Honda HR-V review

The HR-V looks quite expensive next to alternatives such as the Skoda Yeti and Suzuki Vitara, but it undercuts the slightly larger Nissan Qashqai by a small amount, particularly when equipment is taken into account.

Depreciation should be relatively slow, monthly personal contract purchase (PCP) costs are fairly attractive, and the diesel model is efficient enough to offer competitive company car bills. There’s a well-priced, five-year servicing deal that many buyers will find worthwhile, too.

The CVT is worth avoiding if you’re after the best in fuel economy, because it works the engine hard most of the time, and so causes it to use more fuel. The fact that it can only be had in conjunction with the more breathless petrol doesn’t help matters.

Entry-level S trim has a good amount of kit. Climate and cruise controls, 16in alloy wheels and automatic lights come as standard.

Our favourite trim is SE. For not a lot extra it lifts the cabin with a leather gearlever and steering wheel, while rear electric windows and more active safety tech also impress.

If satellite navigation is important to you but you’re not keen on stretching to range-topping EX trim, Honda has provided SE Navi trim. It adds sat-nav to all the features listed in SE above.

The EX models have heated leather seats, LED daytime running lights, sat-nav, a rear parking camera and keyless entry and start. We still think SE makes more financial sense though.

The HR-V is too new to have been included in any of the most recent reliability surveys. Honda however, has some seriously impressive stats when it comes to reliability.

In the most recent customer satisfaction survey, Honda finished mid table in terms of its reliability, but in our own What Car? Reliability survey, Honda was voted the most reliable manufacturer from a possible 37 manufacturers. Good customer service has always been one of Honda’s strong points, too.

If things do go wrong however, Honda includes a three-year, unlimited-mile warranty with all of its cars. Also included is a five-year exhaust rust warranty, as well as a three-year body corrosion, 10-year chassis corrosion, and 12-year structural corrosion guarantee.

You get an impressive amount of safety equipment. Six airbags and automatic city emergency braking are standard on all HR-Vs, and mid-spec SE versions and above also get lane-departure and forward-collision warning systems, headlights that switch between dipped and full beam automatically, and road-sign recognition. An alarm and engine immobiliser are standard across the range.

Euro NCAP has given the HR-V a full five-star crash test rating, a result helped by its impressive list of standard safety features.

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