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There’s only one subcompact SUV that earns an excellent, or five-star, reliability rating from Repair Pal. The site rates reliability based on the frequency and severity of repairs. It rates SUVs, cars and trucks on a scale of one to five stars. The Honda HR-V isn’t perfect, but it is the only subcompact SUV to score a perfect five stars from the site.

How reliable is the Honda HR-V?

2023 Honda HR-V Sport on a city street
2023 Honda HR-V Sport | Honda

The Honda HR-V earns a five out of five score from Repair Pal. That ranks it first among the seven subcompact SUVs the site ranks. An HR-V owner should expect to take their HR-V to the mechanic .01 times a year, or once every 10 years. And, those repairs should not be very expensive, as only 5% of HR-Vs face severe mechanical problems.

Though Repair Pal estimates reliability based on mechanics’ reports, the Honda HR-V earns an average score at J.D. power for quality and reliability for the 2022 version. However, for 2023 the HR-V is all new and has not been rated yet.

Good Honda HR-V reliability also means inexpensive repairs

Repair Pal calculates reliability partly by factoring in the annual cost of repairs and maintenance. The HR-V costs $165 less than the average subcompact SUV. Repair Pal estimates that repairs for the HR-V should cost about $301 annually. That’s hundreds less than other SUVs.

The HR-V is all new for 2023

2023 Honda HR-V EXl
2023 Honda HR-V EX-L interior | Honda

The excellent reliability rating of the HR-V likely comes from the fact that Honda used the new Civic platform for the 2023 HR-V. The new Civic gets great reliability ratings, too, and allows the new HR-V a larger, nicer, interior with better overall packaging. For 2023, the HR-V is 11-inches longer than the 2022.

The 2023 Honda HR-V comes standard with Honda’s frugal, but not powerful, 158-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. But, it’s not fast. It should see 26 mpg in the city an dup to 32 on the highway. While all-wheel drive is an option it does sap some of that efficiency.

The new 2023 Honda HR-V pricing starts at $23,650, which is a slight increase over the 2022 SUV. It comes in three versions, base LX, Sport, and EX-L. The base LX now comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Honda Sensing tech. The Sport version starts at $25,650 and adds heated seats, blind-spot monitoring, and 18-inch wheels. The EX-L starts at $27,450 and adds a power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate, and a larger 9.0-inch touch screen. A 158-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder is standard, and all-wheel-drive is a $1,500 option on all trims.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.