Why Is the Honda CR-V So Expensive?
By the CarWhere Research Team · Updated November 14, 2026 · Built from our resale value study, verified buyer deals, MSRP history, used listing prices, reliability and longevity data
Why is the CR-V so expensive?
The CR-V is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) CR-V lists for 79.8% of today's median new price vs 65.6% for compact SUVs, and new ones sold for 94.3% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.
Updated November 2026 · Sources: Depreciation study · CR-V price & deals · Used prices
Value kept at 3 yrs
79.8%
vs 65.6% for compact SUVs
Paid vs MSRP
94.3%
median of 49 verified deals
Base price change
+31.1%
2017 → 2027
Used median
$24,633
44,552 listings
Resale: the CR-V vs other compact SUVs
A 3-year-old (2023) CR-V lists for a median $29,633 at 46,296 miles, 79.8% of the $37,127 median price of a new one today. The average across 9 other compact SUVs is 65.6%, which puts the CR-V 1 of 10.
A 5-year-old (2021) CR-V lists for a median $24,626 at 69,522 miles, 66.3% of the $37,127 median price of a new one today. The average across 9 other compact SUVs is 51.6%, which puts the CR-V 1 of 10.
High resale cuts both ways: owners lose less when they sell, but used shoppers pay more, which keeps new prices firm. Full year-by-year curve: CR-V depreciation by model year.
| # | Model | 5-year value retained |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda CR-V | 66.3% |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 | 63.7% |
| 3 | Mazda CX-5 | 60.2% |
| 4 | Subaru Forester | 55.6% |
| 5 | Nissan Rogue | 48.9% |
| 6 | Hyundai Tucson | 48.8% |
| 7 | Ford Escape | 48.1% |
| 8 | Kia Sportage | 47.8% |
| 9 | Chevrolet Equinox | 47.0% |
| 10 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 44.3% |
Retained = median asking price of a 5-year-old example ÷ median price of the same model new today. CarWhere listings study, October 25, 2026.
What buyers actually pay vs sticker
Across 49 verified new CR-V purchases CarWhere collected from December 2025 to June 2026, the median buyer paid 94.3% of MSRP, or 5.7% ($2,000) off. The middle half of deals landed between 4.1% and 6.9% off. No buyer in the sample paid more than sticker.
So markups aren't the main story for the CR-V in our data. Most buyers paid below sticker.
| Model year | Deals | Median off MSRP | Median MSRP | Paid over sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48 | 5.7% | $38,600 | 0.0% |
Trim-by-trim prices and the full deal breakdown: CR-V price. Browse every verified deal at What People Paid.
How the CR-V's price climbed
The cheapest CR-V went from $24,045 (2017 LX) to $31,520 (2027 LX), up 31.1% in starting MSRP, before adjusting for inflation.
Trim mix matters as much as the base price: the newest full lineup in our data spans $11,430 from cheapest to priciest trim (+36.3%).
| Model year | Cheapest trim | MSRP | Priciest trim | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | LX | $31,520 | Sport Touring Hybrid | $42,950 |
| 2026 | LX | $30,920 | e:FCEV | $50,000 |
| 2023 | EX | $31,110 | Sport Touring Hybrid | $38,600 |
| 2017 | LX | $24,045 | Hybrid Touring | $36,050 |
Automaker starting MSRPs by model year as compiled in CarWhere’s trim-level and price datasets. Starting MSRPs as published for each year; years we haven't priced are left out. Destination charges are excluded where the automaker lists them separately.
The used-price floor
As of November 7, 2026, the median used CR-V lists for $24,633 (middle half $16,006–$31,743) across 44,552 dealer listings, at a median 67,056 miles.
The floor is high: the cheapest model year by median price is the 2018 at $18,845 with 97,597 miles.
| Model year | Listings | Median price | Median miles | % of new today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3,584 | $36,452 | 6,276 | — |
| 2025 | 4,515 | $33,194 | 25,053 | 90.0% |
| 2024 | 8,080 | $31,673 | 31,395 | 85.7% |
| 2023 | 2,256 | $29,381 | 46,962 | 79.8% |
| 2019 | 2,675 | $20,532 | 85,867 | 56.0% |
| 2018 | 2,655 | $18,845 | 97,597 | 50.8% |
Median asking prices of used and certified listings at US dealers, November 7, 2026. % of new today is from the October 25, 2026 depreciation study. Years with fewer than 50 listings are left out.
Used price by trim
| Trim | Listings | Median used price | Newest MSRP we hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport-L | 3,182 | $35,107 | — |
| EX-L | 15,032 | $23,264 | $35,800 (2027) |
| Touring | 2,755 | $22,301 | $32,395 (2017) |
| EX | 11,959 | $21,088 | $33,550 (2027) |
| LX | 5,838 | $15,934 | $31,520 (2027) |
Trims with 100+ listings. Used medians mix model years, so compare them to each other more than to the new MSRP.
State-by-state and year-by-year detail: used CR-V prices.
Reliability and how long it lasts
- Of 11,990 listed CR-Vs from 2016 or earlier, 9.5% had passed 200,000 miles, vs 9.1% across all models in CarWhere's lifespan study. Long-lived cars stay in demand, which props up used prices.
- On federal complaints per 1,000 sold (2015–2022 model years), the CR-V ranks in the 63th percentile of SUVs (above average).
- Years to avoid: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024.
- NHTSA lists 65 recall campaigns across CR-V model years in our recall dataset.
CR-V years to avoid · best CR-V years · how long the CR-V lasts
How to pay less for a CR-V
- Aim for about 6.7% off MSRP before rebates. That's the CarWhere Index target from 49 verified deals (December 2025–June 2026), about $2,500 on the average $37,900 sticker in our sample. The median buyer got 5.7% off.
- Start at the LX ($31,520 for 2027) and add only what you need. The Sport Touring Hybrid costs $11,430 more.
- Skip 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024: they're on our years-to-avoid list for the CR-V, based on NHTSA complaints.
- The cheapest model year on the used market right now is 2018, at a median $18,845 with 97,597 miles.
See what other buyers paid, deal by deal, at What People Paid, and check CR-V years to avoid and the best CR-V years before you shop used.
How we got these numbers
- Resale. Median asking price of each model year in US dealer listings (licensed vehicle-data providers) divided by the median price of the same model new today; CarWhere depreciation study dated October 25, 2026. Segment averages exclude the CR-V itself and only include models with 50+ listings at that age.
- What buyers paid. Approved, de-duplicated CarWhere verified new-car purchases (leases excluded) with both MSRP and selling price, model year within one year of the purchase date. The target discount is the CarWhere Index: the 75th-percentile discount of the cleaned pool, before rebates.
- Price history. Automaker starting MSRPs by model year as compiled in CarWhere’s trim-level and price datasets.
- Used prices. Active used and certified listings at US dealers, stats only (no listing rows stored), November 7, 2026.
- Reliability. CarWhere's analysis of NHTSA owner complaints and recall campaigns, plus odometer readings from the lifespan study.
- Nothing here is projected or estimated: each figure is a median or count from the data above, dated where it appears.
FAQ
Why is the CR-V so expensive?
The CR-V is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) CR-V lists for 79.8% of today's median new price vs 65.6% for compact SUVs, and new ones sold for 94.3% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.
Does the CR-V hold its value?
In CarWhere's October 2026 listings study, a 5-year-old (2021) CR-V lists for a median $24,626 at 69,522 miles, 66.3% of the $37,127 median new price today. The average for compact SUVs is 51.6%; the CR-V ranks 1 of 10.
Do dealers mark up the CR-V?
In 49 verified CR-V deals CarWhere collected between December 2025 and June 2026, the median buyer paid 5.7% below MSRP ($2,000). None paid more than sticker.
How much has the CR-V gone up in price?
The cheapest CR-V went from $24,045 (2017 LX) to $31,520 (2027 LX), a change of +31.1% in starting MSRP before inflation.
What's the cheapest used CR-V I can find?
In CarWhere's November 7, 2026 data, the lowest model-year median is the 2018 CR-V at $18,845 (97,597 miles).
How long does the CR-V last?
Of 11,990 listed CR-Vs from 2016 or earlier, 9.5% had passed 200,000 miles, vs 9.1% across all models in CarWhere's lifespan study.
Cite or embed this number
“The CR-V is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) CR-V lists for 79.8% of today's median new price vs 65.6% for compact SUVs, and new ones sold for 94.3% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.”
Source: CarWhere Research, “Why Is the Honda CR-V So Expensive?,” www.carwhere.com/research/why-so-expensive/honda/cr-v. Journalists: free to quote with a link. Data downloads, methodology and the media kit are on the CarWhere press page.