Used Honda CR-V 2023-present review

Perhaps never at the forefront of people's minds when they are thinking of that band of larger family SUVs, the Honda CR-V has quietly and solidly got on with the business of being one of the most sensible and dependable cars in its class for years.

This latest one is the fourth-generation model. It's bigger and classier and cleverer than previous models, and more practical. The CR-V range is completely hybrid, and although the firm has had plenty of experience with hybrids, this is its first plug-in hybrid car.

As part of its move upmarket, it's also a tad more expensive than previous versions. However, as a used buy, it's beginning to look highly competitive.

Engines: Under the hood, the Honda CR-V has a 181bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. The regular hybrid (e:HEV) has four-wheel drive while the plug-in hybrid (e:PHEV) has front-wheel drive and gets a much bigger (17.7kWh) battery, allowing it to go further on electricity alone.

On our real-world test route, the e:PHEV covered 37.6 miles before the engine chimed in – short of its 51-mile official range but further than the 36.8 miles we saw from a Lexus NX 450h on the same day.

Ride & Handling: The CR-V rides well, generally. The e:HEV has a slightly firmer ride than the e:PHEV, which comes with adaptive dampers that make the ride more supple, so the plug-in hybrid is the version to go for if you want maximum comfort.

Both versions ride better than the Mazda CX-60, for example, but the e:HEV struggles to settle down as well as one of its major rivals, the Volvo XC60.

The CR-V is pretty good in the bends, too. We'd stop short of calling it fun to drive, but it feels more agile than a CX-60 or an XC60, with body lean kept under control in corners.

Trims & Equipment: The CR-V range starts with Elegance trim. It comes loaded with standard equipment, including 18in alloy wheels, wireless phone-charging, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, electrically folding and heated wing mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and lots of other equipment.

Next in line is the Advance trim, which builds on the standard kit list by adding heated rear seats, electric memory seats, adaptive high-beam headlights and an upgraded sound system. It also adds a head-up display.

Advance Tech sits at the top of the range and is only available with the e:PHEV version. It gets all the bells and whistles, and has different exterior styling, bespoke details around the interior and other extras.

Interior & Practicality: Thanks to the CR-V’s tall side and rear windows, visibility is excellent.

Every CR-V comes with a crisp 10.2in digital driver’s display, which is easy to read at a glance and gives you a couple of configurable menus.

The 9in infotainment touchscreen in the CR-V is conveniently positioned high on the dashboard, and has physical shortcut buttons and a knob for the stereo volume, for easy on-the-go control.

The screen responds quickly, and the layout is easy to navigate. However, the screen falls short of some rival systems in terms of resolution, and its user interface looks a bit outdated.

Build quality in the CR-V is pretty good, with everything feeling solidly built. There are soft-touch plastics and leather-effect materials on higher-up areas, something that looks like stitched leather on the doors.

Space up front is plentiful, and while leg room is good in the rear, some might find head room tight. It's a wide car, so good for three-abreast seating in the back, with a useful flat floor. The wide door openings will ensure that putting a child in a car seat is a breeze.

Boot space is excellent. If you want the CR-V with maximum boot space, you'll want the e:PHEV – which has 635 litres – rather than the e:HEV, with 579. Either is pretty generous, though.

“I found parking the CR-V surprisingly easy for such a big SUV. You sit up high and the windows are huge, so you get great all-round visibility. You also get rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard.” – George Hill, used cars reporter

If you're interested in finding a used Honda CR-V, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

The Honda CR-V is a popular car and its residual values are good. This means there are no bargains on the used car forecourts yet, but prices will come down as it ages.

Prices for this generation of Honda CR-V start at around £29,000 for a late 2023 model. Spend between £30,000 and £35,000 on CR-Vs from 2024 and upwards of £33,000 for some 2025 models. This is a reasonably good saving on a new car.

Currently, sales of the CR-V seem to be about a 50/50 split between the regular hybrid and the plug-in hybrid versions, with little variation in cost between the two.

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MPG

Reasonable efficiency helps to offset the slightly high used price tag, with the e:HEV managing a real-world fuel economy figure of 38mpg on our test route. That's much more than a petrol Volvo XC60 B5 (29.6mpg) averaged on the same day.

The CR-V e:PHEV has a maximum charging rate of 6.8kW, so plugging it into a 7kW home EV charger will get you from 0-100% charge in about two and a half hours. That’s an hour or so quicker than a Kia Sorento PHEV will take with its 3.3kW maximum speed, but longer than it will take for a Land Rover Discovery Sport PHEV (32kW).

Road tax (VED)

Every CR-V will fall under the current road tax system and therefore have to pay a flat rate fee, although be careful if your CR-V costs in excess of £40,000 new. If it did, you'll be paying a luxury car tax surcharge of £425 a year from years two to six of the car's life. The current VED charge is £195 a year.

Servicing costs

CR-Vs require servicing every 12 months and 12,500 miles, and Honda's servicing costs are higher than those of some other mainstream manufacturers.

All examples are less than three years old at the time of writing, so for two-wheel drive models, it’ll cost you £235 for the first year, £310 for the second and £290 for the third, with an additional £90 charge if your CVT automatic gearbox needs a fluid change during the second or third service. Four-wheel drive models cost a little more at £260, £330 and £310, respectively.

Insurance groups

Insurance groups range from group 22 for an entry-level SE hybrid to 25 for a top-spec model with four-wheel drive. These are all lower than key rivals such as the Toyota RAV4.

Reliability

We don't have data yet for this generation of Honda CR-V, but we've included below the reports for the previous generation car.

The 2018-2023 Honda CR-V is largely praised for its dependability in our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, though some owners have reported issues.

Hybrid models can suffer from unexpected warning lights and occasional power loss, while infotainment glitches, such as freezing screens and Bluetooth faults, have also been mentioned—though often fixed with updates.

Honda’s dealer network received mixed reviews. While many found service professional, some owners experienced long wait times for parts and slow fault resolution.

Overall, the CR-V upholds Honda’s strong reliability record, but hybrid and electrical niggles can cause frustrations. Learn more on our dedicated used Honda CR-V reliability page.

“With the battery completely flat, I achieved an average of 46.1mpg in a CR-V plug-in hybrid on our real-world test route, which is better than Land Rover Discovery Sport and Lexus NX PHEVs in the same conditions.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Specification

We’d recommend the base Elegance trim, as it should be cheaper on the used car forecourts. It comes loaded with standard equipment, including 18in alloy wheels, wireless phone-charging, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, electrically folding and heated wing mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and lots of other equipment.

Engine

Unless you have access to a charger and your journeys are short, in which case the electric-only range of the plug-in hybrid model might make it worth your while, we'd stick to the regular hybrid version.

Our favourite Honda CR-V: 2.0 e:HEV Elegance

Stick a pin in any mainstream manufacturer’s product range and you’ll probably hit an upmarket family SUV, many with hybrid technology, so there are quite a few rivals for the Honda CR-V.

The Lexus NX is a hugely reliable SUV that stands out in its class. While it offers a smooth ride and good hybrid efficiency, it lacks a diesel option and is less fun to drive than some of its competitors. The interior is very plush and comfortable, but there have been reports of some usability issues with the infotainment system, and the slightly cramped rear space may deter some buyers.

If a long warranty is what you’re after, you could look at the Kia Sportage, with its seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. It's also better to drive.

Among the cheaper buys, the Nissan Qashqai has been one of the favourite family SUVs for years. In fact, it’s the car that started the family SUV revolution, in many ways, and a used one is still good to drive with a classy and practical interior. It’s got a good ride and excellent refinement, too, and promises low running costs. Reliability is an issue, though.

The Seat Ateca has taken the class by storm as an SUV that is a delight to drive. It also has a spacious interior and a good range of engines. It’s practical, rides well, if a little firmly, and looks good. Good value used, too, being far cheaper than the CR-V.

The Peugeot 5008 has seven seats as standard, which puts it at an advantage over the five-seat-only CR-V. It has a much nicer interior design and is great to drive. Used prices are temptingly low, too.

If you desire seven seats, you could also consider the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, which has a greater range of petrol and diesel engines and tighter handling. However, both the 5008 and the Tiguan have inferior reliability records to the CR-V.

You should also have a look at the Skoda Kodiaq, if you need seven seats, which is a similar proposition to the 5008. Or if you value the peace of mind that a long warranty provides, the Kia Sorento should be on your list.

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If you're interested in finding a used CR-V, or any of the other large SUVs mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.