Honda Civic Starter Replacement Cost

You turn the key or press the start button on your Civic and hear one click, a whine or nothing at all, while the lights and radio still work. That usually points to the starter, the small motor that turns the engine over.

So how much does it cost to replace the starter on a Honda Civic? With Honda’s own parts and Honda’s job time at $132 an hour, a 2012 to 2015 Civic comes to $481.42 with a Honda remanufactured starter and $679.29 with a new one.

Roda, a repair service near Washington, D.C., charges $450 to $1,000 to replace a starter, and owners paid $140 to $600 for their Civics.

In this guide I will show you Honda’s starter price for each Civic generation since 2006, what owners paid and the Honda bulletins that look like a bad starter but are something else. That last part can save you a starter you do not need.

What Honda’s Own Parts and Time Come To

Honda pays its dealers 0.9 hour to replace the starter on a 2012 Civic, in its service bulletin 14-003. The 2013 to 2015 Civic takes the same starter, so I used the same sums for it:

So the job comes to $560.49 + $118.80 = $679.29 with a new starter, or $362.62 + $118.80 = $481.42 with Honda’s remanufactured one. You get the $75 core deposit back when the old starter is returned.

The part prices come from a Honda parts website on October 15, 2026, and the $132 is Tekmetric’s US average shop rate from June 2026. The list price of the new 2012 to 2015 starter is $819.43.

Honda’s Starter for Each Civic

Honda uses a different starter for each generation, engine and gearbox. Here is the price of each one at the same Honda parts website, with the Honda remanufactured price where Honda sells one:

Honda’s remanufactured starters carry a $75 core deposit. On the 2006 to 2011 automatic, Honda’s remanufactured starter is $372.96, which is more than a new one, so the new one is the better buy there.

Add your shop’s labor to these prices. Honda’s own time is 0.9 hour on the 2012 Civic, and Luxury Auto Works in Austin writes that simple starter layouts take 1 to 2 hours.

What Owners Paid

Here is what Civic owners wrote they paid or were quoted on CarComplaints.com and the 8th generation Civic forum, with a link to each post:

• The starter on a 2008 Civic LX was replaced for $140, in an update posted in November 2016.
• A repair shop where the owner knew someone replaced the starter on a 2007 Civic LX and changed the oil for $200, posted in July 2018.
• The owner of a 2009 Civic LX automatic paid $250 to have a $230 Honda starter from eBay fitted, plus $85 for the tow, posted in August 2024. The Honda dealer had quoted about $800 with the part.
• A 2006 Civic EX owner paid $300 for a starter and a serpentine belt and $90 for the mechanic’s labor, posted in August 2012.
• A 2007 Civic needed a tow and a new starter, which the owner wrote would cost $450, posted in December 2014.
• A 2007 Civic EX with 59,500 miles needed a starter for over $450, posted in January 2015.
• A Honda dealer replaced the starter on a 2007 Civic for $600, posted in March 2016.

So owners paid $140 to $600 at shops and dealers, and a dealer quoted about $800. All of these are 2006 to 2011 Civics.

One more tip from the same forum: an owner who fitted a cheap starter had to do the job again 16 months later, then paid about $200 for a Denso or Mitsuba starter, the brands Honda uses.

When It Is Not the Starter

Honda has written several bulletins for Civics that will not start or make a starter-like noise where the starter is fine. Check these before you pay for a new one:

• 2016 and some 2017 Civics with the CVT: the car will not come out of park and will not crank, with several warning lights on and code U0038. Honda found a fault in the transmission control module and replaced it, a 0.4 hour job.
• 2014 and 2015 Civic Si and two door EX with a manual gearbox: a “CHECK SYSTEM” message and code P16F7. Honda found a clutch pedal held partly down can set it falsely, and the fix is a software update.
• 2020 to 2023 Civics that are hard to start or do not start, with the check engine light and code P0087 for low fuel pressure. Honda asked its dealers to let it inspect these cars before any repair.
• 2016 and 2017 Civics with the CVT that grind for about 2 seconds on a hot restart. Honda writes that some owners call it a starter noise, but it comes from a valve in the transmission.

On the 2012 Civic, bulletin 14-003 does point at the starter: it whines and does not crank because the starter gear does not reach the engine’s flywheel.

Honda tells dealers to read the two digit number on the starter label first. If it is 89, the bulletin does not apply.

Signs of a Bad Starter

Roda gives four signs: a click when you try to start, an engine that will not crank while the lights work, and starting that works only some of the time. The fourth is a car that will not start even though the battery tests good.

Have the battery and its cables tested first. The last sign on that list, a good battery and still no start, is how you know it is the starter.

One 8th generation Civic owner also ruled out the fuel pump relay before finding the starter was at fault.

Civic Starter Questions You Might Have

Where These Prices Come From

• Honda service bulletins 14-003 (February 2014), 17-012 (June 2017), 15-048 (August 2015) and A17-003 (2017), and Honda’s dealer message on code P0087 (January 2023), on NHTSA’s website.
• Part prices, checked October 15, 2026: HondaPartsNow 31200-R1A-A12, 31200-R1A-A12RM and the starter pages for the 2008, 2018 and 2024 Civic.
• Roda, Replace Starter, read October 15, 2026; Luxury Auto Works, Starter Replacement in Austin, TX, updated August 28, 2026; Tekmetric, Average Auto Repair Labor Rates by State, June 30, 2026; and the owner posts linked above, read October 15, 2026.

I hope this helps you get your Civic starting again without paying for parts it does not need. If you have any questions, you can email me at costcheckr@gmail.com.