Tax Friendly Civic Gets A Powershift Boost

Honda’s all new Civic IMA goes on sale on 5 May, with first year customers entitled to a £1000 grant courtesy of the government’s Powershift programme. Powershift is a government funded body tasked with promoting clean-air vehicles and fuels and encouraging their use.

The grant, subject to conditions, will be payable directly at the time of purchase, allowing a single no-inconvenience transaction for the customer. With the grant, the effective on the road list price of the Civic IMA falls to just £14,000, co-incidentally the same price as a 1.6 litre Civic 5dr with the same SE Executive trim level.

Customers therefore are presented with a straight choice between 1.3 litre IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and 1.6i VTEC powered Civics with similar trim and equipment and no price differential. The former offers exceptional fuel economy, low CO2 emissions and tax friendliness, the latter offers more sprightly performance with the added versatility of a hatchback body.

Like the Honda Insight which uses similar "IMA Inside" technology, the Civic 4 door SE Executive uses a small petrol engine coupled with a thin and lightweight electric motor. The electric motor positioned between the engine and transmission assists the engine when accelerating and recaptures energy when braking or decelerating (regenerative braking), allowing it to operate independently without the need for an outside power source.