Honda HR-V hybrid now cheaper, value equation improves for compact SUV

THE product planners at Honda Australia have sharpened their pricing pencils, with the 2025 update for the company’s HR-V compact SUV seeing the introduction of a more affordable hybrid variant as well as pricing tweaks that enhance the value proposition.

Set to go on sale from October 1 this year, the 2025 Honda HR-V range will be bulked up with the arrival of the HR-V e:HEV X, a petrol-electric hybrid that will bridge the gap between the existing petrol-only HR-V Vi X and the range-topping HR-V e:HEV L.

Priced at $39,900 on-the-road the e:HEV X gives HR-V shoppers a sub-$40K hybrid option for the first time, allowing Honda to take the fight to more budget-friendly rivals like the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, Hyundai Kona HEV and Haval Jolion Hybrid.

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The existing e:HEV L hybrid also gets a boost in showroom appeal, dropping $1000 from its on-the-road pricing to sit at a new sticker of $42,900. The entry-grade HR-V Vi X, meanwhile, stays at its old $34,900 price point. It’s worth noting that all of these prices are a national drive-away price, with Honda’s agency distribution model working off fixed, non-negotiable pricing for all of its vehicles.

Externally, the 2025 HR-V range gets a revised front grille and restyled tail lamps, while both of the hybrid variants feature adaptive headlamps as standard. Two new colours also join the palette, with Slate Gray and Botanical Green (the latter a hybrid-exclusive colour) available for the 2025 model year, bringing the total number of exterior colours to five.

On the inside a subtle rework simplifies the centre console, with a larger upper tray to better accommodate modern smartphones, and improved access to the lower tray from the passenger side. A USB-C port has also been grafted into the dash, joining the existing USB-A port.

There are under-the-skin changes for 2025, too. The electric power steering tune has been fiddled to improve high-speed stability and impart a more “predictable steering feel”, and sound deadening material has been improved to help quell engine and road noise.

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Hybrid variants also gain new damper tuning for better body control and compliance over bumps, plus revised control software for the hybrid powertrain to smooth the transition between petrol and electric drive, as well as more direct throttle response in EV mode.

For both powertrains, the active safety suite gets a tech tweak. The autonomous emergency braking system is now able to detect pedestrians and cyclists in a cross-traffic (travelling perpendicular to the car) scenario, as well now being able to sense motorcyclists approaching head-on. Road departure mitigation has also been added to the suite, as has traffic jam assist, while the active cruise control software has been adjusted to improve braking control and how it follows traffic in congested conditions.

There are no changes to the powertrains, with the base Vi X being powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol four-cylinder with 89kW/145Nm, with the hybrids making use of an Atkinson-cycle 1.5-litre petrol with twin electric motors, producing a combined output of 96kW and 253Nm

PRICING

• 2025 Honda HR-V Vi X -$34,900
• 2025 Honda HR-V e:HEV X hybrid (new model) - $39,200
• 2025 Honda HR-V e:HEV L hybrid - $42,900 (down $1000)