Honda CR-V Review 2024

Now in its sixth generation, the all-new Honda CR-V family SUV gets a big update and now comes with a plug-in hybrid variant for the first time with a 50+ mile EV range. Longer and with more room than ever before, the Honda CR-V is incredibly comfy whether you're sat in the front or back, while there's a huge boot that rivals will struggle to match. We'll dive into all this in our Honda CR-V review.

The original Honda CR-V was one of the first family SUVs you could buy and, since then, the model has established itself as a dependable and comfortable SUV. With the competition stronger than ever, the latest Honda CR-V aims to bring a bit more luxury and driving dynamics than we've seen in the past in an effort to tempt you away from the likes of a Toyota RAV4 or Volkswagen Tiguan. 

For starters, the new 2023 Honda CR-V introduces a plug-in hybrid variant for the first time and comes with an electric range of almost 51 miles. Known as the Honda CR-V e:PHEV, it sits alongside the e:HEV hybrid model and behind the wheel and you'll find both options feel more EV to drive than a typical petrol car. This is because the engine acts like a generator to power the motors, which in turn drives the wheels. This approach really helps with fuel economy (especially if you're driving the e:PHEV with a depleted battery) and in most driving situations you'll find both to be a very refined and relaxed drive.  

The rather forgettable design of the older CR-V has been ditched in favour of a more rugged and assertive SUV-style appearance, with boxier and angular lines replacing the laid-back styling of the previous model. Inside and the interior of the new Honda CR-V boasts a cleaner and more modern layout, drawing inspiration from the new Honda Civic. 

The Honda CR-V's features a 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen that offers Android Auto (wired connection) and Apple CarPlay (wireless) smartphone mirroring, while there's also wireless charging as standard. We also like the generous use of leather and polished metal trim, as this elevates the cabin's premium feel, while physical climate control buttons and knobs enhance ease of use. There's only the choice of black-on-black when it comes to interior colours, but the panoramic roof that comes as standard helps lift the cabin. 

On top of the more premium feel of the interior, the Honda CR-V now has more passenger space than we've seen in the past. As well as being 106mm longer than the outgoing car, the wheelbase is 40mm longer and provides 16mm of additional rear legroom compared to its predecessor. The rear seats also offer 16 levels of backrest adjustment for increased comfort. Despite this, there's still no seven-seat option.

The Honda CR-V's boot space has also grown over the old car. Opt for the e:PHEV version of the CR-V and you'll get an impressive 635 litres of boot space - something rivals will struggle to match, while the e:HEV still has a very enviable 596 litres of boot space. 

The Honda CR-V will be available in three trim levels: Elegance, Advance and Advance Tech. Even the CR-V in Elegance trim is comprehensively spec'd, including a rear camera, heated front seats, a digital instrument display, Honda's SENSING 360 Safety Technology and LED lights. Advance trim gets a couple of nice features, including a head up display, a Bose audio system and a multi view camera. Advance Tech is reserved for the e:PHEV model only (and the only trim the e:PHEV is available in) and builds on the Advance trim with a few exterior tweaks and a few more goodies inside. 

Perhaps the biggest sticking point is the price. While the Honda CR-V is comprehensively spec'd, prices start at £45,895 and top out at almost £54,000 for the e:PHEV, making it significantly more than rivals like the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Ford Kuga and Skoda Kodiaq. In some instances, something like an Audi Q5 or Volvo XC60 won't set you back much more. 

The new Honda CR-V comes with the choice of two engines - a hybrid (badged e:HEV) and for the first time for a Honda in the UK, a plug-in hybrid (badged e:PHEV). Both versions use the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that's paired with two electric motors, but the e:HEV has drive going to all four wheels, while the e:PHEV is front-wheel drive only. The plug-in hybrid version also gets a much larger 17.7kWh battery that delivers an electric-only range of almost 51 miles.

Just as we've seen with the Civic, the hybrid system in both versions doesn't actually drive the wheels directly. Instead, the 148PS petrol engine acts as a generator for the CR-V's 184PS electric motors (which also doubles up as an electric CVT transmission) that sends power to the wheels. That means that when driving around, the CR-V feels very much like you're driving an EV, with engine noise kept to a minimum. Perhaps a little confusingly, the engine can drive the wheels at higher speeds as Honda reckons its more efficient this way.   

Regardless of which engine you choose, both will hit 62mph in 9.4 seconds. That's slower on paper than rivals like the Toyota RAV4 (8.1 seconds for the hybrid and 6 seconds for the plug-in hybrid), but the instant electric torque means it never feels slow when driving at lower speeds. However, if you need to make quicker progress a bit more power would be welcome when you consider the size of the car, especially when overtaking slow moving traffic. That said, when up to motorway speeds it'll happily set into a comfortable cruise.  

The new Honda CR-V is yet to be crash tested by Euro NCAP, but that last generation car scored the maximum five-star safety rating and we'd be surprised if the latest car was worse. 

Standard safety kit is impressive, with 11 airbags positioned around the cabin, while all trim levels of the CR-V get Honda Sensing 360 safety tech. A notable improvement on the older system found in the older car, this features a 360-degree radar that scans the perimeter of the CR-V and is supported by a front-facing camera with 100-degree coverage, side sonar sensors and rear corner radar. 

This provides a comprehensive set of safety features, including automatic emergency braking, active lane change assist, blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic warning, cornering speed Assist and traffic sign recognition. 

Adaptive cruise control is also standard on every Honda CR-V and as we've seen on the Civic, it comes with Honda's Traffic Jam Assist. This will steer, accelerate and brake for you in low-speed traffic.

The Honda CR-V e:HEV has the same pretty unremarkable 750kg unbraked towing capacity as the outgoing CR-V. However, it's better news with the e:PHEV, with the plug-in hybrid CR-V achieving an unbraked towing capacity of 1500kg and comes with a dedicated Tow mode. When this is selected and when the engine is under high load, drive is assisted by the motor. 

The new Honda CR-V is actually 106mm longer than the outgoing car, and now measures 4706mm long and 1866mm wide. Despite growing in length, Honda's still not offering the CR-V as a seven-seater and it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. However, as a five-seater the CR-V isn't short on space.

Up front, there's a high driving position with seats that have eight-way adjustment to allow you to really tailor it to your desired driving position. Both Advance and Advance Tech models also have a memory function that'll be handy for those swapping between drivers regularly. 

What we really like about the CR-V's cabin is the decent array of physical buttons that provide quick access to a number of controls, including climate control. Compared to some rival interiors that rely heavily on the touchscreen to adjust anything within in the car, it's much more intuitive to use on the move.

There's also plenty of leg and headroom, even with the inclusion of the panoramic roof, while there's a good sized armrest that conceals a large storage box. You'll also find a couple of cupholders and a wireless charging pad in front of that. 

Those in the back of the Honda CR-V aren't shortchanged either. Thanks to the low central tunnel, you should be able to get three people sat comfortably in the back. In fact, there's 16mm more legroom compared to the older car, while the rear seats also have 16 stages of reclining angles to choose from. 

The Honda CR-V's boot size is impressive. The e:HEV version of the CR-V has 596 litres of boot space (including 9 litres of underfloor storage), while despite having a larger battery the e:PHEV has a 635 litres of boot space (including 18 litres of underfloor storage). While a lot of other plug-in hybrids lose a bit of boot space to accommodate the larger battery, Honda's been able to achieve this larger boot size by packaging the battery underneath the cabin. Larger than all key rivals, the boot on the Honda CR-V is incredibly practical and should easily satisfy most user's needs.   

The Honda CR-V's interior follows a similar look and feel that we've seen on other recent Hondas like the Civc. The minimalist design includes the honeycomb strip running along across the dash, gloss-black panels and satin-silver switchgear that all conveys a sense of quality. Honda builds on this with some pleasing soft-touch finishes round the cabin, though there are still a few scratch-resistant bits of trim that dilute the upmarket feel a bit.

It's a shame to see interior colour choices are limited to black-on-black for now, as it would be nice to see some lighter tones available.   

The interior tech in the outgoing CR-V was starting to show its age, especially against some snazzier competition, so an update here is very welcome. 

The new CR-V uses the same 9.0-inch touchscreen display as found in the new Civic, and while it's a shame that Honda hasn't opted to use the same large portrait-format 15.1-inch display as the one found in the new e:Ny1, it's a good system. 

There's a built-in sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity. A little annoyingly Android smartphone owners is that they'll have to connect their phone via a USB 2.0 lead (why now USB 3.0 connections?) to again access to Android Auto. 

If you're not going to be using either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto regularly, the interface itself is pretty easy to navigate, though the graphics are a little drab and could look slicker. 

Not unique to Honda by any stretch, but the new CR-V is going to cost quite a bit more than the outgoing model. Prices for the new Honda CR-V hybrid start a £45,895 in Elegance trim, followed by the CR-V Advance costing £48,995. If you want a plug-in hybrid version of the CR-V, your only option is the top-of-the-line Advance Tech model, which starts at £53,995. Compare that to the starting price range of £32,815 to £40,910 of the older car, and that's quite a jump. 

That said, even the CR-V in Elegance trim is comprehensively spec'd that makes that upfront cost a bit easier to swallow when compared to key rivals, with only the choice of paint colour and wheel design bumping up the cost (we'd ignore the £2,650 Aero Pack, but that's up to you). 

How does that compare to the competition though? The Toyota RAV4 starts at £38,880 in Design trim, though if you want all-wheel drive you'll have to dig a bit deeper and pay out £41,260. The plug-in hybrid version of the RAV4 starts at £44,140 - almost £10,000 less than the CR-V PHEV.  

A similar spec all-wheel drive Nissan X-Trail in Acenta Premium trim is a snip under £40,000, while the price of the PHEV CR-V puts it in the mix with premium rivals like the Audi Q5 e-TFSI, which starts at £53,000. However, don't expect quite the same level kit on the Q5 as you'd enjoy on the Advance Tech CR-V. 

The e:HEV CR-V delivers up to 42.8mpg in combined WLTP tests and up to 47.8mpg, while the e:PHEV model delivers up to 50 miles of electric power alone. The official WLTP fuel economy figure for the plug-in hybrid CR-V is 353mpg, but in reality if you want to get anywhere near that, you'll have to be running on battery power alone and be able to top up once the battery has almost been run down.

Good news is, if you've got a 7kWh battery charger at home, you can have your e:PHEV CR-V brimmed up in around two and a half hours. If you run out of charge though, you should still expect around 45.6mpg according to Honda.

Despite the CR-V's low CO2 figure, its £40,000+ list price means it'll be hit by the 'premium' car tax. That means you'll have to pay an extra £390/year for five years from the second time the car's taxed.

The first model in the range is the Honda CR-V Elegance and it's pretty comprehensively spec'd. Standard features include 18-inch Shark Grey alloy wheels, digital instrument display, LED headlights with auto high beam, sat-nav, heated front seats, panoramic glass roof, power tailgate, parking sensors front and rear, a rear view camera, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, eleven airbags and an extensive suite of safety assists (known as SENSING 360 Safety Technology). There's also wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless charging and wired Android Auto connectivity. 

Moving up to the Honda CR-V Advance and on top of the features found on the Elegance model, Advance models benefit from a multi-view camera, a Bose premium audio system, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated leather steering wheel, a head-up display, driver's powered seat adjustment, adaptive driving beam and active cornering lights. 

Both the CR-V Elegance and CR-V Advance are only available with the hybrid engine option, while the top of the range Honda CR-V Advance Tech is only available with the plug-in hybrid engine. This benefits from a number of extras, including Honda Parking Pilot, sports bumpers, a dedicated tow mode, some snazzy 18-inch Berlina black alloy wheels, a black and chrome grille and an adaptive damper system.