The Honda CR-V continues to be a popular choice if you’re looking for a compact SUV, as it was the second best-selling car in the segment for 2025 – and the 2026 edition kicks things up a notch in the form of the Honda CR-V’s TrailSport Hybrid trim, which is new for the model year. Logan K. Carter summed up his experience by saying that the CR-V “remains one of the most refined, composed, roomy and easy-to-use options in the compact crossover segment.”
But that segment is full of good choices. For example, Consumer Reports recommended both the hybrid and non-hybrid 2026 CR-V, but did the same for 20 other compact SUVs. The magazine even ran an article called “5 Reasons Not to Buy a Honda CR-V Now” in the summer of 2025 after the 2026 CR-V debuted. The bottom line was that while the Honda may still make sense, it has some disadvantages compared to today’s impressive crop of compact SUVs.
Which brings us to the only rivals that beat the CR-V, the hybrid, with higher scores. We think there were three: Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5. Consumer Reports—because it treats hybrids and non-hybrids as different models—lists four: Subaru Forester Hybrid, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid and Mazda CX-5. We’ll cover them all, noting that the non-hybrid CR-V’s overall score was lower than 10 of its compact SUV rivals.
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2025 Mazda CX-5
A red 2026 Mazda CX-5 parked on a paved road overlooking the harbor – Mazda
First, note that Consumer Reports hadn’t tested the 2026 Mazda CX-5 when its rankings were published, but listed the 2025 model. Checking the lane history between it and the gas-only CR-V tells us that a key difference between them is their predicted reliability. The Mazda CX-5 scored best in class in this measure, which is based on Consumer Reports’ annual member survey covering hundreds of thousands of vehicles. The CR-V wasn’t exactly far behind either, as the CR’s predicted reliability score was nearly 25 percent lower than the CX-5’s.
That said, it was the CR-V with a noticeably better driving experience, despite any lingering zoom-zoom capabilities from Mazda. However, they had about the same owner satisfaction scores.
The 2026 CR-V will also have to contend with an all-new CX-5 when Mazda moves its small SUV into the next model year. Only the 2026 Mazda CX-5 won’t be quite as small as before. Among the many things that have been changed is the CX-5’s length: its overall length and wheelbase each increase by about 4.5 inches. What may confuse buyers is that the CX-5, despite its new length (184.6 inches) and low starting price—$31,485 (including destination)—is still more expensive than the slightly larger CX-50 at 185.8 inches and $31,395 (again with destination).
2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid
A dark blue 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV XSE parked in front of a southwestern style building – Toyota
As with the Mazda CX-5, the Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid was a model year behind Consumer Reports’ testing when its story was written, so we’re comparing the 2025 Toyota to the 2026 Honda. And this time we’re using the CR-V Hybrid as a benchmark, since Honda doesn’t sell a plug-in version.
The plug-in RAV4 had a slightly higher overall score, driven by better marks for both reliability and customer satisfaction. While only one other compact SUV topped the RAV4 Plug-in for predicted reliability—the Mazda CX-5—the CRV Hybrid tied for 9th in this measure, tied with the Buick Envision. Significantly more RAV4 Plug-in owners would return and repurchase the vehicle again based on their current vehicle history than would also repurchase the CR-V Hybrid. (This is how CR measures overall customer satisfaction.)
The reason the CR-V Hybrid keeps its overall score so close to the RAV4 Plug-in is the Honda’s healthy on-road advantage. Part of that, no doubt, had to do with Toyota’s brakes, which CR described as “adequate” and offering stopping distances that were considered “a little long,” but the CR-V Hybrid also won plenty of praise, with the second-best road test score in the segment. No. 1 was the 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, which was one point ahead of the CR-V Hybrid for driving experience and tied with it for the overall score.
The future looks bright for both RAV4 hybrids when the 2026 models go on sale. Our own Daniel Golson says they don’t innovate, they should continue to dominate.
2026 Subaru Forester
A gray 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness parked outside at dusk – Subaru
Since Consumer Reports considers the same models with different powertrains to be distinct vehicles, it’s no surprise that it follows that template with the 2026 Subaru Forester — holder of the second-best overall CR score among compact SUVs. (That means the #1 ranked Forester Hybrid is covered below.)
Subaru’s position at the top of the compact SUV segment makes sense, of course, as it was also the top name in the industry on CR’s list of brands that make the best cars. The gas-only Forester stands out with an overall score and road test results a few points higher than the gas-only CR-V, but the result was reversed when comparing predicted reliability. The main factor that differentiated the two, according to Consumer Reports, was owner satisfaction—there, the Forester posted a double-digit lead over the CR-V. Furthermore, the Forester outperformed its Honda rival in specific driving experience, comfort, value and style subcategories.
The Forester has quite a price advantage. The entry point for the Subaru is $31,445 with standard all-wheel drive (including destination), but a similarly equipped CR-V will set you back $33,870 (including destination). In fact, the AWD Forester is less expensive than the front-wheel-drive CR-V, which opens at $32,370 (again, with destination).
2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid
A gold 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid parked in front of tree-covered hills – Subaru
Before we see how the 2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid stacks up against the CR-V Hybrid, let’s take a quick look at how it stacks up against the gas-only Forester in a few relevant respects. That current-generation non-hybrid Forester comes with a boxer-style 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 180 horsepower, with EPA ratings of 26 mpg city/33 mpg hwy/29 mpg combined. The Forester Hybrid adds an electric motor to boost output to 194 horsepower with an EPA line of 35/34/35.
From a Consumer Reports perspective, it’s the No. 1 compact SUV. 1 overall score against the No. 5 CR-V Hybrid (which was actually tied for fifth with the 2026 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid). The main contributor to the CR-V’s lower overall score? In fact, there was a common thread in all of our Honda CR-V comparisons today, and it was poor owner satisfaction scores.
The CR-V, hybrid and non-hybrid alike, not only trailed the entire quartet of today’s key rivals for overall score, it trailed all but the Mazda CX-5 for owner satisfaction as well. Zeroing in on the Forester Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid shows a fairly typical result: the two vehicles scored very closely in road tests and predicted reliability, yet Subaru had a double-digit lead when it came to pleasing owners.
While this may be shocking, the CR-V’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle doesn’t do much to help in the happiness department. For some reason, Consumer Reports hasn’t tested the latest Honda CR-V e:FCV, but the automaker recently had to recall 388 of them for potentially leaking fuel cell stacks.
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