Honda ZR-V Review

The Honda ZR-V is a hybrid-powered family SUV, which slots into the Japanese company’s range between the HR-V and CR-V models.

It borrows much from the latest Honda Civic family hatchback, including a clever powertrain and a smart interior. Compared to other family-friendly rivals like the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson, the ZR-V certainly stands out as an intriguing option.

Honda does have a reputation for putting plenty of innovative engineering into its products, and the ZR-V does not disappoint here. Its e:HEV powertrain is a genuine marvel, combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a pair of electric motors.

In most circumstances, the petrol engine does not directly power the front wheels, acting instead as a generator to charge the lithium-ion battery for the electric motors. At higher speeds, the clever e-CVT gearbox can allow a direct link between the engine and front wheels, juggling this transition seamlessly.

The result is an SUV that feels relatively quick to drive, thanks to the instant responses from its electric motors. Yet at the same time, it can offer an official fuel consumption of almost 50mpg – and without needing to be plugged in to charge.

On top of this, the Honda ZR-V is a genuinely enjoyable car to drive, channelling much of the Civic on which it is based. It is certainly one of the most fun family SUVs, with suspension that strikes a great balance between comfort and control.

Not everything is perfect in the ZR-V, though. Although its high-quality interior is packed with plenty of equipment, this is not the most spacious SUV on sale. A boot capacity of 380 litres is actually less than the Civic it shares a platform with, while getting three adults onto the rear bench seat could be a squeeze.

Buying a new Honda ZR-V is likely to be a squeeze on your wallet, too. Prices start at just under £40,000 for the entry-level Elegance model, rising to more than £43,000 for the range-topping Advance version (correct at the time of writing). It could certainly pay to check out a nearly-new example and make a saving instead, with 2023 cars starting as low as £25,000, with no more than 15,000 miles.

There is a lot to like about the Honda ZR-V, not least because it does things in a slightly different way to most other family SUVs. If you want efficient hybrid power with a degree of driving fun, the Honda could be a winner.

Because every ZR-V uses the same 2.0-litre e:HEV hybrid system, the choice is all about trim.

For most buyers, Sport is the sweet spot. It adds the power tailgate, upgraded upholstery, extra rear USB ports and some useful styling touches, without pushing the car all the way into Advance money.

Elegance still makes sense if you want the lowest list price and the strongest value case, because Honda has not stripped it bare. But Sport is the version that feels most rounded. Advance adds some genuinely nice luxuries, including the panoramic roof, Bose audio and head-up display, though at that point the price becomes harder to justify.

The current Honda ZR-V range starts at £36,525 for Elegance. Sport is £38,765, while the range-topping Advance comes in at £40,895.

Those prices make the ZR-V look a little more competitive than early reviews suggested, but it is still not a budget choice. A Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson or Nissan Qashqai can still look like stronger value if your priorities are space and equipment per pound.

Honda’s defence is that the ZR-V feels unusually polished and well finished, and that does count for something. It just means the car has to be sold on quality and engineering feel, not on raw numbers.

The Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are two of the most obvious alternatives because they offer a similar family-SUV brief with self-charging hybrid options, more boot space and often better headline value.

The Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan are also right in the ZR-V’s wheelhouse, while the Mazda CX-5 remains a good fit if driving feel matters to you. If you are willing to spend a bit more for a premium badge, the Lexus NX is the more luxurious hybrid SUV alternative.

There is also an awkward in-house rival. The Honda Civic e:HEV delivers much of the same engineering appeal and hybrid smoothness in hatchback form, which makes it worth considering if you do not actually need SUV styling or ride height.

The front of the cabin is a strong point. There is plenty of room, the seats are comfortable and the driving position is more natural than in many SUVs, even if it does not give you quite the same lofty perch as some alternatives.

The dashboard is deliberately straightforward, and that helps the ZR-V feel calm and intuitive to use. Visibility forwards is good, though the rear view is more restricted than the bluff tailgate might suggest, making the standard parking sensors and rear-view camera particularly welcome.

Rear-seat space is acceptable rather than outstanding. Two adults will be comfortable enough, but the middle seat is narrow and the overall sense of space is less generous than in a Sportage or Tucson.

The boot is the bigger issue. At 380 litres, it is smaller than you would expect from a family SUV of this size and trails many rivals by a sizeable margin. Advance loses a little more capacity because of its subwoofer. The rear seats do fold 60:40 to open up more space, but the ZR-V is still not the car to choose if luggage room is your top priority.

The Honda ZR-V measures 4,568mm long, 1,840mm wide & 1,620mm high. That places it neatly in the heart of the family-SUV class, sitting between more compact crossovers and the larger end of the segment.

Those dimensions help make it feel substantial enough on the road without ever becoming cumbersome, but they also make the limited boot space slightly more disappointing.

The ZR-V uses Honda’s 9.0-inch central touchscreen, which is not the flashiest system in the class but is a lot easier to get along with than some more visually dramatic rivals. The graphics are a little plain, but response times are good and the physical home and back buttons help usability.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto are standard, along with navigation. Honda has also sensibly retained proper climate controls and a real volume knob, which makes the ZR-V much easier to operate than the touch-heavy systems used by some competitors.

Elegance already gets the core tech, while Sport and Advance add rear USB ports and wireless charging. The Bose audio system on Advance is the main tech upgrade worth chasing if you value sound quality.

The ZR-V feels more premium inside than many mainstream rivals. The honeycomb air-vent trim across the dashboard is a nice detail, the key touchpoints feel robust and the overall fit and finish are strong.

There are still some cheaper plastics lower down, as there are in most family SUVs, but the main impression is one of quality and durability. Honda has done a good job of making the ZR-V feel more expensive inside than its badge alone might suggest.

Advance feels the richest of the three trims, with full leather upholstery and the panoramic roof helping lift the ambience, but even Elegance has a pleasantly solid, thoughtfully built feel.

Every current ZR-V uses Honda’s 2.0-litre e:HEV full-hybrid system, combining a naturally aspirated petrol engine with two electric motors and a small battery pack. Total output is 184PS and 315Nm of torque, with all versions driving the front wheels.

Officially, 0-62mph takes 7.8 seconds in Elegance and around 8.0 seconds in Sport and Advance, while top speed is 107mph.

The key point is that the powertrain feels smooth and eager enough in the real world. The electric motor gives it strong initial response, and Honda’s hybrid calibration avoids the worst of the strained, droning behaviour that can affect CVT-style systems.

Family SUVs are not typically renowned for their handling prowess, but the Honda ZR-V is one of the exceptions to the rule. It cannot quite match the Honda Civic it shares a platform with, but is certainly streets ahead of rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson.

The ZR-V’s steering is not bursting with feel, and is quite light in standard mode. Switching to Sport mode adds some extra weight, though. Whatever the driving mode, the ZR-V handles neatly and precisely, aided by plenty of grip. Only a Mazda CX-5 offers a similar driving experience in this class, but that does not come with a hybrid powertrain option.

Honda has put substantial effort into engineering the ZR-V’s suspension setup. It manages to be comfortable, easily absorbing bumps in the road, but also keeps body-roll in check.

Helping the ZR-V is Honda’s decision to stick with offering only 18-inch alloy wheels across the range. In a world where every SUV seems to come with 20-inch wheels, the Honda’s taller tyres are a bonus for ride comfort, absorbing potholes effectively.

The Honda ZR-V has a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating. That is a little disappointing on paper, but it still reflects a car with a strong safety offering rather than an unsafe one.

Standard equipment includes forward collision warning, road departure mitigation, lane-keeping assistance and an intelligent speed limiter. The ZR-V narrowly missed the threshold for a five-star result, so while the headline is not perfect, the underlying safety story remains respectable.

Official combined fuel economy ranges from 49.6mpg in Elegance to 48.7mpg in Sport and Advance. Those are good numbers for a family SUV of this size and performance.

In real use, mid-40s mpg should be easy enough to achieve, while careful drivers will likely see 50mpg or more in the right conditions. That makes the ZR-V genuinely appealing for buyers who want hybrid efficiency without the complexity of plugging in.

Honda covers the ZR-V with a three-year or 90,000-mile warranty, while the hybrid battery and system are covered for five years or 90,000 miles. More recently, Honda has also added its service-activated warranty support, extending cover annually up to eight years or 100,000 miles if the car is maintained within the network.

That strengthens the ownership story further, particularly given Honda’s strong reliability reputation. The brand continues to perform well in owner surveys, and the ZR-V’s close mechanical relationship to the Civic should also reassure buyers.

All current ZR-V trims sit in insurance group 35. That is relatively high for a mainstream family SUV and worth noting before you commit.

It means the Honda may well cost more to insure than a comparable Sportage or Tucson, even if its fuel economy helps claw back some of that difference elsewhere.

Provided you haven’t ticked a single option box, then the Elegance will cost you £200 per year. But because Sport and Advance both start over £40,000, they’re subject to a VED surcharge, which lifts the bill to £640 a year for the next five years. This surcharge also applies to models registered prior to April 2025, if they cost over £40k new. Put simply, Elegance models should be cheapest of the bunch to tax.