Final 2025 Honda Civic Type R Ultimate Edition arrives

The current 2025 Honda Civic Type R has been axed in the UK and Europe because it fails to meet strict European emissions regulations.

Ending 28 years of production, in Europe the end of the Civic Type R has been celebrated with a limited run of 40 Honda Civic Type R Ultimate Edition specials, which feature cosmetic updates that pay tribute to the hot hatch’s rich history.

Officially, Honda has not linked the Civic Type R’s departure to the EU’s Regulation 2 (GSR2), but the same legislation has seen the culling of both the Toyota GR86 and Alpine A110.

Another theory is that it’s been axed due to pressure on the Japanese car-maker to kill off one of Honda’s highest polluters from its lineup. The Civic Type R emits 189g/km of CO2, and with a lack of EVs in the range there’s little to offset the high number of sales it commands.

One allowance of the GSR2 regs is it permits non-compliant cars to remain on sale, if volumes remain below 1500 sales, until July 2026 – timing that corresponds with European availability for the Civic Type R.

Saying farewell to one of the hottest hatches yet, the final run of 40 cars all come painted in Championship White with red racing stripes on the bonnet and flanks that are said to reference the Type R’s traditional interior colour.

Inside, there’s extra carbon-fibre detailing around the centre console and on the door kickplates.

Under the bonnet, the special run of Civic Type Rs all come powered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that still produces 235kW and 420Nm and is combined with a six-speed manual transmission.

That means the last iteration of the Honda hot hatch still delivers a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 275km/h.

In Europe, Honda is yet to announce pricing for the final batch of the Civic Type R, but it’s likely to command a premium over the regular model. In Australia the current model sells for $74,100.

Since the Civic Type R is built and remains on sale in Japan it’s not known how the European cull might or might not affect sales Down Under, where demand has consistently outstripped supply.

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