Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2025 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Honda CR-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 Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V 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’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Equinox’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda CR-V achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Chevrolet Equinox has not been tested.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the CR-V’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The CR-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 Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CR-V and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda CR-V achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Equinox has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The CR-V’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 16th.

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (190 vs. 175) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (190 vs. 175) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The CR-V Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 29 more horsepower (204 vs. 175) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (247 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V is faster than the Equinox AWD:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Equinox:

Regenerative brakes improve the CR-V Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Equinox doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

The CR-V stops shorter than the Equinox:

The CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Equinox RS AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Equinox RS AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The CR-V has .4 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CR-V’s rear seats recline. The Equinox’s rear seats don’t recline.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 29.8 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 63.5 cubic feet).

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

The CR-V’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (1000 vs. 800 pounds).

The CR-V’s standard front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Equinox’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

The CR-V’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 Equinox’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CR-V EX-L/Sport-L/Sport Touring’s standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2025 and 5 more times in the last 24 years. The Equinox has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

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

The Honda CR-V outsold the Chevrolet Equinox by 84% during 2024.