Compare the2023 Honda HR-VVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda HR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Jeep Renegade doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the HR-V are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda HR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Renegade doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The HR-V’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the HR-V and the Renegade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Honda HR-V is much safer than the Renegade:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the HR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Renegade last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the HR-V’s reliability 40 points higher than the Renegade.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Jeep.

On the EPA test cycle the HR-V gets better mileage than the Renegade:

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

The HR-V has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Renegade (14 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The HR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the HR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Renegade:

The HR-V stops shorter than the Renegade:

The HR-V’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the HR-V’s wheelbase is 3.3 inches longer than on the Renegade (104.5 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the HR-V is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than on the Renegade.

The HR-V EX-L AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The HR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (28.5 seconds @ .56 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For excellent aerodynamics, the HR-V has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The HR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Renegade doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The HR-V has .7 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.6 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Renegade.

The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (55.1 vs. 50.8 cubic feet).

On a hot day the HR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Renegade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The HR-V has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Renegade doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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

Consumer Reports rated the HR-V’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Renegade’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The HR-V has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Renegade only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda HR-V EX-L has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The HR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Renegade doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the HR-V owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the HR-V will cost $440 less than the Renegade over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda HR-V will be $1378 to $2261 less than for the Jeep Renegade.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda HR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Renegade isn't recommended.

The Honda HR-V outsold the Jeep Renegade by over four to one during 2022.