Compact SUVs are the most popular category of vehicles today, and the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are the two leaders in the segment. These two created the segment all the way back in the 1990s and have been battling each other for supremacy ever since. Both are benchmarks whose success competitors strive to emulate. But how do they compare to each other in 2025?
Here’s how the 2025 Honda CR-V and 2025 Toyota RAV4 stack up.
2025 Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V is a multiple Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winner and is currently our top-ranked model. For decades, it has happily satisfied millions of owners with its practicality, reliability, and easy driving manners. This latest generation, which arrived just two years ago, is available as a standard gasoline-powered model and as a hybrid, which we review separately. This year, there’s even an innovative fuel-cell variant for California buyers. For this comparison, we highlight the gas models.
Honda CR-V Highlights
Honda Sensing: Standard on every Honda CR-V, this wide-ranging suite of active safety and driver assistance features includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and more.
Easy to load up: The CR-V might be classified as a compact SUV, but it can hold a lot of gear. With the rear seats up, it boasts 39.3 cubic feet of capacity, which grows to 76.5 with the seats down. That capacity edges that of the Toyota RAV4.
Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock: Ever worry that you forgot to lock the car? This ingenious feature will put you at ease. Standard on all but the base trim, this feature automatically locks the CR-V once you walk away from it.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the CR-V models for sale near you.
2025 Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is the OG compact SUV, entering the U.S. market in 1996. It has been a runaway success ever since and now faces a dozen rivals in the segment it created. The 2025 RAV4 is now in its final year of this generation before an all-new one arrives for the 2026 model year. Yet the current model still has a lot to offer and attracts scores of buyers. In fact, it was the third-best-selling vehicle in the U.S. in 2024. Like the CR-V, the RAV4 is also offered as a hybrid, in addition to a plug-in hybrid. We focus on standard gasoline models here. Like the CR-V, the RAV4 uses a 4-cylinder engine, but the Toyota has a conventional 8-speed automatic transmission versus the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) of the Honda. We mention this because some drivers like the feel of traditionally shifting gears.
Toyota RAV4 Highlights
12.3-inch digital display: Standard on the Limited trim, this customizable, all-digital instrument cluster adds panache to the top RAV4 — and you won’t find one of its size on any CR-V.
Ventilated front seats: This feature is also standard on the Limited, and you’ll be thankful for it anytime the temperature rises. It’s another amenity you won’t find on the CR-V.
Digital rearview mirror: Yet another excellent feature not available on the CR-V, this option gets you a rearview mirror that can switch from a traditional mirror into a digital screen that shows a wide, camera-sourced image of what’s behind you. It’s an asset when your view is otherwise compromised by cargo or passengers’ heads in the back seat.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the RAV4 models for sale near you.
Similarities
Both the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 have enviable reputations for reliability, resale value, and immense practicality. They have similar safety and tech features, and each boasts impressively roomy interiors.
Pricing
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors.
The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for New 2025 Honda CR-V vehicles and New 2025 Toyota RAV4 vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership.
These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.
Specifications
| 2025 Honda CR-V | 2025 Toyota RAV4 | |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder | 2.5-liter 4-cylinder |
| Towing Capacity | 1,500 pounds | 1,500 pounds |
| Horsepower | 190 hp @ 6,000 rpm | 203 hp @ 6,600 rpm |
| Torque | 179 lb-ft @ 1,700 rpm | 184 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm |
| Transmission | Automatic, CVT | automatic, 8-speed w/direct & sequential shift |
| Fuel Economy | 28 city/34 highway/30 combined mpg | 27 city/34 highway/30 combined mpg |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety | 5 stars | 5 stars |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 inches | 105.9 inches |
| Overall Length | 184.8 inches | 180.9 inches |
| Width | 73.5 inches | 73.0 inches |
| Height | 66.2 inches | 67.0 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 37.3 feet | 36.1 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.0 inches | 37.7 inches |
| Headroom, 2nd Row | 38.2 inches | 39.5 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 41.3 inches | 41.0 inches |
| Legroom, 2nd Row | 41.0 inches | 37.8 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 57.9 inches | 57.8 inches |
| Shoulder Room, 2nd Row | 55.9 inches | 56.4 inches |
| Cargo Behind Second Seat | N/A | 37.5 feet |
| Cargo With All Seats Down | 76.5 feet | 69.8 feet |
Specification table reflects the typical configuration of vehicles shown.
Conclusion
The CR-V and RAV4 have been in lockstep for decades in the battle for compact SUV supremacy, and each is excellent for it. The 2025 CR-V is the newer of the two, yet even in its last year of its current generation, the RAV4 offers features not found on the CR-V. This really is a case where we have two winners. With a rivalry this great, we highly suggest you test drive both to see which one wins your heart.