Honda HR-V review

Pros: high-quality cabin, flexible rear seating, polished driving experience

Cons: engine can be loud, quite expensive to buy

Honda HR-V Design

The Honda HR-V is styled to be a coupe-crossover and, while it looks a little like the company’s electric car (the oddly named e:NY1) and it is very similar in size, it is built on a different platform. Updates introduced at the end of 2024 sharpen up the exterior and it’s a distinctive-looking car that seems to grab plenty of attention with its sharp looks. The front is dominated by a neatly integrated grille flanked by slender lights and there’s a full-width light bar at the rear as well, as is all the rage. Meanwhile, the contrast-black roof and ‘hidden’ rear door handles conspire to give the side profile a sporty vibe.

Honda HR-V Interior

The interior style isn’t perhaps as distinctive as that of the outside, but the HR-V’s cabin is of notably high quality, with well-damped switchgear and a mix of tactile materials. It’s no luxury car, but it feels exceptionally well-made. Some will feel the high-mounted touchscreen is a little small, but it doesn’t have to do as much as others as Honda has sensibly kept the controls for the heating and ventilation separate. Likewise, there’s nothing flashy about the instruments, but they’re clear and easy to read at a glance.

More good news comes in the form of space and flexibility. There’s plenty of rear legroom and headroom, certainly for two adult passengers, while the back seats have an especially clever folding mechanism. Release them and they sink down to line up with the boot floor at quite a low level, to the benefit of cargo-carrying volume. Alternatively, pull up the bases of the seats and they swivel out of the way to the roof creating a massive storage space that’s the full width of the car, separate to the boot. Honda calls this setup its “Magic Seats” and they live up to the title.

Honda HR-V Performance & Drive

There’s a single hybrid powertrain for the HR-V, called e:HEV by Honda. This is not one you can plug in and consists of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors. Automatically, the system choses from fully electric drive, hybrid drive or engine drive, depending on the scenario and how much performance is required.

It feels perky enough at low speeds thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor, but it’s not a particularly fast car overall. Honda quotes a 0-100km/h time of 10.6 seconds and peak outputs of 131hp and 253Nm of torque. Most people will be happy enough with the day-to-day performance, though the engine can get a little raucous if you demand maximum acceleration. It does that a lot if you switch the car into the Sport mode, which has a marginal effect on its responsiveness. Best to leave it in the Econ or Normal settings.

Aside from the engine, the HR-V is quiet and refined at motorway speeds, and the suspension offers a good blend of comfort and body control. It’s a pleasant enough car to thread down a twisty road, though it’s not one to seek out the long way around in. In short, it’s competent.

Honda HR-V Pricing

Prices start at €41,750 for the Elegance model, rising through Advance and Advance Style to the range-topping Advance Style Plus, which costs a hefty €49,750. It’s not a cheap car, but then again, neither does it feel like it is. Even the entry-level model comes with a nine-inch touchscreen, navigation, smartphone mirroring, keyless entry and start, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, air conditioning, electric windows all round and Bluetooth telephony.

Carzone Verdict

Given the popularity of hybrid power right now, the HR-V is more relevant than ever, and it offers buyers an alternative to the default Toyota option. Though the Honda isn’t the cheapest car of its type on the market, buyers are likely to feel the pricing is justified.