Vital upgrades for popular small SUV: 2025 Honda HR-V gets more hybrid variants and extra safety to battle the Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid and Hyundai Kona hybrid

An updated Honda HR-V compact SUV has been announced for the Australian market. It brings another hybrid variant and increased safety tech.

Honda confirmed three variants will be made available: the petrol-powered Vi X, the new hybrid e:HEV X, and the top-spec hybrid eHEV:L.

The new e:HEV X will feature the same dual-motor hybrid powertrain as the current eHEV:L variant, which uses the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder combustion engine as the entry-level variant with the addition of a small lithium battery pack. The petrol-powered variant delivers 86kW/145Nm, while the hybrid variant's output is upped to 96kW/256Nm.

Both powertrains are mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission that delivers power to the front wheels.

Prices for 2025 are yet to be confirmed, though you can expect the new hybrid variant to fall somewhere in between the Vi X, which currently starts at $36,700 (drive-away), and the eHEV:L, which is priced at $47,000 (drive-away).

The entire HR-V range will also receive some interior and exterior design tweaks that includes a new-look front grille, which is more rectangular than the previous model year, as well as slightly different LED light signatures.

There’s also the added addition of a new Slate Grey colour across the range, as well as Botanical Green on the mid-spec and top-spec hybrid variants.

​​Inside, the HR-V gains a bigger storage area underneath the vehicle’s climate controls as well as a wireless charging pad.

Honda has bolstered the HR-V’s safety credentials, adding the Honda Sensing safety suite that includes Traffic Jam Assist as standard across the range, while hybrid variants get Adaptive Driving Beam, which automatically configures the headlights to avoid blinding oncoming motorists.

Honda also claims to have made improvements to the HR-V’s Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow and Lane Keep Assist System.

All HR-V variants will also benefit from the addition of Honda Connect, Honda’s bespoke software and mobile application platform which provides up-to-date information on the vehicle’s fuel tank and location, while also allowing drivers to remotely lock, unlock, start and pre-condition the vehicle’s climate.

New Honda HR-V owners will receive a five-year subscription to the service.

All new Honda vehicles come standard with the Honda Road Head Guarantee which provides five year/unlimited km warranty, 5 Low Price Services, and 5 Year Premium Roadside Assist. Honda’s 5 Low Price Scheduled Services start at just $199 per visit.

Honda has sold 1935 HR-V’s from January to July, representing a sales increase of almost 82 per cent compared to this time last year, though still considerably fewer than the bigger Honda ZR-V and CR-V models.

The HR-V has a share of 1.6 per cent in the highly competitive budget-friendly small SUV market.

An exact arrival date is yet to be determined, though Honda has speculated that the new HR-V will arrive in Australian showrooms "soon".