Honda CR-V 2026 Review

For the 2026 update, the Honda CR-V range now opens $1000 higher than before at $44,900 drive-away for the VTi X; one of just two variants in to retain the 140kW/240Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that was the mainstay power unit pre-update.

Adding $5000 turns a VTi X into an e:HEV X and replaces that pure combustion engine with a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol and electric motor combo good for a combined 135kW/335Nm, finally giving Honda a hybrid mid-sizer that can contest the thickest part of the petrol-electric medium-SUV segment.

Rivals include the obvious, like Toyota’s new-generation RAV4 and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, as well as the Kia Sportage and e-POWER variants of the Nissan X-TRAIL. Chinese alternatives like Haval’s H6, the MG HS and Leapmotor C10 hold a price advantage, but Honda’s strategy is to pitch its revamped CR-V family at the quasi-premium end of the market.

Above the e:HEV X sits the e:HEV L ($53,900), which offers the same FWD hybrid powertrain but dollops on more equipment, but it’s the two AWD top-speccers, the e:HEV LX and RS, that are Honda’s premium play, priced at $58,900 and $64,400 respectively.

The RS’s new price breaches the $60K barrier for the first time, but it compensates with not only the addition of all-wheel drive, but also new gadgets like a head-up display, ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats and a customisable drive mode.

Spec gains are less generous for the others. The new e:HEV variants all get a 10.2-inch digital cockpit and a shift-by-wire transmission control that eliminates the old-fashioned selector lever, and the mid-grade L also scores a 360-degree parking camera for the first time.

Infotainment is handled by a 9.0-inch touchscreen running the second-generation Honda Connect operating system, with Google built in. Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay are standard across the range, though if you want to listen to digital radio channels, only the pricey LX and RS grades – which also come with a 12-speaker Bose audio system – are equipped for that.

Tested by ANCAP back in 2023 when the sixth generation launched, the CR-V only carries a four-star crash safety rating – though Honda says it has no intention to re-test the updated model.

There are no major changes to the safety fit-out for 2026, which already incorporates features like lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and 10 airbags (including separate side airbags for the second row and a centre bag between the front occupants) on every variant.

ISOFIX child seat anchorages are fitted to the rear outboard eats, but aren’t present in the third row of the seven-seat CR-V VTi L7.

The warranty period is five years with no kilometre limitation, which also includes five years of roadside assistance. That’s extendable to eight years/unlimited kilometres if owners stay within Honda’s network for their servicing, a decision that should be made easier by its $199 capped price servicing and 12-monthly maintenance intervals.

The biggest virtue of Honda’s 2026 CR-V update is that it doesn’t mess with the fundamentals of the car itself – it’s merely a range restructure and a specification re-balance.

By bringing more hybrids for customers to choose from and bringing those variants to a much lower price point, that’s really all Honda needed to do to sharpen the pencil on the CR-V’s offering because the sixth-gen CR-V was already one of the most likeable SUVs of its ilk to begin with. It wasn’t broken, so Honda didn’t mess with it.

And that means a handsome cabin that feels right-sized for modern Aussie families, with a back seat spacious enough for a couple of lanky teens and a 589L boot (581L for the AWD variants) able to easily swallow up prams, groceries and Labradors.

But besides the electronic instrument panel and the new equipment for the RS, the only major physical difference – and one that only pertains to the hybrids – is the substitution of a low-profile switch block for the old transmission selector.

It opens up access to the centre stack’s lower tray and wireless charging pad, and is an ergonomic win in a cabin that was already a comfortable place to be.

The driving experience is no different either, even in the new-for-2026 all-wheel drive hybrids. Though they have double the number of driven wheels, weight is up while power and torque are the same as the FWD e:HEV X and e:HEV L, meaning fuel economy is slightly worse (5.7L/100km vs 5.5L/100km) and straight-line performance is marginally blunted.

It’s not to the detriment of refinement, however, with the CR-V seamlessly meshing the combustion and electric sides of its powertrain for smooth and fuss-free progress. The ride, handling, and steering are still highlights too, with outstanding absorption of bumps, crisp cornering, and slack-free – but not hyper-reactive – steering making the CR-V a joy to drive.

The addition of all-wheel drive is nice, but the RS is starting to look like a sheep in wolf’s clothing considering it adopts a sporty posture yet has identical performance to the e:HEV LX.

A little more power and torque wouldn’t have gone astray for those AWD variants, especially now that we’re in an era where electrified SUVs with all-paw drivelines are powering their rear axles with an additional electric motor and generating more grunt as a result, not taking power mechanically rearward with a traditional driveshaft like the CR-V does.

Case in point: the BYD Sealion 8, which leaps from 205kW/315Nm in FWD form, to a stout 359kW/675Nm as an AWD.

The Haval H6 PHEV is another, making 240kW/540Nm as a bum-dragger, to boasting 268kW and a scarcely believable 760Nm in AWD guise. The Japanese are literally being overtaken by the Chinese here. You’d forgive it if the Honda had a cost advantage, but the opposite is true.

There are other niggles. The paddles behind the steering wheel control the strength of the regenerative braking for the hybrid, which isn’t unusual for an electrified product, but it would be nice if they switched over to providing manual control of the CVT’s stepped ratios when in Sport mode as per the petrols.

Speaking of, while heavy use of the throttle automatically puts the CVT into that sportier shift behaviour, if the road gets steep enough the powertrain has no choice but to lock on to a single RPM in order to keep up the pace, the sound of which can wear thin when driving up long inclines.

Simply having more power and torque would arguably limit the need for such revviness.

Another nice-to-have? A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option. 2026 marks the year that Toyota finally brings a plug-in to market for its RAV4, but while a PHEV CR-V exists overseas, Honda says it’s not on the radar for Australia.

At a time when Australians are looking to reduce their reliance on liquid fuels in a big way, that might be a mistake.

Though it loses ground to some of its Chinese opponents when it comes to mechanical mumbo, the 2026 Honda CR-V still has something that many of its rivals don’t: a certain fluidity and cohesion between all of its elements that makes it such a pleasant car to drive – or be driven – around town in.

Its cabin is also thoughtfully laid out and tightly assembled, and though that 9.0-inch infotainment display looks a little old-fashioned now, it’s refreshingly easy to use and unburdened by frustrating sub-menus and nested controls.

This is a car that works with you rather than fights you, and that’s a quality that’s still far from universal.

2026 Honda CR-V at a glance:
Price: $44,900 - $64,400 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo-petrol, 2.0-litre 4-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol
Output: 140kW/240Nm (petrol), 135kW/335Nm (hybrid)
Transmission: CVT automatic
Fuel: 7.1L/100km (VTi-X), 7.3L/100km (VTi L7), 5.5L/100km (hybrid 2WD), 5.7L/100km (hybrid AWD)
CO2: 125g/km – 167g/km
Safety rating: 4-star (2023)

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au