How much space is there?

The Honda CR-V is very spacious. The rear seat is wide enough for three adults (just) with plenty of legroom and reasonable headroom, even on top-spec models equipped with a panoramic sunroof. All models get a sliding and reclining rear seat to boost practicality further.

The boot’s huge too, and unusually the plug-in hybrid CR-V has a larger boot than the self-charging hybrid model. Either way, you get more space than a Toyota RAV4, with a more upright tailgate providing greater space for tall items too.

Boot space and storage

Unusually, the plug-in e:PHEV gets the most seats-up boot space with total of 635 litres compared with 596 litres for the e:HEV hybrid. It’s spacious, but loses points for only offering a 60:40 split, rather than the more useful 40:20:40 set-up found in some rivals.

Usefully, the rear seats can be moved forwards and backwards, as well as reclined. The boot floor is height adjustable although only in the seats-up area. So, those needing a flat load area will find the CR-V disappointing. Luckily there’s no loading lip to speak of.

Is it easy to park?

The CR-V is a family-sized SUV that occupies less road space than its bulky looks might lead you to believe. Front and rear parking sensors are standard, as is a rear view camera, which helps considerably.

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Safety

• Not yet tested by Euro NCAP
• Closely related Civic gets five stars
• Driver assists can be a bit annoying

The CR-V is a very safe car, although it’s yet to be officially rated by Euro NCAP. However, it sits on the same underpinnings as the Civic, and that received a full five stars. It scored particularly well in the passenger safety testing, with the testing authority commending it for its lateral impact protection.

The CR-V gets the full suite of Honda’s ‘Sensing’ tech as standard. This means you get eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping aids and traffic jam assist, which can start, steer and stop you in congested conditions.

These systems work well, but when active, they can be very keen to keep you in your lane, chiming annoyingly. So, if you are irritated by these, you might find its tiny, but annoying, adjustments on long runs might be too much – even if it’s reasonably easy to switch them off (which you’ll need to do every time you drive it).