HYBRID SUVs are everywhere these days, but few wear their eco-credentials as confidently as the Honda HR-V. While some rivals still feel like petrol cars with a battery wedged in, the HR-V e:HEV was designed as a hybrid from the ground up.
The result is a small family crossover that’s smart to look at, smooth to drive, and refreshingly easy to live with. Honda hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel here — it’s just made the wheel quieter, cleaner, and a lot more efficient.
Car Overview
The HR-V is Honda’s compact crossover, sitting beneath the CR-V in size but punching above its weight in usability. Prices start at just over £31,000 (OTR) with a simple line-up that includes Elegance, Advance, and Advance Style trims.
My test car was the range-topping Advance Style Plus edition, at just over £38,000, which adds some flair with contrasting roof paintwork, upgraded audio, a wireless phone charger, and a few styling touches that make the HR-V look that bit sharper. It’s basically the Advance Style model but with a panoramic sunroof.
However, it’s the one you’d pick if you want your sensible hybrid to look just a little bit more stylish – especially in Seabed Blue Pearl 2-tone (+£700) which my press car was dressed in.
All versions use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with two electric motors, producing a combined 131PS and 253Nm of torque. That might not sound like much on paper, but thanks to Honda’s clever e:HEV system, it feels more responsive than the numbers suggest.
Official fuel economy is around 52mpg combined, with CO₂ emissions of 122g/km, making it a wallet-friendly option for company car buyers and families alike.
Design
Honda has gone bold with the latest HR-V. The front end is dominated by a wide, body-coloured grille flanked by slim LED headlights, giving it a clean, modern face that looks far more premium than its predecessor.
The coupe-like roofline adds some flair, and the hidden rear door handles carry over from the last generation, giving the HR-V a sleeker side profile.
The rear is equally neat, with a full-width light bar tying the look together. It’s not trying to be shouty, but it manages to look upmarket without borrowing cues from anyone else.
The Advance Style trim helps here — the contrast roof and smarter detailing lift the HR-V above the more subdued Elegance version, giving it just enough personality without feeling garish. Compared with the slightly anonymous Toyota C-HR or the over-fussy Nissan Juke, the HR-V nails that tricky balance between stylish and sensible.
Interior
Step inside, and the HR-V continues to impress. Honda’s interiors used to be functional rather than fashionable, but this one genuinely feels premium. The Advance Style model builds on that with a wireless phone charger, improved audio, and some additional trim details that help the cabin feel a touch more special.
The dash is simple and logical, with chunky, easy to reach physical controls for the climate (thank you, Honda) and a cleanly integrated 9-inch infotainment screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the system is quick enough although visually it looks a little dated. Best to stick with phone mirroring then . . .
Space is excellent for a compact SUV. The front seats are supportive and give a good view of the road, while the rear seats are roomier than you’d expect thanks to Honda’s clever packaging. The boot offers 319 litres with the seats up and expands to 1,305 litres with them folded flat — not class-leading, but enough for family duties. Honda’s party trick, the “Magic Seats,” make a welcome return, allowing you to flip up the rear cushions to carry tall items like plants or bikes with ease.
Materials are a step up too. Soft-touch plastics, neat stitching, and a general sense of solidity make the HR-V feel more expensive than its price tag suggests. It’s not flashy, but it is quietly satisfying.
Driving Impressions
To give the HR-V a proper test, my wife and I took it on a day trip from our home in Glenrothes to Pitlochry and back — a journey that mixes a bit of everything: town driving, dual carriageways, twisting A-roads, and a solid stretch of motorway.
Around town, the HR-V is superb. The e:HEV system shuffles between electric and petrol power with a smoothness that borders on uncanny. Pulling away from lights, it’s usually silent, the petrol engine only joining in if you press harder. When it does, the transition is seamless — there’s no shudder, no hesitation, just more shove when you need it. That calm, quiet character makes short hops across town almost relaxing.
Once out on the motorway heading north, the HR-V settled into a confident cruise. At 70mph, the engine ticks over at low revs and you get very little wind or road noise — an impressive feat for a compact SUV. We could chat comfortably without raising our voices, and the upgraded audio system in the Advance Style trim made even Spotify soundtracks feel like a small luxury.
The twisting roads closer to Pitlochry gave the HR-V another chance to shine. The steering is light but accurate, and while there isn’t much in the way of feedback, the car feels predictable and composed.
Body roll is well contained for a crossover of this size, and although it’s not a car that begs to be pushed, it doesn’t fall apart if you decide to carry a bit of speed through a corner. The suspension deserves praise too — it soaked up the bumps of rural Perthshire roads without losing composure, yet felt taut enough to inspire confidence.
Performance is modest on paper — 0–62mph in about 10.6 seconds — but in real-world use it feels quicker, thanks to the instant response of the electric motors. Overtakes on single-carriageway stretches didn’t have me worried and the car had no trouble climbing the hills around Pitlochry. The e:HEV system’s ability to blend petrol and electric power on demand makes the HR-V feel stronger than its spec sheet suggests.
Over the full day’s driving, which was around 120 miles there and back, the trip computer showed an easy 55mpg without trying particularly hard. That’s better than the official figure, proof that the hybrid system isn’t just for show. For a family crossover carrying two adults, a day’s worth of clobber, and covering a mix of roads, that’s impressive efficiency.
Perhaps the best thing about the HR-V is that it makes driving feel effortless. There’s no learning curve, no strange quirks, just a car that quietly gets on with the job. For buyers who aren’t ready to embrace the compromises of a plug-in hybrid or a full EV, that simplicity will be a major selling point.
Technology & Safety
Honda has packed the HR-V with tech. That infotainment ststem may look slightly dated but it’s straightforward, with big icons and a responsive interface, and the driver display is clear without being cluttered. The Advance Style trim also adds a few niceties like a wireless charger and more premium-feeling details, though the core experience is solid across the range.
Safety is strong across the board. The Honda Sensing suite includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and automatic emergency braking. It’s all standard, no need to tick expensive option boxes.
On our trip north, the adaptive cruise worked flawlessly on the motorway, keeping a steady gap without the jerky braking some systems suffer from. Lane-keeping assist nudges gently rather than wrestles with the wheel, which makes it one of the less irritating systems out there.
Ownership & Warranty
Honda offers a three-year, 90,000-mile warranty in the UK, with the option to extend. Servicing is every 12 months or 12,500 miles, and Honda’s dealer network is solid, if not as widespread as Kia or Toyota. Running costs should be refreshingly low thanks to that 50+mpg economy, and there’s no need to worry about plugging in or rapid charging queues. For buyers who like the idea of electrification but aren’t ready to go full EV, the HR-V feels like the perfect middle ground.
Rivals
The compact hybrid SUV market is crowded, but the HR-V makes a strong case for itself. The Toyota C-HR has similar hybrid tech but a more divisive design and less interior space. The Nissan Juke Hybrid is cheaper, but it feels smaller and less refined inside. Then there’s the Renault Captur E-Tech, which is clever and efficient but doesn’t have the Honda’s sense of solidity.
Against this backdrop, the HR-V feels like the most mature choice. It’s not the cheapest, but the Advance Style trim in particular delivers a more premium experience without straying into premium-brand pricing.
Verdict
The Honda HR-V e:HEV is a reminder that hybrids don’t need to be complicated or boring. It’s stylish without being try-hard and practical without feeling utilitarian. The cabin feels premium, the tech is easy to use, and the driving experience is smooth and stress-free.
The best thing about it is how seamlessly it blends hybrid efficiency into everyday life — as our Glenrothes-to-Pitlochry trip proved, it covers town, motorway, and rural roads with equal ease, sipping fuel while keeping its passengers comfortable. The weakest point? The boot could be bigger, and the engine note under heavy acceleration won’t win any awards for subtlety.
But judged as a whole, the HR-V nails its brief. It’s a compact SUV that feels genuinely grown-up, and the Advance Style trim gives it the polish and personality to stand out.
- AT A GLANCE:
- Honda HR-V Advance Style Plus
- OTR Price: £39,525
- Engine: 1.5 petrol Hybrid
- Power: 131 PS
- Transmission: e-CVT
- 0-62mph: 10.7 secs
- Top Speed: 105 mph
- Combined Economy: 52.3 mpg
- C02: 122 g/km