Overview

The CR-V is Honda’s largest SUV. It’s designed to rival the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Skoda Kodiaq, Peugeot 3008 and Kia Sportage, aiming to attract your attention with its spacious interior, excellent build quality and enviable reliability record. But it’s been on sale since 2018 – and its newer rivals feature more modern technology and more efficient powertrains.

It’s powered by Honda’s unusual self-charging hybrid powertrain, which works differently to the systems used by Kia and Toyota. At low speeds, the CR-V’s petrol engine operates as a generator, feeding electricity into a battery pack to power an electric motor. If the battery is fully charged, the CR-V can drive for around a mile on electric power alone.

If the battery is flat, the CR-V’s petrol engine will tick over in the background producing just enough power to keep the electric motor spinning. But, when you accelerate hard, the petrol engine drives the wheels directly – and the electric motor adopts a supporting role, improving efficiency. We’ll discuss the system in more detail later in this review. For now, just know it isn’t the most economical hybrid powertrain in its class, but the technology is clever and it’s very smooth around town.

Honda has pared back the CR-V’s line-up to its bare bones. Last year, you could choose between five specifications, but now there’s are just two. The entry-level SR variant features LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery and a two-wheel drive powertrain, while the range-topping EX model gains a panoramic sunroof, a wireless smartphone charger, a head-up display and a four-wheel drive powertrain. Prices start from £36,580 and top out at around £41,000.

Click through the next few pages to read everything you need to know about the Honda CR-V. We’ll discuss the car’s practicality, interior quality, driving experience and ownership costs before offering our final verdict on the car and telling you whether it’s worth spending your money on.