Honda ZR-V

Honda ZR-V at a glance: segment, body and where it is built

The ZR-V is a five-door C-segment SUV, 4,568 mm long, which places it in the class of the Toyota C-HR, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Niro. Development was led by Shuichi Ono, with Hirotoshi Tamura responsible for the exterior and Daiki Ueno for the interior.

Production is spread over three countries. Honda builds the car at Yorii in Saitama, Japan, and at Celaya in Mexico, where the North American HR-V comes from. In China it is made by two joint ventures: GAC Honda in Guangzhou builds the ZR-V, Dongfeng Honda in Wuhan the HR-V. European cars come from GAC Honda's Huangpu plant.

Honda unveiled the North American HR-V on 4 April 2022, started Japanese sales on 8 September 2022 and launched the ZR-V in the UK on 4 July 2023 with three trims. In Germany ADAC dates the start of the series to October 2023.

Generations and versions of the ZR-V

There is only one generation, but the engine line-up depends heavily on the market. Europe receives only the hybrid; Japan and China also had a 1.5 turbo, and North America uses a non-turbo 2.0. All-wheel drive exists in other markets (chassis codes RZ2, RZ5 and RZ6), while ADAC notes that no four-wheel-drive version is planned for Germany.

The Japanese 1.5 turbo was discontinued in March 2026, which left the Japanese ZR-V as a hybrid-only model, the same as in Europe. A Cross Touring version joined the Japanese range in 2026.

Engines, transmissions and performance

The European e:HEV combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine (1,993 cc, 105 kW (143 PS), 186 Nm) with an electric traction motor of 135 kW (184 PS) and 315 Nm, which is also the system output. There is no conventional gearbox: ADAC lists a single fixed ratio. The battery is charged on the move; the ZR-V is a full hybrid, not a plug-in.

ADAC quotes 7.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and a top speed of 173 km/h for the European hybrid. In its test the ADAC gave the drivetrain a grade of 1.5, the best mark of the whole assessment, praising the quick response in town and on country roads. On the motorway the petrol engine has to rev hard before it delivers its power.

Dimensions, interior space and boot capacity

Honda's 380 litres compare with 355 litres measured by the ADAC, which called the boot slightly larger than the HR-V's but no better than average for the class. Rear headroom is the main weakness: in the ADAC test, passengers from about 1.90 m touched the headlining. The test praised the all-round visibility, unusual for an SUV, and the power tailgate with foot sensor. Use our garage fit tool to check whether the 1,840 mm body suits your parking space.

Fuel economy and running costs

The official WLTP figure for the e:HEV is 5.8 l/100 km (40.6 mpg US) and 132 g/km of CO2. In the ADAC Ecotest the car averaged 6.2 l/100 km, with a clear split by road type: 4.1 l/100 km in town, often running on electricity alone, 5.8 l/100 km on country roads and 8.5 l/100 km on the motorway. The Ecotest awarded four stars out of five.

The standard warranty in Germany is three years or 100,000 km, with 12 years against rust perforation. For cars from January 2026 Honda extends cover to up to eight years or 160,000 km, provided every service is done at a Honda dealer. You can plug your own mileage into the fuel cost calculator using the 6.2-litre real-world figure.

Trims and equipment

German prices, according to ADAC, are EUR 40,900 for the Elegance (from August 2025), EUR 43,900 for the Sport and EUR 46,600 for the Advance in the ADAC test report, while ADAC's data sheet lists EUR 47,100 for the Advance. The three trims mirror the UK launch range of Elegance, Sport and Advance.

Every ZR-V comes with the Honda Sensing package. Auto Express lists lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, driver attention monitoring and Traffic Jam Assist, plus adaptive cruise control, parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard. The ADAC counted eleven airbags and an automatic emergency braking system.

Safety ratings: Euro NCAP 2023

Euro NCAP tested a left-hand-drive ZR-V Advance in December 2023 and awarded four stars.

The thresholds for five stars are 80% in adult protection and 70% in safety assist, so the car missed both by a narrow margin. The weak point in the crash tests was the far-side impact, in which the heads of the driver and front passenger struck each other despite a centre airbag. In safety assist, the speed limiter was not switched on by default and the driver monitoring worked only above 45 km/h. In the United States the 2023 HR-V was named an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. More results are collected on our safety ratings page.

Reliability and known issues

The ZR-V is too new for long-term statistics. Auto Express notes that it has not yet appeared in its Driver Power owner survey, and the ADAC test report contains no breakdown data. The documented weak points are therefore practical rather than mechanical: limited rear headroom, a noisy, fuel-hungry drivetrain at motorway speeds (the ADAC measured 69.7 dB(A) at 130 km/h) and an average-sized boot.

Rivals: how the ZR-V compares

Figures are from the ADAC catalogue. The Toyota is cheaper and lighter on power; the Qashqai offers more power and boot space for slightly less money. The ZR-V's case rests on its steering, ride and finish, all praised by the ADAC. For a side-by-side view of any pair, open the comparison tool.

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