CR-V Insurance Costs $1,841 More Than Gas Over Five Years

Our calculator puts the 2025 Honda CR-V at $33,377 over five years, or $556 a month. That is more than the $32,000 we assume you pay for the car. You buy it once and then pay for it again.

The surprise is in the middle of that total. Most people assume gas is the big running cost. For this CR-V it is not. Insurance comes to $9,385 over five years, and fuel comes to $7,544. Insurance beats gas by $1,841.

That changes how you should shop for this car. Fuel economy matters, but the trim you pick, the quote you get and the state you live in may move your total more than a few miles per gallon.

Where the $33,377 actually goes

Depreciation, the value the car loses, is $11,841. That is the largest single line, and it is about 37% of the assumed purchase price. For a compact SUV that is a decent result. The CR-V holds its value better than most things on a dealer lot.

The other $21,536 is the cost of keeping it running and legal. Here is how that splits:

• Insurance: $9,385
• Fuel: $7,544
• Maintenance: $2,732
• Repairs: $1,620
• Registration: $255

Maintenance and repairs together are $4,352 over five years. That is under $73 a month for keeping the car healthy, which is low. Honda's reputation for cheap, boring upkeep shows up in our numbers.

The $255 for registration is almost a rounding error. Skip worrying about it.

One caution on insurance. Our figure is an estimate built from the car's value and class. It is not a quote. Your own number will differ based on your age, record, ZIP code and the company you pick. Get real quotes before you commit to a trim.

What this car is, and who it is for

The CR-V is a five-seat compact SUV. It is built for people who need a back seat that adults can use, a cargo area that swallows a stroller or a Costco run, and a car that will not become a hobby. It is a household appliance with a nice steering wheel.

It is a good fit for small families, commuters with a long drive, and couples who want one vehicle that does everything adequately. It is a good fit for people who keep cars for eight or ten years.

It is not for you if you want to enjoy driving. It is not for you if you tow much, since this is not a truck. It is also not the right pick if you want a third row, because it does not have one. Buyers who want seven seats should look at bigger SUVs.

And it is a poor choice if you want the cheapest possible purchase price. The CR-V has never been the bargain in its class.

Trims and pricing

The 2025 CR-V comes in gas and hybrid versions. The prices below are approximate starting prices before destination fees. Dealers, options and Honda's pricing changes will move them, so check Honda's official build page for current numbers. Our calculator assumes $32,000 as a blended estimate for the model year.

Trim	MSRP (approx.)	What you actually get
LX	About $31,000	Gas engine, the basics, driver aids, a small touchscreen. Fine, but plain.
EX	About $34,000	Gas engine, bigger screen, sunroof, more convenience features. The sensible middle.
Sport Hybrid	About $36,500	Hybrid powertrain, black trim, bigger wheels. Looks sportier than it drives.
EX-L	About $37,000	Gas engine, leather, heated seats, upgraded audio.
Sport-L Hybrid	About $40,000	Hybrid with leather and more features.
Sport Touring Hybrid	About $43,000	Everything Honda offers. The price starts to look silly.

The EX is where most buyers should stop. The top trims add comfort, but you pay for it twice: once in the price, and again in depreciation and insurance, both of which scale with what the car is worth.

Powertrains and fuel economy

There are two choices. The gas model uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission, which is an automatic with no fixed gears. The hybrid pairs a gas engine with electric motors and costs more up front.

For current mileage ratings on each version, use the government's fueleconomy.gov and compare them side by side. We will not quote numbers from memory.

Here is how fuel plays out in dollars. Our calculator's five-year fuel cost is $7,544 at 12,000 miles a year. That is about $1,509 a year, or roughly $126 a month. If the hybrid costs a couple of thousand dollars more than the gas version, it needs to save you that much at the pump before it breaks even. For many drivers at 12,000 miles a year, that takes a long time. Drive a lot of city miles and it gets closer.

What it gets right

The interior is the strongest part. Honda has resisted the urge to bury every control in a touchscreen. There are real knobs for volume and real buttons for climate. You can adjust the temperature without looking away from the road, which sounds minor until you try a car that makes you do it on a screen.

The rear seat is large for the class. Adults fit, and the doors open wide, which helps with car seats. Cargo space is generous and the load floor is easy to work with.

Visibility is good. The ride is calm. The controls are intuitive. None of that is exciting. All of it is what you want on the fortieth drive to the grocery store.

The cost of ownership backs this up. Our maintenance and repair totals are low for an SUV of this size.

What it gets wrong

The price is the first problem. A compact SUV that lands in the mid-$30,000s at the EX trim is not cheap, and the hybrids climb toward $40,000 and past it. You pay for Honda's name.

The base LX feels sparse for the money. Moving up to the EX is nearly mandatory, which makes the starting price a bit of a decoy.

The gas engine is adequate, not lively. Under hard acceleration the continuously variable transmission drones, and no amount of marketing changes that. The hybrid is smoother but costs more.

The infotainment system works, but it is not the best in the class. Some rivals have sharper screens and better graphics.

Finally, the insurance cost. At $9,385 over five years in our estimate, it is the second-largest running cost and larger than fuel. A pricier trim pushes it up further.

Safety

We have not confirmed a published 2025 crash rating for the CR-V, so we will not make one up. Check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at iihs.org for the current results on the exact version you plan to buy. The current generation launched a couple of model years ago, so earlier results are a useful guide, but they are not a substitute for the 2025 listing.

Honda includes a suite of driver-assist features, such as automatic emergency braking and lane keeping, on every trim. That is a point in the LX's favor.

Year one with the EX

Here is what the first twelve months look like for the mid-level EX. These are estimates, and your costs will vary.

Depreciation. New cars typically lose 15% to 22% of their value in the first year. On our $32,000 assumed price, that is roughly $4,800 to $7,040. It is the biggest hit of the year, and you never write a check for it.

Fuel. At 15,000 miles, which is more than our standard 12,000, we estimate about $1,886 for the year. That is our five-year fuel figure scaled up for the extra driving.

Insurance. Our five-year insurance estimate works out to about $1,877 a year. A realistic range for a driver with a clean record is perhaps $1,600 to $2,300, but this is a rough guess and not a quote. Shop around.

First service. Honda uses a Maintenance Minder system that tells you when service is due based on how you drive. The first oil change often lands somewhere inside the first year. Costs are modest, and our five-year maintenance figure of $2,732 reflects that.

The competition

Toyota RAV4. The CR-V wins on rear-seat comfort and a cleaner, less cluttered interior. It loses on resale reputation and on hybrid availability, because Toyota has made hybrids a bigger part of the RAV4 lineup.

Hyundai Tucson. The CR-V wins on long-term reliability reputation and resale value. It loses on warranty coverage, since Hyundai's powertrain warranty is much longer, and often on price.

Mazda CX-5. The CR-V wins on cargo room and practicality. It loses on how it drives, because the Mazda is more engaging and feels more expensive inside.

Verdict

Buy the CR-V if you want a car you can stop thinking about. The EX is the right trim for most people. It keeps the purchase price manageable, and our numbers suggest the running costs are as predictable as you can reasonably ask for. Over five years, $556 a month is not a bad price for an SUV that will probably still be worth something when you sell it.

Skip it if you are chasing the lowest cost per month. Cheaper rivals exist, and the premium for the Honda badge is real. Skip it, too, if you plan to buy a top-tier hybrid, because the price rises faster than the benefits, and insurance rises with it.

And skip it if you enjoy driving. The CR-V does everything competently and nothing memorably.

Before you sign, get three insurance quotes. In our estimate, that is the bill that outweighs gas.