Used Honda CR-Z 2010-2015 reliability
Category: Coupé
The Honda CR-Z is as a fun-to-drive hybrid, but it’s compromised as a practical runaround
What should I look for in a used Honda CR-Z coupe?
Honda fitted the CR-Z with rear parking sensors as standard on mid-spec Sport trim and above. Even so, check the rear bumper for any glancing blows. Also, make sure the parking sensors work when you engage reverse.
The interior is pretty tough in typical Honda fashion and the seat fabric is usually quite resistant to showing marks and stains, but it’s worth examining them thoroughly, as there were some light-colour trims on offer.
Alloy wheels can be kerbed quite easily. If your prospective purchase spends most of its time parallel parking in the city, examine those rims.
What are the most common problems with a used Honda CR-Z coupe?
The rear visibility of the CR-Z isn’t great, as the back window has two screens. The first part matches the curve of the roof to aid the car's aerodynamics and also help clear rain water at speed. The second is a strip of glass that stands almost upright with the rear of the car and will collect road grime. There is no rear wiper to help clear it.
Other complaints have been to do with wind and road noise. There isn’t much to be done on either front as the CR-Z had these characteristics when new. You could try fitting tyres that have a lower road noise rating to try to combat the tyre roar. You can find this information on the European Union tyre table that all new tyres are sold with. If you feel that wind noise is excessive, then we recommend an inspection from a Honda technician to determine if there is a problem.
Is a used Honda CR-Z coupe reliable?
Honda has been known to score well in reliability surveys and the CR-Z does nothing to change that. According to our own latest reliability survey, the CR-Z puts in a near-perfect score.
This shouldn’t be a surprise since the Honda brand as a whole comfortably finished within the top 10 out of 32 manufacturers surveyed. It does show that, despite the extra engineering involved in the production of a hybrid system, there is nothing to fear about the long-term reliability of it. In fact, because the electric motor acts as the starter motor for the engine most of the time, it should prove more reliable than a normal start-stop system.
