The fifth-generation Honda Civic is an automobile produced by Honda from 1991 until 1995. It debuted in Japan on September 9, 1991. At its introduction, it won the Car of the Year Japan award for the second time. Fifth-generation Civics were larger than their predecessors, had more aerodynamic bodies, and the wheelbase was increased to 257 cm (101.3 inches)—for the three-door hatchback—and to 262 cm (103.2 inches)—for the four-door sedan. The Civic Shuttle station wagon was not part of the fifth generation and was dropped for overseas markets, while the previous-generation wagon continued in Japan and Europe.

This generation of Civic used lightweight materials to create a fuel-efficient economy car. Compared to the previous generation, the cowl was raised, which allowed for more suspension travel. Along with that change, the ride became softer than that of the previous generation, which provided a more compliant ride at expense of crisper handling.

In addition, vehicles with the larger 1.6 L SOHC VTEC 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) engines such as the Si hatchback and EX coupe models found in the United States, provoked popularity of the (relatively) high-performance 1.6 L inline-four segment. In South Africa, a unique model with the B18B3 engine from the Acura Integra RS was specially built to fill the gap left by the absence of the 1.6-liter DOHC VTEC B16A engine in the range.

In Japan, the model trims included the ML with a D15B single carb (hatchback EG3, sedan EG7), MX with a D15B dual carb, ETi with a fuel-injected D15B VTEC-E, VTi with a fuel-injected D15B VTEC (130 PS SOHC VTEC) (hatchback EG4s, sedan EG8s), RTi with a ZC SOHC dual carb, RTSi with a fuel-injected ZC DOHC (sedan EH1s with 4WD), Coupe (coupe EJ1) and EXi (AT-only sedan EJ3) with a fuel-injected D16B VTEC, and SiR with a fuel-injected B16A DOHC VTEC (170 PS) (hatchback EG6, sedan EG9). The D16B VTEC in the Coupe and EXi had the same power rating as the D15B VTEC in the VTi (128hp-130ps), but the torque is a bit higher. The D15B shared the same head as the D16Z6 found in other markets but featured a unique block, crank, and rods. The engine shared the 1.5 L displacement of the other D15 blocks, but the rods were the same length as the D16's (137mm) and had a better rod to stroke ratio (1.63) than the normal D15's ratio of 1.59. Despite this, the crank and bearing sizes were not the same. The sedan/saloon in Japan was called the Civic "Ferio".

In the Middle East, the EX had the D16Z9 (sedan EH5) and the VTi (hatchback & coupé, EJ2) had the B16A2/3 engine.

In Indonesia, the fifth-generation Civic had two body styles, sedan (nicknamed "Genio") and 3-door hatchback ("Estilo"). Both had the same D16 SOHC 4-cylinder engine that produced 120-130 HP and were available with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.

In the Philippines, the fifth-generation Civic was launched in 1992 with 2 body types: a 3-door hatchback and a 4-door sedan. The hatchback was powered by a 1.2-liter carbureted engine (PH12)[citation needed] while the sedan was offered in three trims: the base model DX, the mid model LX and the top-of-the-line ESi, introduced in 1993. Both DX and LX were carbureted while the ESi came with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). The DX was powered by a 1.2-liter SOHC engine just like the hatchback, the LX with a 1.5-liter SOHC engine (PH15)[citation needed] and power steering, and the ESi with a 1.6-liter EFI SOHC engine (PH16) and all power amenities. None of the engines were equipped with VTEC.

In Pakistan, the fifth-generation Civic was launched and manufactured beginning in May 1994 and was only produced as a sedan. It was equipped with a 1.5-liter 16-valve carbureted engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. The fifth-generation Civic was the first to be manufactured in Pakistan and was produced until December 1995. The total number of fifth-generation Civics manufactured in Pakistan was 6,480. The first example to come off the production line is on display at the Honda Heritage Center in Lahore.[