What Car Shoppers Need to Know
- The 2026 Honda HR-V is a better value than the 2025 model across the board, with a 9-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless device charging now standard.
- There’s still only one powertrain, however, and it’s slow and not efficient.
- The HR-V has a stylish, well-built interior, and it’s an affordable alternative to Honda’s larger CR-V if you don’t need that model’s extra interior room and cargo space — or a hybrid powertrain.
Honda has two excellent small SUVs to choose from in the subcompact HR-V and the compact CR-V. The two somewhat overlap on price, though the CR-V is more expensive when comparing apples-to-apples trim levels. So how is a Honda fan — or any shopper — to choose? After spending time in the lightly updated 2026 HR-V, we can say the choice is about more than just money — and it’s closer than you might think.
Related: 2026 Honda HR-V Adds Larger Standard Touchscreen, Wireless Device Charging
What’s New for the 2026 Honda HR-V?
- Takeaway: The HR-V’s 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is now standard, as is a wireless device charger. Both were previously only available on the top EX-L trim.
Honda’s smallest SUV gets only minor changes for 2026, though it becomes a better value with its newly standard technology. Prior to 2026, buyers had to shell out for a loaded HR-V EX-L to get a 9-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but for 2026, those features become standard on every trim level. And what is wireless smartphone connectivity without wireless charging, right? Honda wisely made that standard, too.
Other changes are mostly cosmetic. The top EX-L trim gets 18-inch wheels in place of its former 17s, and while the HR-V has always ridden on the firmer side, the larger wheels don’t make it too firm.
The Case for the HR-V
- Takeaway: Unless you regularly need the extra backseat or cargo space the CR-V brings — or must have a hybrid powertrain — you’ll be happy with the HR-V and the extra money in your bank account.
The 2026 HR-V, then, is largely the same as a 2025 version, particularly in its EX-L version, which we tested. The larger touchscreen is easy to use, though it does look a bit dated compared with what’s in subcompacts like the Kia Seltos and Toyota Corolla Cross, which both offer slightly larger screens. Where the HR-V outshines most competitors is with its stylish, well-built cabin, particularly the cockpit. Materials are top-notch for the class, and this Honda’s aesthetic is modern. More importantly, the HR-V’s cockpit is every bit as comfortable as the CR-V’s. However, the HR-V’s backseat and cargo area are both smaller than the CR-V’s — though unless you’re carrying a lot of adults full-time or a ton of stuff, both will be more than adequate for most situations.
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The HR-V also has many of the same driving qualities as the CR-V. Its steering is sharp and communicative, especially for a decidedly non-sporty SUV, and it can be genuinely fun to drive. There’s only one thing that holds the HR-V back from class-leading greatness, and that is its thoroughly lackluster powertrain. Every HR-V is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes just 158 horsepower and 138 pounds-feet of torque, and you’ll have to stomp on the accelerator to wring anything resembling acceleration out of it. It’s the slowest subcompact SUV we’ve ever tested, so beware of highway on-ramps and left turns across busy city streets.
If you can live with the slowness — and after a week of driving the HR-V, I believe I could — you’ll get a relatively spacious, well-built, sometimes fun-to-drive small SUV, as well as several thousand dollars more in your bank account than if you’d opted for a comparable CR-V.
The Case for the CR-V
- Takeaway: The CR-V has a bigger backseat and cargo area, is somehow more fuel-efficient, and can be equipped with a hybrid powertrain that brings both better gas mileage and more power. It’ll cost you, though.
The lack of a hybrid option in the HR-V is disappointing; competitors either already offer one (Corolla Cross) or are planning one (Seltos). And not only are Honda’s hybrids more efficient, they’re also more powerful and fun to drive than their gas-only counterparts. A hybrid powertrain would almost certainly fix the HR-V’s lethargic nature.
In our last comparison test of compact SUVs, the CR-V hybrid came in a very respectable second place. It was enjoyable to drive, easy to use and hardly put a foot wrong in our testing. Its backseat and cargo area dwarf the HR-V’s; if you need the space — or just want to future-life-proof your next vehicle — the upsized CR-V is worth it.
Interestingly, the non-hybrid CR-V is more fuel-efficient than the smaller HR-V, earning an EPA rating of 30 mpg combined with front-wheel drive (29 with all-wheel drive) versus the HR-V’s 28 mpg (27 with AWD). By the EPA’s calculations, that means you’ll save about $100 per year in fuel by choosing a CR-V. Bear in mind, though, that the top non-hybrid CR-V — the AWD CR-V EX-L — starts at $38,350 (all prices include destination fee). The top HR-V EX-L, meanwhile, starts at $33,300. Some back-of-the-envelope math, then, reveals it would take half a century to make up that price difference in fuel costs.
The CR-V is, however, also available as a hybrid that not only makes more power than the gas-only model, but is also rated 40 mpg combined with FWD and 37 mpg with AWD. The price of entry for a CR-V hybrid with AWD is $38,580, but the EPA says it’ll save you $400 per year in fuel costs compared with the AWD HR-V, which means it’ll only take around 13 years to make up the cost difference. That’s better, but it’s still clear that fuel efficiency shouldn’t be the sole reason to opt for a CR-V.
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The Choice Is Yours
If I had to buy one, and just one, of these two small Honda SUVs, I’d live with the HR-V. It’s either as good as or nearly as good as the CR-V in most aspects, and what the CR-V does better isn’t worth an extra $5,000 to me.
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