‘I think it deserves more’: 2026 Honda CR-V to get boost from more hybrids, AWD, but will the family SUV get a BYD Sealion 6-rivalling plug-in hybrid version?

Honda’s CR-V has been the brand’s global best seller for some time, but the brand admits the long-running nameplate could be doing better in Australia when it comes to sales.

A renewed focus on hybrid grades could help turn the tide for the CR-V as it fights for attention in the crowded mid-size SUV segment.

In Australia, previous generations of the CR-V enjoyed significant sales success. But despite being highly regarded by motoring media and customers, the current sixth-generation version that went on sale in October 2023 trails most of its medium family SUV rivals for sales.

Honda has shifted 3592 examples of the CR-V in the first seven months of 2025, an 11.2 per cent drop compared with the same period last year. It’s outselling newer contenders like the Chery Tiggo 7 as well as the likes of the VW Tiguan, but trails the big hitters like the Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4.

Currently Honda only offers one hybrid grade of CR-V, the high-spec e:HEV RS that's priced at $59,900 drive-away, but that looks set to change in quarter one next year when Honda rolls out a mid-life update that will include more affordable hybrid model grades.

However, despite Honda offering a plug-in hybrid CR-V in the UK, a fellow right-hand-drive market, the PHEV won’t be offered in Australia for now.

“That won’t be part of the next year, but we are looking at it, but that's not confirmed for next year,” Honda Australia Director of Automotive, Robert Thorp told CarsGuide.

On top of the additional hybrid grades, the updated CR-V will also gain Google Built-in, and an all-wheel-drive version of the hybrid will make its debut. More details are expected closer to launch.

Thorp said he’s not necessarily disappointed in the CR-V’s sales performance, but acknowledged the company needs to push the car to more potential buyers.

“It's actually probably better than what it’s performing, and I think it deserves more. I think the trick is we just need more people to test drive it, to realise it. And I think once people get into the vehicle and they're able to do a direct comparison, people start to realise that difference.”

Thorp said Honda will look to better promote the CR-V through brand and marketing activities, media, the dealer network, and in-market offers.

“It's just a really competitive landscape that is a hotly contested segment. You know, there's so many competitors in there already, it's just hard to get that story out. But that's what we have to fight for. We're pretty proud of the CR-V. We know what we’re bringing into the market. We just elevate it again and we just think that, right now, we've got an opportunity.

“We'll have another one once we add the hybrids and all-wheel drive, Google Built-in, additional safety, etc, into the model as well. But yeah, the product’s great. I think we've just got to do more to get more bums in seats.”

The CR-V arrived in Australia 28 years ago in September 1997 as a small Civic-based SUV, charged with taking on the popular Toyota RAV4.

It quickly became a global hit and has even held the title of the top-selling SUV in the massive US market for multiple years.