Honda has put out its second update to the fifth-gen Honda City, which first came to India in 2020. Four variants, four price points — SV, V, ZX, and ZX+ — starting at Rs 12 lakh and going up to Rs 21 lakh (ex-showroom) for the hybrid. The facelift gets a new face, a bigger touchscreen, ventilated front seats, and a 360-degree camera. But here is the catch: most of what Honda is advertising as new does not reach the bottom two variants. If you are shopping for a City right now, the variant decision matters more than it looks.
SV and V: One You May Skip, One You Probably Shouldn't
The SV at Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom) is petrol-manual only. You get LED headlamps, an 8-inch touchscreen with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, auto climate control, a rear camera with sensors, six airbags and a basic
analogue cluster with a 4.2-inch colour display in the middle. No alloys, no ADAS, no connected car tech. It does the job, but the facelift's actual additions largely pass it by.
Move to the V — Rs 13.30 lakh for the manual, Rs 14.30 lakh (ex-showroom) for the CVT — and things shift meaningfully. Level 2 ADAS comes in here, which is the Honda Sensing suite. So does wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connected car technology, keyless entry, and 15-inch grey alloy wheels. The CVT option also opens up only from this variant. For most buyers, the SV is hard to justify when the V gets you ADAS at Rs 1.30 lakh more.
Also Read: Honda City Facelift 2026 vs Hyundai Verna Comparison - Which Sedan Wins?
ZX and ZX+: Where the Facelift's New Additions Actually Show Up
The ZX starts at Rs 15.26 lakh (ex-showroom) and this is where the headline features from this update land. The 10.1-inch touchscreen is here. So is the digital instrument cluster, sunroof, wireless charging, 8-speaker audio, and — importantly — the 360-degree camera, which is one of the genuinely new additions in this facelift.
The ZX+ runs from Rs 16.15 lakh for the petrol manual up to Rs 21 lakh for the strong hybrid. Prices are ex-showroom. Over the ZX, you are adding ventilated front seats, a rear sunshade, ambient lighting, lounge-style rear seat design, and an electric parking brake. The Rs 89,000 difference between ZX and ZX+ petrol CVT buys you comfort upgrades, not safety or technology ones — worth knowing before you decide.
The Honda City hybrid sits at the top at Rs 21 lakh and is only available in ZX+ trim. It uses a dual-motor setup with the 1.5-litre petrol engine, producing 126hp and 253Nm through an e-CVT. Honda claims 27.26 kmpl, and has added a 5-year warranty specifically on hybrid components this time around. The petrol variants — manual or CVT — return between 17.77 and 17.97 kmpl per ARAI.
If the hybrid's Rs 21 lakh price tag is within reach, the 5-year component warranty makes it a less uncertain buy than it was before. If not, the ZX petrol CVT at Rs 16.26 lakh gets you everything new this facelift brings except the ventilated seats and rear sunshade.
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