Honda CR-V review

The Power of Dreams. As slogans go, surely Honda's counts as one of the best. We love to dream, after all, and when it comes to the Japanese manufacturer, that could mean a superbike, a private jet, a speedboat engine – or this Honda CR-V.

The previous-generation CR-V saw Honda ditch traditional engines for a regular hybrid set-up (the e:HEV). Now this latest version is available as an e:HEV or a petrol plug-in hybrid (the e:PHEV).

It’s the first – and, so far, only – plug-in hybrid Honda has built for the UK market, and while it looks like it's hit the ground running, there are lots of rival PHEV family SUVs to consider. They include versions of the Kia Sorento, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Lexus NX.

Honda CR-V video review

The regular hybrid has its work cut out too because it's up against the likes of the Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan. Read on to find out how we rate the latest Honda CR-V against the best family SUVs...

Both versions of the Honda CR-V have a 181bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. The regular hybrid (e:HEV) has four-wheel drive while the plug-in hybrid (e:PHEV) has front-wheel drive and gets a much bigger (17.7kWh) battery, allowing it to go further on electricity alone.

When we tested the CR-V e:HEV, it accelerated from 0-60mph in a respectable 8.4 seconds, which is not as quick as some family SUVs but is still respectable and it never felt slow to get up to speed. The e:PHEV is slightly quicker, but is not as punchy as the Lexus NX 450h (which managed 0-60mph in just 5.8 seconds when we tested it).

On our real-world test route, the e:PHEV covered 37.6 miles before the engine chimed in – short of its 51-mile official range but further than the 36.8 miles we saw from an NX 450h on the same day. The e:PHEV has a towing mode that allows it to use the engine and motor together and pull up to 1500kg – the same as the NX and Kia Sorento.

The CR-V e:HEV has a slightly firmer ride than the e:PHEV, which comes with adaptive dampers that make the ride more supple, so the plug-in hybrid is the version to go for if you want maximum comfort.

Both versions are more forgiving on scruffy roads and less punishing over potholes than the Mazda CX-60 but the e:HEV struggles to settle down as well as a Volvo XC60.

Even so, the set-up in either version manages to find a good balance between comfort and control. True, it doesn't quite match the pillowy comfort offered by a Citroën C5 Aircross but, as an upside, the CR-V feels better tied down over undulations and less likely to trouble passengers prone to travel sickness.

Big family SUVs like the CR-V are not usually associated with nimble handling, but there are some tidy offerings around – most notably the BMW X3 and Mazda CX-5. The Peugeot 5008 and VW Tiguan are pretty sharp too.

The CR-V is competent on a twisty road, but we'd stop short of calling it fun to drive, and we wish the tyres had more grip. It feels more agile than a CX-60 or XC60, with body lean kept under tight control in corners. The steering is precise, responsive and relatively heavy, which is reassuring at higher speeds but not ideal for town driving.

Even if you set the CR-V e:PHEV’s adaptive suspension to Sport mode, it doesn’t quite match the X3 or CX-5 for driver engagement.

The CR-V e:HEV’s engine is quite vocal when you're pressing on, as it works hard to generate electricity to charge the battery while the motor drives the wheels.

Thanks to its larger battery, the e:PHEV can eliminate engine noise altogether by driving on electricity alone for long periods. The switch to engine-only running is smooth – unlike in the Lexus NX, which sends a small vibration through the steering wheel and seat.

The CR-V does generate quite a lot of wind and road noise at motorway speeds though – more than you'll experience in the Kia Sorento and most premium brand rivals. On longer journeys that could become a little tiring.

“The CR-V isn't in the same league as an equivalent Land Rover Discovery Sport or Lexus NX for 0-60mph times. However, I found it reacts quickly because the electric motor drives the wheels most of the time, giving it a similar feeling to an electric car.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

If you want something that feels like a proper high-up family SUV to sit in, the Honda CR-V will be right up your street because of its lofty seating position. You get eight-way electrically adjustable seats as standard, with a memory function if you go for Advance trim or higher, making it really easy to get comfortable behind the wheel.

Every CR-V comes with a crisp 10.2in digital driver’s display, which is easy to read at a glance and gives you a couple of configurable menus. As a whole, it’s a good display but it's not as versatile as the brilliant one in the VW Tiguan.

One thing we really like is the fact that you get lots of buttons and dials to quickly access parts of the infotainment system or adjust the air-con. They're much less distracting to use when you're driving than the touch-sensitive buttons in a Tiguan or Volvo XC60.

Thanks to the CR-V’s tall side and rear windows, visibility is excellent. And despite the rear pillars being rather wide, the large side windows help with the view over your shoulder.

Parking should be pretty easy thanks to every CR-V getting front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Top-spec Advance trim swaps the camera for a 360-degree one and gets Honda Parking Pilot, which will park the car for you in certain circumstances.

Bright LED headlights with automatic high-beam come as standard so you’ll always be able to see plenty at night. Advance trim upgrades the lights to units with adaptive high beam, allowing you to keep full beam on without dazzling other drivers.

The 9in infotainment touchscreen in the CR-V is conveniently positioned high on the dashboard, and has physical shortcut buttons and a knob for the stereo volume, for easy on-the-go control.

The screen responds quickly enough when you prod it and the lay-out is easy to get to grips with. However, the screen falls short of some rival systems in terms of resolution and its user interface looks a bit outdated.

The 12-speaker Bose sound system offers a sharper sound quality than the 10-speaker set-up in the Lexus NX but has to work harder to overcome road noise.

Build quality in the CR-V is pretty good, with everything feeling solidly built. There are soft-touch plastics and leather-effect materials on higher-up areas, something that looks like stitched leather on the doors plus gloss-black panels and silvery highlights.

It is, though predominantly dark inside, and it doesn’t take much searching to find scratchy plastics. When you consider the price tag, that’s disappointing. The premium rivals are better for perceived quality, as are the Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-5.

“I found parking the CR-V surprisingly easy for such a big SUV. You sit up high and the windows are huge, so you get great all-round visibility. You also get rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard.” – George Hill, Staff Writer

We have few complaints about front space in the Honda CR-V. If you extend the front seats all the way back, you'll have plenty of leg room unless you're exceptionally tall, and there's loads of head room. Even with the standard-fit panoramic glass roof fitted, you'll have space above you.

The interior is suitably wide, with a decent-sized armrest between the driver and passenger that lifts to reveal a cubby with a sliding tray. There are two cupholders and a wireless phone-charging pad with a built-in fan to cool your device. On the downside, the door bins are quite narrow and the glovebox isn’t huge.

On paper, the CR-V looks massive, thanks to acres of leg room and a flat floor that doesn’t rob foot space from a middle-seat occupant. However, when you're sitting in the back it’s impossible to ignore the ridge running across the roof in front of you.

That ridge is where the roller blind for the panoramic roof lives, and it makes the rear seats of the CR-V feel rather claustrophobic – even if you’re an averagely tall adult. The raised middle seat robs you of more head room if you're in the centre of the back seats.

The wide door openings will ensure that putting a child in a car seat is a breeze. Just keep in mind that you can only have the CR-V with five seats. If you need more, see our best seven-seaters page.

Regardless of the trim you go for, your front-seat passenger will get electric-seat adjustment but without seat-height adjustment or adjustable lumbar support. Seat heating is standard in the front, while Advance trim adds heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats.

The rear seats split 60/40, rather than the more useful 40/20/40 arrangement you get in the Mazda CX-60 and Peugeot 5008. Still, they can be slid back and forth so you can prioritise rear leg room or boot space.

What’s more, rear head room can be increased thanks to the rear seats reclining in eight different settings. Yes, eight. That means head room can vary from "good" when the seat is upright to "great" if you recline the seat.

If you want the CR-V with maximum boot space, you'll want the e:PHEV – which has 635 litres – rather than the e:HEV, with 579. Either is pretty generous though: we managed to fit in eight carry-on suitcases in both versions, with space left over for a couple of soft duffle bags. For comparison, a Lexus NX took seven cases.

Only the PHEV comes with a height-adjustable boot floor. It's a shame, though, that it doesn’t run the length of the boot in its lowest setting. Instead, it stops short of the rear seat backs giving the CR-V an uneven boot floor.

You shouldn’t have any issues loading bulky items into a CR-V because there’s no load lip to speak of. Unlike in the Mazda CX-60, the CR-V doesn’t have levers in the boot to remotely fold down the rear seats.

“The CR-V has a huge amount of leg and elbow room – more than a Land Rover Discovery Sport in fact, which I think is impressive.” – Oliver Young, Car Reviewer

No matter how you slice it, the Honda CR-V looks pretty expensive – especially the e:PHEV, which costs more than the Citroën C5 Aircross, Kia Sportage and VW Tiguan – although at least the CR-V comes with loads more equipment than those rivals. It's worth keeping an eye out for discounts on our New Car Deals pages.

Reasonable efficiency helps to offset the price tag, with the e:HEV managing a real-world fuel economy figure of 38mpg on our test route. That's much more than a petrol Volvo XC60 B5 (29.6mpg) averaged on the same day. Company car users will pay less BIK tax for the PHEV than the HEV version, but an electric SUV will be even cheaper, tax wise.

The CR-V e:PHEV has a maximum charging rate of 6.8kW, so plugging it into a 7kW home EV charger will get you from 0-100% charge in about two and a half hours. That’s an hour or so quicker than a Kia Sorento PHEV will take with its 3.3kW maximum speed, but longer than it will take for a Land Rover Discovery Sport PHEV (32kW).

The CR-V range starts with Elegance trim. It comes loaded with standard equipment, including 18in alloy wheels, wireless phone-charging, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, electrically folding and heated wing mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and lots of other equipment.

Next in line is the Advance trim, which builds on the standard kit list by adding heated rear seats, electric memory seats, adaptive high-beam headlights and an upgraded sound system. It also adds a head-up display.

Advance Tech sits at the top of the range and is only available with the e:PHEV version. It gets all the bells and whistles, and has different exterior styling, bespoke details around the interior and other extras.

The Honda CR-V did not feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Honda as a brand placed fourth out of 31 manufacturers, behind only Mini, Lexus and Suzuki.

Honda’s default warranty is three years, 90,000 miles, with breakdown assistance including. That’s par for the course in the family SUV class and can’t match the five-year, unlimited mileage warranty you get from Hyundai or the seven years Kia gives you.

The experts at Euro NCAP awarded the CR-V the full five stars when they tested it in 2024. Looking deeper into the results, it scored well for protecting adults in the front and children in the back seats.

Every CR-V comes with plenty of standard safety kit, including 11 airbags and Honda’s latest Honda Sensing 360 system, which keeps an eye on all areas of the car and includes blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic monitoring front and rear.

Automatic emergency braking (AEB) is standard, along with lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keeping assistance and a driver attention monitor.

“With the battery completely flat, I achieved an average of 46.1mpg in a CR-V plug-in hybrid on our real-world test route, which is better than Land Rover Discovery Sport and Lexus NX PHEVs in the same conditions.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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