All generations and engines together · 133,923 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 60k
Better than most SUVs for its age, though about average per mile driven. Watch steering and suspension. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating steering advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Owners across all three UK generations report the CR-V pulling to one side or wandering on cambered roads, usually traced to worn track rod ends. Early 2.2 i-CTDi cars had an incorrect spring causing a left-hand pull, which Honda fixed on the production line by June 2007, and later cars on 18-inch wheels have been reported as slow to self-centre after a turn. It tends to show up gradually from around 5-6 years old rather than as a sudden failure. The measured MOT data backs up the general shape of this: steering is the standout fault category for large SUVs as a class, though the data can't say which specific part is wearing.
Third-generation CR-Vs (2007-2012) have a recurring history of air con compressor failure, sometimes taking the electromagnetic clutch and wiring with it. Repairs have been quoted at £1,700-£2,100 or more. Honda extended the compressor warranty from three years to six years in 2012, which is about as close to an official admission of a manufacturing fault as this kind of issue gets.
Manual CR-Vs, on both petrol and the 2.2/1.6 diesels, have a string of reports of clutch slip or a squeaking clutch pedal turning up far earlier than the 80,000-120,000 miles you'd normally expect, some as low as 10,000-40,000 miles. A worn dual-mass flywheel often shows up alongside it, and cold-start judder has been put down to moisture getting onto the plates. Clutch and DMF replacement together typically runs into four figures, and Honda hasn't acknowledged it as a design issue.
Diesel CR-Vs (2.2 i-CTDi, 2.2 i-DTEC and 1.6 i-DTEC) that spend most of their life on short runs can struggle to complete a full DPF regeneration, leading to warning lights and a limp-home mode. Typical filter replacement has been quoted at around £800, with one case reaching £3,000 at just over 100,000 miles. Doesn't apply to petrol or hybrid cars.
A handful of 2019 CR-V Hybrid owners reported a distinct rattle from the nearside front at idle or in Drive when the car is cold, appearing from as little as 1,000 miles. At least one owner was quoted around £25,000 for a full gearbox replacement, and dealers reportedly resisted swapping the unit under warranty because of how labour-intensive the job is. It's a small number of reports rather than a widespread pattern, but the bill if it does hit you is severe.
Flat batteries on the CR-V have been blamed on half a dozen different culprits over the years: a faulty starter switch, the oil pressure sensor, the ECM, the Bluetooth (HFT) control unit, and the body control module (MICU) among them. Owners and independent garages don't agree on a single root cause, which makes it a hard fault to diagnose without swapping parts on a hunch. Fixes range from a simple sensor swap to an HFT unit costing over £1,100.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 45,404 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.