serve as an off-road vehicle. Its suspension is not intended to handle bad roads, much less leave the road network entirely.

If you want to go off-roading, use a vehicle with at least 8.5 inches (21.59 cm) of ground clearance. Some compact SUVs have that amount of clearance, allowing them to truly go off-roading. Full-sized SUVs and trucks generally have even higher ground clearance.

According to Edmunds and Car and Driver, the 2022 Honda Civic’s ground clearance is 6.7 inches. Image source: Honda Auto News

What is Ground Clearance?

Ground clearance is the measurement of the distance between the road surface and the lowest point of a vehicle that isn’t intended to come into contact with the ground. In most cases, the axle serves as the reference point for the automobile’s lowest point.

Many car manufacturers park the vehicle in a flat location before measuring its ground clearance. They often choose the drive axle as their reference point for the measurement. A critical transmission component positioned underneath the vehicle, the drive axle must sit as high above the ground as possible to avoid hitting anything on the ground.

Why Is Honda Civic Ground Clearance Important?

Ground clearance is a vital thing that you should always keep in mind because it determines the height of the obstacles that your vehicle can safely drive over without putting its underside at risk. If you try to force your car over something like a speed bump that’s taller than the ground clearance, your ride’s underbelly might hit the top of the object and get damaged.

Ground clearance also affects your car’s stability. The smaller the clearance, the lower the vehicle’s center of gravity is. Vehicles with low ground clearance tend to have better handling on the road.

Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.