Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4VS 2022 Honda CR-V

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda CR-V doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Rav4 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CR-V doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rav4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CR-V doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rav4 (except LE) offers optional Parking Assist with Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The CR-V doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rav4 Limited/TRD Off-Road offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V only offers a rear monitor.

The Rav4 has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Rav4 and the CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Honda CR-V:

	Rav4	CR-V
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	284	309
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	95 lbs.	96 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Honda CR-V:

	Rav4	CR-V
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	138 lbs.	142 lbs.
Hip Force	246 lbs.	310 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	50 G’s
Hip Force	508 lbs.	567 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	299	386

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the CR-V:

	Rav4	CR-V
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	120	151
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.47 in	.79 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.85 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.83 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	692 lbs.	1004 lbs.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CR-V.

There are over 16 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rav4’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (203 vs. 190) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 179) than the CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 is faster than the Honda CR-V:

	Rav4	CR-V
Zero to 30 MPH	2.8 sec	3.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	13.5 sec	14.7 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	4.2 sec	4.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.6 MPH	84.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the CR-V:

			MPG
Rav4
	AWD	LE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
CR-V
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CR-V requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 stops shorter than the CR-V:

	Rav4	CR-V
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	165 feet	Car and Driver

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rav4’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the CR-V AWD (105.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Rav4 Adventure handles at .84 G’s, while the CR-V Touring pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Rav4 Adventure executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CR-V Touring (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the CR-V’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CR-V (8.4 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited/Adventure/TRD Off-Road’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the CR-V (8.6 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Rav4 Limited 4WD is quieter than the CR-V Touring:

	Rav4	CR-V
At idle	38 dB	40 dB
Full-Throttle	77 dB	78 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Rav4 has .3 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4’s cargo area is larger than the CR-V’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4	CR-V
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	37.5”/71”
Max Width	59”	54”
Min Width	39.4”	41.5”
Height	36.6”	41”

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Honda CR-V is limited to 1500 pounds. The Rav4 4WD offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CR-V doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Rav4 and the CR-V have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rav4 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CR-V prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Rav4’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The CR-V’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the CR-V SE/EX/EX-L/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Rav4’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the CR-V’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Both the Rav4 and the CR-V offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CR-V.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 (except LE/XLE/Adventure) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CR-V doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Rav4 Adventure/TRD Off-Road has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The CR-V doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rav4 is less expensive to operate than the CR-V because typical repairs cost less on the Rav4 than the CR-V, including $113 less for a muffler, $95 less for a starter, $60 less for fuel injection, $110 less for front struts and $169 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 and the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Honda CR-V by 68% during 2022.