Compare the2023 Honda CR-V HybridVS 2023 Hyundai Nexo

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Hyundai Nexo 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 CR-V Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Nexo doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid 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 Nexo doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V Hybrid deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V Hybrid’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Nexo’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CR-V Hybrid has standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Nexo doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CR-V Hybrid offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Nexo doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the CR-V Hybrid and the Nexo 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V Hybrid for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Hyundai only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Nexo.

There are over 29 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CR-V Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Hyundai vehicles. With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The CR-V Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 43 more horsepower (204 vs. 161) than the Nexo’s electric motor.

The CR-V Hybrid has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Nexo doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better traction, the CR-V Hybrid has larger tires than the Nexo (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Nexo.

For greater off-road capability the CR-V Hybrid has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Nexo (8.2 vs. 6.4 inches), allowing the CR-V Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Hyundai Nexo.

The front grille of the CR-V Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Nexo doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The CR-V Hybrid has 2.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Nexo (103.5 vs. 101.3).

The CR-V Hybrid has 1.6 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Nexo.

The CR-V Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Nexo with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The CR-V Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Nexo with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V Hybrid easier. The CR-V Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Nexo’s liftover is 29.7 inches.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V Hybrid. The Nexo doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V Hybrid has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Nexo has no towing capacity.

A Maintenance Minder is standard on the CR-V Hybrid to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, spark plug replacement, air filter replacement, tire rotation, radiator flush, brake pad replacement and transmission fluid replacement, vehicle inspection based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Hyundai doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Nexo.

When two different drivers share the CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Nexo doesn’t offer memory seats.

The CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Nexo doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring’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 Nexo’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the CR-V Hybrid’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Nexo can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V Hybrid’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Nexo’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The CR-V Hybrid’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Nexo’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CR-V was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 21 years. The Nexo has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Nexo has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Hyundai Nexo by almost 507 to one during the 2022 model year.