The third-generation Honda Civic is an automobile which was produced by Honda from 1983 until 1987. It was introduced in September 1983 for the 1984 model year. The Civic's wheelbase was increased by 2–5 inches (5.1–12.7 cm) to 93.7 inches (238 cm) for the hatchback or 96.5 inches (245 cm) for the sedan. A three-door hatchback/kammback, four-door sedan (also known as the Honda Ballade), the five-door "Shuttle" station wagon, and sporting CR-X coupé shared common underpinnings. This included MacPherson strut suspension with torsion bars in the front and a rear beam with coil springs. However, the body panels were largely different between models. The Civic-based Honda Quint five-door hatchback also underwent a model change, and became the Honda Quint Integra, available as both a three- and five-door fastback. The Quint Integra (soon just "Integra") was sold at the Japanese Honda Verno dealership along with the CR-X. The Civic in Japan was now exclusive to Honda Primo, along with Honda's kei cars as well as superminis like the Honda City.

At its introduction in 1983, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award.

The sedan and hatchback shared the same dashboard, but the CRX and wagons both had their own unique dash (CRX having a covered cubby in the middle of the dash, the wagon having a pop up set of vents which could be used or retracted into the dash). The hatchback adopted a flatter roof over the rear seats, drawing influences from a bodystyle known in Europe as a shooting-brake, that seemed to blur the definition between traditionally defined hatchbacks and the shooting brake. The flat roof, three-door hatchback appearance was also used on the supermini Honda City, and the Honda Today, the car that returned Honda to kei car production. This appearance was also used on the Honda Accord Aerodeck. The Honda CR-X was the only three-door hatchback that adopted a fastback, sloping rear hatch, demonstrating a performance car appearance identified with Honda Verno products during the mid-1980s. In Europe, a British-built version of the sedan model was also sold, as the Rover 213/216, while in Japan it was marketed in parallel (through "Verno" dealers) as the Honda Ballade. Both the Sedan and Hatchback models were also sold in Indonesia under the name Civic "Wonder".

A new 12-valve (three valves per cylinder) 76 hp, 1,500 cc inline-four engine was introduced. The base hatchback and CRX 1.3 used the 1,300 cc 8-valve engine giving 60 hp (45 kW). The DX and 1500 S model hatchbacks shared the new 1,500 cc engine with the sedan, wagon, and CRX 1.5. The 1500S model achieved over 50 mpg_‑US (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg_‑imp) highway.

European cars received a short-stroke 1,200 cc engine at the bottom of the ladder, with 55 PS (40 kW) at 6,000 rpm. A version of this with 62 PS (46 kW) was also available; it needs fuel with a higher octane rating. The little 1.2 was usually only available with hatchback bodywork, although some markets received a four-door version. The 71 PS (52 kW) 1300 was also available with sedan bodywork and in a range of equipment levels. The Shuttle was only available with the 85 PS (63 kW) "1500", which also appeared in the 'S' hatchback, while the CR-X received a fuel injected version of this engine producing 100 PS (74 kW). All of these engines have three valves per cylinder. The three-box sedan was not intended for sale in the European common market, initially only being available in EFTA markets such as Sweden and Switzerland.

In 1986, the Civic got flush-mounted headlights, revised tail lights, new wheel cover designs and other minor cosmetic updates. The optional three-speed automatic transmission also gained O/D (overdrive) making it a four-speed automatic.

Honda first adopted the Si badge for the Japanese domestic market (JDM) third-generation Civic in November 1984. Mainly offered in hatchback form, the main aesthetic difference for the Si was a slight bulge in the hood, which accommodated the taller DOHC engine. A four-door sedan variant also existed in Japan, but was only produced in small numbers and is rare. Designated as ZC1 in Japan and D16A1 in Europe, the new engine put out 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp), enabling the car to reach a top speed of 122 mph (196 km/h) and go from 0 to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds. This was fairly powerful at the time, on par with its hot hatch competitors.

In Europe and in the United States, a somewhat sporting Civic "S" trim was introduced to the hatchback in the 1983 model year. The European version receives a carburetted version of the 12-valve 1.5-liter engine, producing 85 PS (63 kW). In the US, the Civic S featured sports seats and reclining rear seats. Although the S retained the rear beam with coil springs for the suspension, a rear stabilizer bar was added to improve handling. Unlike the JDM Civic Si, the S trim used the same carbureted 1.5 L EW1 engine as the base and the DX trims. 1985 finally saw the US release of the Si trim with the Civic CRX Si, which featured a fuel-injected, 1.5 -liter SOHC EW3 4-cylinder engine making 91 hp (68 kW).