Honda Civic Type R (2017-2021) review

“Could you live with the looks?” We did, for six months, and adored the Type R even more by the end of them. It’s based on one of the most spacious and sensible hatchbacks of its day, too, so despite maniacal looks and a madly powerful engine, it still seats four easily and has a humongous boot.

Officially you're looking at 33-34mpg depending on spec, and in our time with the Type R we averaged over 30mpg without really trying – try doing that in an i30N or Focus ST.

Before the Type R went off sale there was more choice than ever in the range, with the spoiler-less Sport Line, track-honed Limited Edition and the GT that sits between them, which is pictured here in glorious Racing Blue.

Prices started at a lofty (ish) £33,000, but that’s what a VW Golf GTI cost those days. And there’s no options list to speak of on a Type R: just a hell of a lot of stuff as standard which only begins to disappear if you go for that welterweight special.

The two key options on the configurator were the kind of thing you might not expect on a front-driven hatchback: carbon styling backs for the exterior (£3,500) and interior (£1,800). For those of you – in single figures, we presume – for whom the Type R’s styling is a bit too restrained.

Obviously with the FK8 Type R no longer available to order, your only hope of getting hold of one is in the classifieds. And that might be tricky because it's a difficult car to find: clearly most owners don't want to let theirs go, which is why most of the Type Rs that are up for sale being of the previous FK2 generation (or older). Find a 2017 example with less than 30,000 miles on the odometer and you're looking at £23k, give or take. On the other hand some recent, low-mileage Type Rs are pushing £50k. Shop wisely...

All Type Rs cost £165 per year to tax, and those that crept beyond the £40k benchmark after options will incur a surcharge of £355 annually until the car is six years old. Services are recommended every 12,500 miles or 12 months, whatever comes first.