The 2009 Honda Civic is offered both in sedan and coupe body styles. Both sedan and coupe come in DX, LX, EX, EX-L and Si trim levels, and in addition, the sedan is also available in DX-VP (value package) and LX-S, Hybrid and natural-gas-powered GX trim. All new Honda Civic models employ four-cylinder engines and front-wheel drive. The regular Civic- DX, LX, EX, EX-L, DX-VP and LX-S models use a 1.8-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine, that produces 140-horsepower at 6300 rpm and 128 Ib.ft of torque at 4300 rpm. The EPA fuel economy estimates for the engine are 25 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per gallon on the highway with the optional 5-speed automatic transmission.

The Civic Si models use a 2.0-liter engine, that achieves 197 horsepower at 7800 rpm and 139 lb.ft. of torque at 6100 rpm with an 8000 rpm redline. These models are only offered in 6-speed manual transmission. The EPA fuel economy estimates are 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Civic Hybrid uses Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. It produces 110 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 123 lb.ft. of torque between 1000 rpm and 2500 rpm while combines with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor. The gasoline engine itself produces 93 horsepower and 89 lb.ft. of torque. The Hybrid model also uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and its fuel economy estimates are 40 miles per gallon in the city and 45 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Civic GX sedan is powered by a compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled version of the 1.8-liter engine, that produces 113 horsepower at 6300 rpm and 109 lb.ft. of torque at 4300 rpm through a 5-speed automatic transmission. Its fuel economy estimates measured in Gasoline Gallon Equivalent are 24 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per gallon on the highway.