Should you buy one?

It’s a tough call in a very crowded market sector. The HR-V values simplicity and reliability over everything else. If that sort of thing impresses you, it’s pretty good. If you have higher aspirations, you might want to look elsewhere. Sure, it’s economical. But in the real-world smaller SUVs such as the Ford Puma are just as frugal and better to drive.

The Toyota C-HR also offers up a clean hybrid powertrain, but one that’s much less noisy, making it an all-round better option. The same can be said for the conventionally-powered Skoda Karoq, which is way more practical and our top choice in the competitive family SUV sector.

Our reviewer Percy Lawman summed up his six-month long-term test this way: ‘The car exhibits a seamless transition between petrol and electric modes, but we feel that when the petrol engine does cut in, noise levels can be troublesome. On a long journey the car felt ‘hard work’ to drive and not that relaxing.’

He added: ‘During its time on fleet, we managed to get under the outer skin of the HR-V. There’s plenty to like about the car and the build quality, of which Honda has always had a great reputation for, is as expected – but all-in-all, it’s not without its foibles.’

What we like

It’s well-built and well-equipped for the money, and has some handy practical touches such as the Magic Seats. Achievable official fuel consumption ratings are also impressive, if you drive gently.

What we don’t like

The boot is tiny, it’s quite slow when you get out of town and the overall noisiness means it’s not relaxing on long journeys.