In a news report on June 9, 2025, the popularity of hybrid SUVs is on the rise due to their high fuel efficiency and spacious passenger cabins. The 2025 Hyundai Tucson and the 2025 Honda CR-V hybrid models are among the top hybrid SUVs on the market, but which one comes out on top when compared?
According to 2024 U.S. car sales data, pickups and SUVs continue to dominate the market, reflecting Americans’ preference for SUVs.
Both the Honda CR-V and the Hyundai Tucson rank among the top third of hybrid SUVs in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. These vehicles offer diverse features, affordability, fuel efficiency, and come equipped with numerous high-tech features that ensure both driver and passengers experience safety and entertainment. With these two top competitors closely matched, how should consumers make their choice?
U.S. News & World Report conducted a comparison of these two hybrid SUVs in 10 aspects for consumers’ reference. It’s important to note that the comparison details may vary over time.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The price of the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is slightly lower than that of the 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The base model of the Tucson starts at $33,465, with the top-tier model starting at $41,295. All Tucson models come standard with all-wheel drive, even the base model.
The CR-V Hybrid starts at $34,650, with the top-tier model priced at $41,100, slightly cheaper than the top-tier Tucson. Two out of three CR-V Hybrid models can be equipped with all-wheel drive at an additional cost of $1,500, making it standard on the most expensive model in the series.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
In J.D. Power’s reliability prediction ratings, the Tucson Hybrid scored 85, while the CR-V Hybrid scored 84. J.D. Power’s prediction ratings range from 0-100, with scores of 91-100 considered the best, 81-90 excellent, 70-80 average, and 0-69 acceptable, below average.
The Tucson Hybrid offers a 5-year/60,000-mile limited warranty, one of the longest in its class; the powertrain, battery, and hybrid components are covered by a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. The CR-V Hybrid offers a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, with hybrid components covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
Both vehicles offer spacious seating across two rows, making it challenging to choose between them. The Tucson Hybrid’s interior has been updated for the 2025 model year, giving it a modern feel with standard fabric upholstery; it also offers synthetic leather and genuine leather interior options. All seats provide ample head and legroom to ensure comfortable seating for everyone.
The front seats of the CR-V Hybrid are particularly comfortable and spacious, but the cushioning in the rear seats is slightly less supportive. This weakness gives the edge to the Hyundai SUV in this aspect.
Winner: 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid
Both SUVs offer ample cargo space, with the Honda providing a rear cargo space of 39.3 cubic feet. When the second-row seats are folded, the cargo space expands to 76.5 cubic feet, making it one of the largest in its class.
The Tucson Hybrid also offers cargo space close to the top tier in its class, but falls slightly behind the CR-V Hybrid. With both rows of seats in use, the Tucson Hybrid offers 38.7 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 74.5 cubic feet when the second-row seats are folded.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
Both SUVs boast top-notch interiors within their class. However, the Tucson has an advantage partly due to its recent upgrades, elevating the cabin to a near-luxury level while maintaining practicality.
The CR-V Hybrid’s interior design ranks just behind the Tucson with its attractive and well-crafted features. The presence of hard plastic door panels makes cleaning easier for marks left by children and pets but slightly diminishes the cabin’s luxury feel.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The Tucson Hybrid comes equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a range of standard features, including wireless device charging and wireless smartphone connectivity (features not standard in the CR-V Hybrid). It also includes four USB ports and Hyundai’s digital key, allowing drivers to lock, unlock, and start the vehicle via an app.
The CR-V Hybrid features a 7-inch touchscreen, wired smartphone connectivity, and three USB ports. Models above the base configuration receive a 9-inch touchscreen, but in this comparison, it still falls short compared to the Tucson.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The Tucson Hybrid combines a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with an electric motor for an output of 231 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, surpassing the non-hybrid version by a considerable margin.
The CR-V Hybrid combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors, providing smooth and confident acceleration, but with a total output of 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque.
Winner: 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid
Fuel economy is a primary consideration for consumers when purchasing a hybrid vehicle, and Honda excels in this category. The front-wheel-drive base model of the CR-V Hybrid achieves 43 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per gallon on the highway, while the all-wheel-drive model achieves 40 miles per gallon in the city and 34 miles per gallon on the highway.
The Hyundai Tucson achieves 38 miles per gallon in the city for its all-wheel-drive base model, delivering decent performance. The fuel efficiency slightly drops for the higher-trim model to 35 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
One of the key selling points of both these competitors is their easy handling. They provide a stable feeling on the road, capable of absorbing most road imperfections. The vehicle size allows for maneuvering on narrow streets and fitting into most parking spaces. Additionally, they both come with adjustable regenerative braking systems.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid comes standard with all-wheel drive, while the CR-V Hybrid’s all-wheel drive option requires an additional cost. The performance of the CR-V Hybrid is equally impressive. It feels more agile than the Tucson Hybrid, but requires more effort from the driver during braking. The CR-V Hybrid’s acceleration with its CVT transmission also slightly reduces driving enjoyment.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid ultimately triumphs due to its more diversified driving conditions.
Winner: 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The 2025 Tucson Hybrid has been designated as a “Top Safety Pick+” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the organization’s highest honor. The Hyundai vehicle is equipped with a range of standard safety technologies, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. It offers more optional features compared to the CR-V Hybrid, such as remote smart parking assist and highway driving assistance systems. The Hyundai SUV achieved a safety rating of 9.3 out of 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s safety rating.
Honda received a five-star rating in crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but the IIHS safety rating for the CR-V Hybrid has been somewhat mixed. It scored 8.8 points, but the vehicle also comes equipped with many standard technologies similar to the Hyundai Tucson.
Both vehicles are excellent choices in the compact SUV segment. However, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid outperforms the 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid in more categories and secures the overall victory in this comparison.
Both vehicles offer outstanding features, and consumers may find it worthwhile to take the time to test drive each before making a final decision.