2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid compact SUV boosts fuel economy and power over its regular combustion counterpart, while retaining all the other great qualities. Pricing starts at $33,350

When we gave the current CR-V our Best Buy and Best Family Car awards, we meant all versions, including this hybrid variant. The CR-V is a superb, well-considered package. It does virtually everything right, including build quality, cabin space, safety, and easy-to-use tech. Offering lower fuel bills and more power than the all-gas CR-V, Honda says about half of all CR-V buyers will choose this variant. The non-hybrid Honda CR-V is reviewed separately.

The CR-V Hybrid is propelled by a 204-horsepower drivetrain harnessing energy from both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. This latter item adds that extra spark to make this hybrid model even more enjoyable than the combustion-only CR-V.

Yes, enjoyment. Easy, effort-free driving has always been something of a CR-V trait in previous generations. It’s still evident in this CR-V Hybrid, but we’ve discovered an added dimension to this king of the suburban road — which is a bit of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. There’s a poise and agility to how the CR-V Hybrid drives, a perfect complement to this energetic drivetrain.

Yet not at the expense of comfort. If there was a CR-V Hybrid in our driveway, we’d look forward to every trip — even that one to the dentist. A satisfying driving experience doesn’t come just from accelerating or zipping around corners. It’s also in things like confident braking, great outward vision (helped by the wide windshield), and a quiet cabin. The CR-V Hybrid excels at this stuff.

Hybrids have brake energy regeneration systems that sometimes result in an odd feel to the pedal. Not this one. Stopping power is precise and strong, with enough feedback so drivers can tell how much pressure to apply.

A few years ago, we wouldn’t have bothered to mention the presence of a shift lever for the automatic transmission. But with the rise of push-button gear selectors in many other vehicles, the conventional shifter in the CR-V Hybrid caught our attention. It’s great, it works, and it feels intuitive.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating the current collection of compact SUVs, including this Honda CR-V Hybrid.

Body Stabilizing Seats. That’s what Honda calls the front seats in the CR-V Hybrid compact SUV. And there was us thinking that all car seats — with their cushions and side bolsters — were designed to stabilize the body sitting in them. Fancy terms notwithstanding, they’re supportive and comfortable enough for long trips.

The most affordable CR-V Hybrid is the Sport trim, equipped to a decent level. But it also has a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen, which seems a bit small these days. Even the Sport-L and Sport Touring’s 9-inch touchscreen is relatively modest. Honda is kind enough to supply an actual volume knob, though.

The sharp graphics and clean looks of the driver information display are a visual delight. And we think the black metal mesh strip running across the dashboard looks good. But we can also imagine an owner buying a small paint brush and keeping it in the glove compartment, just so they can clean out that mesh from time to time. Thank goodness kids of sticky-finger age have to sit in the back.

Adults (with sticky hands or otherwise) will find plenty of space in that second row. With an impressive 41 inches of rear legroom, the CR-V’s backseat is roomy enough for a 6-footer to be comfortable.

Cargo space goes from “massive” with the rear seats up, to “almost twice as massive” when they’re folded down. Seriously. The figures are 39.3 and 76.5 cubic feet — yet another way this Honda beats most of the competition. And a low cargo floor eases the loading and unloading of heavier items.

Hybrid drivetrain
No-brainer, best of both worlds… however you want phrase it, the CR-V Hybrid doesn’t have to sacrifice power for fuel economy or the other way around. It doesn’t even have to compromise on cargo space.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Whoever invented the way to integrate a phone and its apps into a car’s infotainment system, we salute you. This is standard in both trims, but the top Sport Touring has wireless Apple CarPlay.

Wireless charging
It’s great to go the whole wireless hog. The charging pad is in the center console of the Sport Touring trim.

All-wheel drive
Optional on the Sport trim, standard on the Sport Touring, all-wheel drive earns its keep in bad weather. Every CR-V Hybrid also has a Snow driving mode, where throttle and transmission settings help combat wheelspin.

Hill descent control
A standard system with both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the CR-V Hybrid, hill descent control works between 2 mph and 12 mph, allowing the driver to concentrate on steering down a slippery slope while the vehicle takes care of the throttle, brakes, and transmission.

Traffic Jam Assist
As long as it senses an attentive hand on the steering wheel, the CR-V Hybrid can pretty well drive itself through a variety of traffic situations up to 45 mph.

A 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor work together to create a total of 204 horsepower. Honda doesn’t quote any torque figure, but we know from driving the CR-V Hybrid that it’s lively and responsive.

This energy goes through an automatic transmission to drive either the front wheels (FWD, standard in the lowest Sport trim) or all-wheel drive (AWD, optional in Sport, standard in the top Sport Touring model).

Honda recommends 87 octane gasoline or higher. The CR-V Hybrid isn’t the class-leader in terms of fuel economy, but it’s close.

2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine/electric motor
204 total system horsepower
EPA combined fuel economy (2023): 40 mpg with front-wheel drive (43 city, 36 highway), 37 mpg with all-wheel drive (40 city, 34 highway)

Hybrid Fuel Savings

At 15,000 miles per year, a front-wheel-drive CR-V Hybrid will burn through about 10 fewer gallons per month than its gas-only counterpart. Even at $3 per gallon, that’s $30 per month. Looking at a full 5-year buy/drive/sell ownership cycle, those savings would more than make up for the hybrid’s relatively nominal price premium. The hybrid also requires about 10 fewer trips to the gas station every year.

Safety Ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not crash-tested the CR-V Hybrid specifically, but the regular CR-V has been named a Top Safety Pick+, the institute’s highest accolade.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The CR-V Hybrid has a basic new-vehicle warranty of three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. This is typical for mainstream companies like Honda. The powertrain is covered for five years or 60,000 miles, while the hybrid battery has a warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles. Again, all quite par for the course. Complimentary maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles is also included.