Honda Civic 1.0 VTEC SR

Mileage 5299 List price £20,340 Target Price £19,012 Price as tested £20,340 Test economy 38.6mpg

- Mark Pearson

PEOPLE WILL OFTEN pay a premium to try to stand out from the crowd, and evidence of such vanity can be seen in everything from watches to clothing and, of course, cars. The trouble is, standing out in the car world usually costs a small fortune, but I think I’ve found a simple solution, in the shape of the Honda Civic.

You see, after six months of enjoyable and thoroughly reliable motoring in Honda’s family hatchback, I’ve lost count of the number of times a whole variety of people, whether clued up on cars or not, have praised it for its styling. Frequently, they’d think my mid-level, £20,000 SR model was the sporty version, an impression exaggerated by its flashy red paintwork and black alloy wheels.