Honda CR-V Review & Prices

The Honda CR-V has often been, since the model was first introduced, one of the best-selling SUVs in the world. Ever. You can see why — it’s a big family SUV with a handsome design, terrific cabin comfort, and the option of a fuel- and emissions-saving plug-in hybrid version.

However, it’s up against some pretty serious opposition, including the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, and Peugeot 5008, the latter of which will offer a fully-electric model. Against those heavy-hitters, the CR-V starts to look like a bit of an amateur boxer. 

Mind you, if it were a boxer, the CR-V’s nickname would unquestionably be Handsome Honda, as it’s a great-looking car. Up front, there’s an American-style big grille with slim headlights on either side, while at the back it looks a bit like the (bigger, more expensive) Volvo XC90. 

As is Honda’s current style, the cabin looks a little more plain, but it’s all very well-made and for the most part the materials used are very nice. However, if you poke about a bit you will find some nasty, cheap plastics and these mean that the CR-V’s cabin doesn’t feel as upmarket as those from Hyundai or Kia. 

The Honda slips behind those rivals when it comes to its in-car screens, too — the main instruments are fine, but a bit plain while the big infotainment screen has old-fashioned and clunky-looking graphics, although on the upside it’s easy to find your way around. 

If the screens aren’t great then at least the seats are — the CR-V might be a tall SUV, but its front seats grip and support you like a proper Honda sports car, and yet they’re as squashy and comfy as Joey and Chandler’s recliners. There’s a good driving position and a great view out too, but while the back seats are generally roomy, headroom in the back is tight for any tall passengers.

The CR-V is mostly practical, with plenty of spaces up front for your odds and ends, but the boot is only okay. Oddly, you’d expect the regular hybrid to have more space than the plug-in hybrid model, but in the CR-V those positions are reversed — the hybrid has 587 litres of space in the boot, while the plug-in has 619 litres. That’s big and useful but in both cases it’s only about as much room as you’d get in a Citroen C5 Aircross, Kia Sportage, or Hyundai Tucson, all of which are more affordable than the CR-V.

Obviously, the regular hybrid will be the better option for anyone who either can’t charge up a battery at home overnight (or at work), or for those who just can’t be doing with cables. The plug-in hybrid has a useful 51 miles of electric range on a full charge, which is very respectable, and its low emissions make it the obvious choice for business or company car buyers.

If you’re taking that plug-in hybrid on long motorway runs, that will hit the economy and the CR-V also has rather more wind and road noise than is ideal. If you’re a regular long-haul motorway driver, consider a Volkswagen Tiguan for better refinement.

Don’t expect sports car responses from the CR-V, but around town, even though it’s quite a big car, the CR-V is really good thanks to excellent visibility, while the soft suspension and exceptional front seats mean that you’ll hardly even realise that there are any bumps in the road.

So the CR-V is good? Well, yes it is, but there’s a massive sword dangling over its head, and that’s the price tag. Honda’s pricing puts the CR-V up against premium opposition, against which it’s just not luxurious enough, while mainstream rivals are similar in size and overall performance, but much more affordable.

Still tempted? Check out the latest Honda CR-V deals available through Carwow, where you can also find used Honda CR-V models as well as other used Hondas. Need to sell your car? Well, Carwow’s trusted network of dealers can help you get a great price.

To be blunt, the Honda CR-V is just way too expensive. Put it this way — a basic hybrid CR-V costs a full £10,000 more than a well-specced Kia Sportage hybrid. True, the CR-V is a little bigger overall, and arguably looks more impressive, but it’s not really any roomier, no better to drive, and no better-built. Plus, the Kia has a better infotainment system. 

It’s the same story if you compare the CR-V to the Hyundai Tucson, and even worse for the Honda when you realise that a plug-in hybrid CR-V is a full £15,000 pricier than an equivalent Tucson plug-in. Indeed, the CR-V is actually pricier, in plug-in hybrid form, than both the new Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe, which are bigger cars that come with seven seats as standard, something that’s not even available in a CR-V. 

It gets worse — it’s all too easy to spec even the hybrid CR-V up to the same sort of level as an Audi Q5, and great brand though Honda is, it just can’t compete with that kind of badge appeal.

The Honda CR-V gets too noisy at motorway pace, but boy is it comfortable

In town

Despite being a pretty big SUV, the Honda CR-V is really easy to drive around town. You get great visibility because the pillars aren’t too wide and don’t block your view. All versions aside from the base Elegance model get a 360-degree camera system, so you can check the car’s extremities if things do get a bit tight.

Comfort is impressive, too. Sure, you get a bit of a jolt over speed bumps, but generally the CR-V irons out road imperfections and goes down the road beautifully. The brakes aren’t too jerky either, which can be a problem with hybrid models that regenerate energy for the battery as you slow down, so it’s easy to make smooth progress.

Steering is light without being too vague, so it’s easy to place the car where you want it, and the electric motors have enough punch to jump out of junctions when required.

One cool feature is that the throttle has a ‘false stop’. There’s a bit of resistance that you need to push past to call on the petrol engine. It’s good, because it means you can accelerate quickly on the electric motor when required, judging the accelerator prod to not call on the engine unnecessarily. Then, if you do want full power, you just push the pedal further and the petrol engine wakes up.

On the motorway

Although you might think a big, comfy SUV would be the ideal car for long stints on the motorway, the Honda CR-V is actually not as quiet and refined as alternatives such as the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The problem is that there’s quite a lot of wind and road noise, so it’s not as relaxing as you might expect, given the fact that it’s so comfortable because of the cosseting seats and soft suspension.

Because both engines offer the same power output, each is equally adept at getting you up to speed. And in the plug-in model, even if you’re driving on electric power and press the throttle down for an overtake, there’s little delay as the petrol engine kicks in pretty quickly. The engine can groan a bit under hard acceleration, but it doesn’t sound too bad, at least.

There’s a blind-spot camera that shows up on the main infotainment screen when you indicate left, but there isn’t one for turning right, presumably because it doesn’t make sense to look left at the infotainment display while doing so. It just feels a bit clunky, and works better in a Hyundai or Kia, for example, where the cameras display in the instrument screen ahead of you.

On a twisty road

The Honda CR-V is a comfort-focussed family SUV, so it’s not the most agile car for a twisty road. It goes round corners well enough, but it certainly doesn’t encourage you to have fun – it’s competent, but dull.

There are selectable drive modes on all models, so you can switch to Sport to make things a bit more lively; you get heavier steering and sharper throttle response, and plug-in hybrid models get adaptive dampers which make the suspension firmer to improve handling.

Sport mode also changes the sound of the engine in the cabin, but it’s frankly bizarre. It sounds a bit like there are bees trapped behind the dashboard trying to get out. Probably best to keep it in Normal mode…

The Honda CR-V has a practical cabin with lots of storage, and some of the best seats around, but rear headroom is limited.

There’s loads of space for those in the front, and you get fantastic seats that are big and comfortable like armchairs, but also hold you in place like a sports car. Couple this with the high driving position and plenty of adjustment in both the seats and steering wheel, and it’s easy to find the ideal driving position.

Storage is plentiful, with a large cubby hole beneath the armrest, a couple of cup holders and a wireless charging pad beneath the dashboard. You also get a 12V connector and USB and USB-C slots to charge your phone. The glovebox and door bins are good rather than great, but overall there should be enough storage for most.

Space in the back seats

Space in the back is decent, with lots of kneeroom and space to put your feet. Headroom is more average, with taller passengers likely to brush their hair on the roof. You do get a lot of reclination, though, so it’s easy to relax on longer journeys and makes headroom less of an issue. The window line sits pretty low, so those in the back have a great view out.

Practicality continues in the back, with fairly large door bins, big pockets on the seat backs in front, and two USB-C charging slots.

Fitting three across the back is a bit of a squeeze, but more annoying is that the middle seat seatbelt is mounted on the roof and pulled forward, which means it rubs on your neck more than a typical seatbelt.

Putting a child seat in is little effort because the doors open really wide and the ISOFIX mounting points are easy to access. Even big seats should have enough space to the seat in front so you don’t have to move it forward.

Boot space

We’ve already discussed the wide variety of alternatives to the Honda CR-V, but whichever way you look, its boot capacity is merely average among them and outgunned by the roomiest options. For reference, the Honda has a 579-litre boot in hybrid form or 617 litres as a plug-in hybrid.

Among large, seven-seat SUVs, the new electric Peugeot E-5008 rules the roost with a cavernous 916 litres when the third-row seats are folded (if you include the under-floor storage). The also-new Skoda Kodiaq has 845 litres with its third-row seats folded away, while the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento both have enormous boots — up to 985 litres for the Hyundai, and 813 litres for the Kia.

If you’re not so worried about having lots of cabin space, there are smaller SUVs with boots that aren’t far off the CR-V’s capacity, yet cost considerably less. The Hyundai Tucson has 577 litres in hybrid form, or 558 litres as a plug-in hybrid, while the Kia Sportage falls a bit behind with 540 litres in plug-in form.

It should be noted, though, that the CR-V’s boot should be more than spacious enough for most people, and it has a useful square shape that means it’s easy to maximise use of the space. You also get a bit of under-floor storage, which is good for cables on the plug-in hybrid. There’s also no load lip to lift heavy items over, and it’s easy to remove the load cover when required.

It’s possible to fold the seats but, annoyingly, you have to go round to the rear doors and do it from there, rather than reaching in from the boot or pressing a button. And once they’re folded, there’s a slight ridge to push longer items over.

The Honda CR-V has a good-looking cabin, but it’s spoiled by too many cheap surfaces

First impressions of the Honda CR-V’s interior are pretty good. The design is fairly simple but it works well, with a panel spanning from the middle out to the passenger side integrating the air vents and physical climate control dials with the temperature housed within them.

You get some quality materials, too, with plenty of squidgy plastics, chrome on areas such as the door handles, and some lovely trim accents. However, when you consider top-spec models cost in excess of £50,000, it’s too easy to find scratchy plastics – on the lower dashboard and door bins, for example. It also doesn’t feel particularly robust.

The infotainment screen is a 9.0-inch unit on all trims, and while it’s not necessarily small, it could do with being a bit bigger in a car this size. It’s a lot better than Honda systems of old, and fairly intuitive to operate, but the graphics are still a little dull and dated — like an old PlayStation game. You get wireless Apple CarPlay, but Android Auto is only available through a wired connection.

The 10.2-inch digital instrument display is also standard across the range. Again, the display isn’t the brightest nor most interesting to look at, but it’s easy enough to navigate to the information you need using the steering wheel-mounted scrolls.

Music lovers will be tempted to step up from the base trim, because Advance models get a Bose sound system with extra speakers and a subwoofer. These models also get ventilated seats in the front and heated rear seats, while all models get heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

There are two hybrid engines available with the Honda CR-V – one is a self-charging hybrid, the other is a plug-in hybrid, and they both have the same power output.

Starting with the regular hybrid, it combines an electric motor with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, providing all-wheel drive. The maximum power output is 184hp and the 0-62mph time is 9.4 seconds, while official tests put the fuel economy at 42.8mpg.

The plug-in hybrid is more expensive to buy, but if you can keep the battery charged, it will provide much lower running costs. You would have to run it almost exclusively on electric power to hit the official 353mpg figure, but fairly regular charging should return over 60mpg. Regular charging should return better economy than alternatives because the 50-mile range is more than you get in plug-in hybrid versions of the Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson.

You’ll pay less for road tax in the plug-in, too, because its low emissions put it in one of the lowest bands, and it’s the favourable option for company car buyers because of its lower benefit-in-kind rate.

The Honda CR-V should be a very safe car, but in the Euro NCAP safety tests, the standard model only gets a score of four out of five stars — you have to upgrade the CR-V with the optional safety pack to make sure it achieves a full five-star score. However, the good news is that’s not an issue for UK buyers, as all three models in the CR-V lineup have the same level of safety kit in this market. For the record, the CR-V scored 85% for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupant protection, 80% for vulnerable road user protection, and 79% for its electronic safety systems. These are good scores, but there are more than a few rivals — notably the Skoda Kodiaq — which have achieved higher scores. 

All models have Honda’s Sensing 360 technology, which uses sonar, radar and cameras to build a 360-degree view of the world around the car to help inform various driver assistance systems such as lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance.

Other safety kit seen across the range includes whiplash-lessening headrests, unintended acceleration mitigation, a traffic jam assistant and road departure mitigation.

The Honda CR-V comes with a three-year, 90,000-mile warranty. That’s one of the poorer offerings around, with Hyundai providing five years with unlimited mileage, and Kias coming with seven years or 100,000 miles. It is at least above the industry minimum of three years or 60,000 miles that some manufacturers are wedded to.

Fortunately, Honda is one of the most reliable car brands you can buy from. The Japanese manufacturer regularly tops reliability and owner satisfaction surveys, and parts and repairs tend not to be too pricey.

Honda finished 11th in the latest Driver Power ownership survey when it came to the most reliable car brands, finishing just ahead of Lexus, and leaving rivals such as BMW, Hyundai and Volkswagen well behind.