Its not like the Prius, as far as running on only electric. The gas engine always runs...but very quietly. It "starts" very quietly and quickly. There is no time the Civic is only electric, but there are many times when the valves are closed down and there is no gas intake and basically the gas engine is just moving...but not consuming any gas. At times it will use the electric motor to propel the car for short distances while the gas engine is "closed down", but never off. The battery as well as the electric motor is much smaller in the Civic than in the Prius.

What is interesting with the Civic is that the gas engine does this "close down" even at higher speeds, all depending on a number of variables, like steady speeds, slight downhill grades, wind resistance, etc. But only for short times (less than a minute at best, that I have seen)

Of course, like the Prius, it shuts down the engine at stops. Actually it shuts down the engine as you go down from 8 mph, so you can actually coast to a stop with the engine completely off. Sometimes it will shut down after a stop, if your speed was not over 8 mph since the last shut down. It sort of thinks about it for a few seconds. Like anything else, there are a number of varibles involved.

The bottom line, no, its not like a Prius which will run on electric only for a time at low speeds. In some ways the Civic is better, some ways the Prius is better. As posted before, each has thier own way of giving great mileage, and you will be happy with either. Actual mileage (real mileage) is almost the same for both cars.

Regards,

Bob