Honda HR-V: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Honda HR-V: 10 model years scored from 1,810 NHTSA owner complaints and 32 recall campaigns. Worst year 2023, best year 2017.
Honda HR-V: which years to avoid
Across 10 scored model years the Honda HR-V ranges from 37/100 in 2023 to 92/100 in 2017 — a 55-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a HR-V at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper (319 of them).
Avoid: 2023, 2024 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 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.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2023 and 2024 HR-V, which score 37 and 47; the 2023 has 685 complaints at 228.3 per year on the road, the highest rate in the nameplate's record, with Visibility/Wiper at 319 and Steering at 77. Buy a 2017 (92 on 121 complaints), a 2020 or 2021 (81 and 85), or a 2016 or 2018 at 79 each. The first generation from 2016 to 2022 has one weak year, the 2019, a CAUTION at 56 on 230 complaints with Electrical System 66 and seven recall campaigns, five safety-critical, including three fuel pump campaigns (20V314000, 21V215000, 23V858000) and 18V777000 for rear brake caliper pistons. The second generation launched for 2023 and the record turned at once. There is no campaign on file for the 319 visibility complaints; Steering has one, 24V744000, safety-critical, covering 2023 to 2025. The 2024 has Steering top at 51 with two seat cushion frame campaigns. The 2025 has 42 complaints, Steering at 13, and a CAUTION at 68 with low evidence.
Read the guide
Used Honda Civic, Fit and HR-V: what the record says year by year — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the HR-V 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.
2016–2022
Mean score 79/100, about 20 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (258 complaints). 15 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2023–2024
Mean score 42/100, about 141 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Visibility/Wiper more than anything else (330 complaints). The record falls 37 points against the years before it. 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2017 (score 92). Worst: 2023 (score 37, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 68 | CAUTION | $3,628 | 42 | 1 |
| 2024 | 47 | AVOID | $3,986 | 107 | 4 |
| 2023 | 37 | AVOID | $7,448 | 685 | 3 |
| 2022 | 81 | BUY | $3,554 | 85 | 3 |
| 2021 | 85 | BUY | $3,529 | 63 | 4 |
| 2020 | 81 | BUY | $3,692 | 83 | 5 |
| 2019 | 56 | CAUTION | $4,194 | 230 | 7 |
| 2018 | 79 | BUY | $3,980 | 156 | 3 |
| 2017 | 92 | BUY | $4,005 | 121 | 0 |
| 2016 | 79 | BUY | $4,242 | 238 | 2 |
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.
Photographs and every generation of the HR-V, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Honda HR-V
Across every HR-V 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.
- Unknown Or Other399 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Visibility/Wiper333 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement$490–$1,200
- Electrical System304 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train155 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Steering141 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Service Brakes90 complaints across all HR-V years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
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 HR-V years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2023, 2024 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2023 is the weakest at 37/100, with its complaints concentrated in Visibility/Wiper.
What are the best Honda HR-V years to buy?
2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2017 at 92/100, on 121 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Honda HR-V problem?
399 of the complaints filed against the HR-V across all its model years sit in the Unknown Or Other group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04