MODEL ON TEST: e:HEV ADVANCE STYLE PLUS – MILEAGE – 1,273

Thanks to a low-life scumbag who evidently prefers to prey on others, rather than doing anything productive, this review is looking not at what it’s like to live with Honda’s large SUV, the CR-V, but at the joys of running Honda’s small family SUV, the HR-V, instead. We’d had the former for little more than a fortnight when it vanished from outside our house in the dead of night, presumed spirited to an Africa-bound container ship along with a neighbour’s CR-V taken the same night. We were left only with memories, one photo (it looked great next to my Honda motorcycle, also in red) and its key, locked in a Faraday pouch.

The pain has been somewhat assuaged by the arrival of the CR-V’s smaller brother, resplendent in Urban Grey Pearl (a £700 option), and the fun of getting to grips with another new car. It’s an interesting one, too. This slice of the market is highly competitive, with the HR-V up against MINI’s Countryman and the Volkswagen T-Roc and others. Fortunately, the HR-V has a few tricks up its sleeve (one big one in particular) to keep it ahead of the game. The model we have is the fulsomely equipped, ‘flagship’ Advance Style Plus, costing £39,395 (without that special paint). There are four other variants starting at £32,725 for the Elegance, rising through Advance and Advance Style, all 1.5-litre (1,498cc) four-cylinder petrol hybrids.

Despite the action-ready stance, all are two-wheel-drive only, using e-CVT automatic gearboxes, all with paddles behind the steering wheel acting not to change gear in the traditional sense, but as ‘deceleration selectors’. We’ll get more into depth on that next time. Being a ‘proper’ hybrid, you don’t plug it in; it does all the work for you, saving having to visit charging points as well as petrol stations. So far, it’s impressed by frequently moving off from a standstill purely on silent ‘electric’, thanks to its two electric motors, which together with the petrol engine produce 129bhp.

What else does the HR-V offer? Its high-riding driving position is a big plus, as are its smart exterior lines and – inside and out – its evidently high level of fit and finish. The driving seat and cabin are – generally – a good place to be; it has nice-to-touch materials and lots of adjustability (it’s a pity there’s no adjustable lumbar support – normally I wind it full-on so have made do with a cushion). On first impressions there’s tons of room up front; for a smallish car it’s spacious. It feels even more spacious in the rear, in terms of legroom, which is substantial. Tall rear-seat passengers might feel the headroom is average rather than generous, though.

Equipment provision is excellent. All variants get wireless Apple CarPlay, an ‘Air Diffusion System’ which circulates air gently without a harsh stream (although that option is available by turning a nicely-weighted knob), heated front seats,‘Honda Connect with Navigation’, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, rear privacy glass and keyless entry and start. On the Advance Style Plus, lucky owners also enjoy a heated leather steering wheel, wireless smartphone charger, a 10-speaker premium audio system, adaptive headlights, a powered tailgate (with that clever foot-waving opening trick), a panoramic glass roof and adaptive cruise control with steering wheel controls making it easy to switch between ACC and ‘Limit’, if you want to prevent yourself from exceeding a chosen speed instead of cruising.

And that big trick, across all variants? ‘Magic’ seats, which – of course – do lots of tricks. They are among the easiest in the business to fold – entirely – flat, doing so effortlessly at the flip of a small seat-top lever (providing a 60/40 split). Honda says this provides sufficient space for two adult mountain bikes, upright (front wheels removed). Better yet, the bits of the rear seat you put your bottom on can be flipped up individually or together (like cinema seats) and in one easy motion, locked in place, creating a cavernous passenger floor area for tall objects; I shall test it soon as I need to take our ancient dining room chairs for re-seating. So much better than hiring a van… clearly, it’s going to be a practical and (at a claimed 52.3mpg) frugal relationship, the bonds strengthened, hopefully, by the bright yellow Halfords X-Lock we now fasten to the steering wheel when we park. Hopefully – it’s an important word at the moment – we’ll be able to report back next month and it hasn’t gone walkies…

DAVID WILLIAMS

WHAT’S HOT: The easily accessed steering wheel-mounted speed limiter is a boon, with the fast-growing number of revenue-producing 20mph roads in London.

WHAT’S NOT: Adaptive Cruise Control is also easily accessed, but it’s not the smoothest in the business, making for slightly lurchy progress at times.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT: 7-inch digital instruments, 18-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Primacy 4 with 225/50 R18 tyres and tyre repair kit, 60/40 split/fold rear magic seats, Adaptive cruise control, Alarm system, Ambient lighting, Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, Automatic headlights, Autonomous emergency braking, Blind spot warning system, DAB radio with 9-inch touchscreen, navigation, with 10-speakers, subwoofer, USB-A and -C sockets, voice control and steering wheel controls, Drive mode selector, Driver drowsiness detection, Driver, passenger, side and head airbags with passenger side de-activation, Dual-zone air conditioning, Electric and heated mirrors with power folding, Electric park brake, Electric windows front and rear, Electronic stability programme with traction control, Emergency e-call system, Faux leather and cloth upholstery, Hands free electric tailgate, Heated front seats, Heated steering wheel, Hill hold assist, Hill start assist, ISOFIX child seat safety fasteners for rear outer seats, Keyless entry and start, Lane departure warning system, Lane keep assist, Leather steering wheel and gear knob, LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lights, LED headlights with active cornering and adaptive functionality with sequential indicators, Panoramic glass roof, Parking sensors front and rear, Rain sensing windscreen wipers, Rear privacy glass, Reversing camera, Traffic jam assist, Traffic sign recognition, Tyre pressure monitors, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth smartphone compatibility and wired Android Auto and Wireless smartphone charger

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT FITTED TO TEST CAR:

Urban grey pearl paint (£700)

FACTS & FIGURES

PRICE: (NEW) £39,395 (AS TESTED) £40,095

COLOUR: Urban grey pearl

BUILT IN: Saitama, Japan

CODENAME: RV

GENERATION: 4 Facelift

PLATFORM: Honda Global Small Car

BODYSTYLE: 5-door SUV, 5-seats

LAYOUT: Front-wheel drive

POWERPLANT: 1,498cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, petrol with electric motor and 0.92kWh lithium-ion battery pack

GEARBOX: Continuously variable transmission

MAX POWER (ENGINE): 79kW/106bhp/107ps @ 6,400rpm

MAX POWER (ELECTRIC MOTOR): 96kW/129bhp/131ps

MAX TORQUE (ENGINE): 97lb ft/131Nm @ 5,000rpm

MAX TORQUE (ELECTRIC MOTOR): 187lb ft/253Nm

TOP SPEED: 105mph

0-62MPH: 10.8secs

CO2 EMISSIONS: 122g/km

ECONOMY (COMBINED): 52.3mpg

ECONOMY (ON TEST): 52.4mpg

FUEL TANK: 40 litres

RANGE: 460 miles

INSURANCE GROUP: 33

BIK RATE (2026/2027 TAX YEAR): 31%

SIZE (LENGTH/WIDTH WITH MIRRORS/HEIGHT/ WHEELBASE): 4,355/2,028/1,582/2,610mm

BOOT SPACE (MIX/MAX): 304/1,274 litres

KERB WEIGHT: 1,380kg

TOWING WEIGHT: 0kg

EURO NCAP RATING: Four stars

SPARE WHEEL (FULL-SIZE/SPACESAVER/RUN-FLAT/ SELF-SEALING/REPAIR KIT): No/no/no/no/yes 

WARRANTY: 3 years/90,000 miles up to service activated 8 years/100,000 miles

DATE ARRIVED: 20th July 2026

COSTS: None

FAULTS: None