Affordable SUV battle: 2025 Honda CR-V and ZR-V entry prices slashed to undercut Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5

Honda has lowered the starting prices of its mid-sized CR-V and ZR-V SUVs.

The 2025 Honda CR-V range will now kick off at $41,700, drive-away, for the VTi X+, down $2900 from its previous starting price of $44,700, drive-away.

That means it now has a cheaper list price than its key rival and Australia’s best-selling medium SUV, the Toyota RAV4, which starts at $42,260, before on-road costs.

It is still slightly more expensive than Australia's second-best-selling SUV model, the Mazda CX-5, which currently starts at $37,990, drive-away.

The more compact ZR-V is now $90 less than the CX-5 after a $2000 price cut brought its starting price down to $37,900, drive-away. It is now pitched closer to budget rivals the Haval H6 Premium ($33,990, drive-away) and Kia Sportage S 2WD ($32,995, before on-road costs).

Both the Honda CR-V and ZR-V offer the same engine options, which includes a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-hybrid option.

Power and torque peak on the CR-V at 140kW/240Nm on the 1.5-litre petrol version and 135kW/335Nm on the 2.0-litre hybrid.

The ZR-V delivers a maximum of 131kW/240Nm and 135kW/315Nm on the equivalent engines.

As standard, both models carry a suite of adaptive driver safety systems, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and adaptive LED headlights, among other features.

The ZR-V carries a 10.2-inch central multimedia touchscreen as standard, while the CR-V starts with a 9.0-inch screen before higher-spec grades adopt the larger unit.

Size is the key difference between either model, with the CR-V about 130mm longer and 70mm taller than the ZR-V, allowing it to be offered with seven seats.

The five-seat CR-V VTi X+ variant has a total dimensions of 4704mm long, 1866mm wide W, 1,681mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2701mm.

Boot space on the CR-V is subsequently 589 litres on five-seat petrol versions, while it is 370 litres on the ZR-V.

Honda sold 5547 CR-Vs last year and 4092 ZR-Vs, compared to 58,718 RAV4s.