Compare the2025 Honda HR-VVS 2025 Subaru Crosstrek

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda HR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Subaru Crosstrek doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda HR-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 Crosstrek doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda HR-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 Subaru Crosstrek has not been tested.

Both the HR-V and the Crosstrek have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the HR-V is much safer than the Crosstrek:

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda HR-V is safer than the Crosstrek:

The Honda HR-V has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Crosstrek is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the HR-V’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

The HR-V’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (158 vs. 152) than the Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the HR-V gets better mileage than the Crosstrek:

The HR-V 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 Crosstrek doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The HR-V stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the HR-V is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Crosstrek.

The HR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Crosstrek Wilderness pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

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

The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Crosstrek with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 19.9 cubic feet). The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Crosstrek with its rear seat folded (55.1 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the HR-V easier. The HR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Crosstrek’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

The HR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Crosstrek’s in almost every dimension:

The HR-V Sport/EX-L has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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

The HR-V has standard Push Button Start that allows you to start the engine without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited/Wilderness offers Keyless Access and Start.

The HR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.