Should You Buy a Natural Gas Civic?

by chadosko   – Tuesday, October 11, 2011

​It's appropriate that we get this blog rolling by featuring the coolest NGV out there - and what I mean by "the coolest NGV out there" is the only NGV out there (at least in America). It's cool nonetheless. Unfortunately, we live in a country that currently only offers one passenger NGV, the Honda Civic Natural Gas (previously the GX). Everything else (including my bi-fuel Chevy Tahoe) had to be converted. According to T. Boone Pickens, if you lived in France, you'd have over 40 NGVs to choose from. The French get 40 and we only have one? That doesn't make sense - especially since America is located on top of decades worth of natural gas.

The big news though is that this year the Honda Civic Natural Gas will be available in all 50 states. In over 30 of those, you'll even see it at car lots. I wouldn't count on those sitting unsold for long though. After all, it was again named the greenest vehicle in America and you can fill it up for about half the price of Gasoline ($1.39 here in Oklahoma City, for example).

So now to the big question, should you buy one? In a word, yes. However, there are a couple considerations.

The Civic Natural Gas is a dedicated vehicle that only runs on CNG. The first thing you need to do is check to see if there is a filling station around you. Although new stations are popping up weekly, they're not everywhere yet. Check out our station finder.

The second thing you'll want to do is decide if it makes financial sense for you. The cost of a natural gas Civic is slightly more than its gasoline-powered counterpart (but still significantly less than cars like the Nissan LEAF). However, CNG is much cheaper than gasoline. The bottom line is that over time, you will save money. Is it worth the upfront investment? You'll have to decide for yourself, but if gasoline prices skyrocket again, I bet you'll think so.

In the end, the Civic Natural Gas is a great car and a really good choice for a lot of people. If it's not right for you, keep your head up. It won't be the only manufactured passenger NGV in America for long. In fact, GM recently announced that a bi-fuel truck is on its way.

If you have a natural gas Civic or are thinking about buying one, I want to hear form you - in the comments section!

Please login or create an account to add comments.

Comments

Avatar
JHCarney2
I can't wait to see more cars in America, coming from the manufacturer, running on CNG.
Avatar
chadosko
That makes two of us!
Avatar
SeanPeck
I for one am interested in the Civic. However, I sure wish there was something a bit larger available along the lines of an Accord or even a smallish SUV. I think more variety in the non-truck lines would certainly help spur consumer adoption.
Avatar
nosliwes
I need to get a lime green CNG VW Bug for my daughter.  Any ideas where to start?
Avatar
RoyWalker
Honda voids the warrenty for the civic natural gas vehicle if you do home fueling...that's really good news..like why not shoot yourself in the foot.  This policy Honda needs to explained in detail.  Who at Honda knows anything about this?  Honda needs an accessible knowledgebase on home refueling to explain this problem.
Avatar
Aaron.Ross
Just got a 2012 Civic GX with nav and I love it. It's a smooth, comfortable ride and the nav system is excellent. It is the perfect commuter car for me as I live in CA, have a long daily commute and will have access to the HOV lane. There's also a CNG station right near my work, so I can refuel twice a week during my lunch break. So far this car has been an excellent choice.
Avatar
Bandit
How can we convince the US car makers to letting us have CNG cars here in the states. I think I read somewhere that US car makers do offer CNG and Propane cars in other countries.
Avatar
Bandit
I would surely buy a CNG car if I could get the fuel.  Moving to Southport NC and the closest station is in Raleigh.  Any one know of any activity to install fueling stations around the Southport/Wilmington NC area.
Avatar
AceAngel57
I purchased my 2012 Civic Natural Gas almost a month ago and very pleased with my purchase so far. It's amazing how many people ask me about it on the road.

I commute minimum 50 miles a day and having my little Civic has been a dream (especially once I receive my HOV tags!!).

It was difficult to find one without a $2,000 - $5,000 mark up though.
Avatar
cjkpilot
 I believe that buying my honda civic GX was one of the best financial decisions I've made recently. I drive 500 to 600 miles a week and wanted a used one. I couldn't find one anywhere in california. I bought mine out of state on craigslist and had it shipped here.
Avatar
AdellaFey
Hey there! Quick question that's entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I'm trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this problem. If you have any http://moriyamaproductions.com/ suggestions, please share. Appreciate it!
Avatar
LavonnaKitz
It’s http://wekellergroup.com/ actually a cool and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.