Honda CR-V Hybrid: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Honda CR-V Hybrid: 4 model years scored from 682 NHTSA owner complaints and 17 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2022.
Honda CR-V Hybrid: which years to avoid
Across 4 scored model years the Honda CR-V Hybrid ranges from 38/100 in 2021 to 81/100 in 2022 — a 43-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a CR-V Hybrid at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Steering (115 of them).
Avoid: 2021 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2020, 2022 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Read the guide
Used Honda CR-V: the years to buy and the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
How the CR-V Hybrid changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2020–2021
Mean score 58/100, about 49 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Forward Collision Avoidance more than anything else (120 complaints). 8 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2022–2023
Mean score 74/100, about 28 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Steering more than anything else (79 complaints). The record improves by 16 points against the years before it. 6 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2022 (score 81). Worst: 2021 (score 38, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 66 | CAUTION | $3,156 | 110 | 5 |
| 2022 | 81 | BUY | $2,902 | 74 | 4 |
| 2021 | 38 | AVOID | $4,297 | 423 | 3 |
| 2020 | 78 | BUY | $3,068 | 75 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
CR-V Hybrid sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Honda CR-V Hybrid
Across every CR-V Hybrid model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Steering194 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Forward Collision Avoidance132 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
- Electrical System101 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine93 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other83 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Fuel/Propulsion System44 complaints across all CR-V Hybrid years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Honda CR-V Hybrid years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2021 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2021 is the weakest at 38/100, with its complaints concentrated in Steering.
What are the best Honda CR-V Hybrid years to buy?
2020, 2022 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 81/100, on 74 complaints and 4 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Honda CR-V Hybrid problem?
194 of the complaints filed against the CR-V Hybrid across all its model years sit in the Steering group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04