Honda
2026 Honda CR-V
VS
Toyota
2026 Toyota RAV4
Side by side
At a glance
MSRP excludes freight, fees and taxes. Fuel figures are NRCan combined ratings.
Spec
CR-V
RAV4
Starting MSRP
$37,075
$37,500
Top trim MSRP
$54,849
$59,350
Cheapest hybrid
$45,900
$37,500
Powertrains
1.5L turbo gas or 2.0L two-motor hybrid
Hybrid or plug-in hybrid only
Hybrid system output
204 hp / 247 lb-ft
236 hp
Gas engine output
190 hp / 179 lb-ft
Not offered
Fuel, hybrid AWD combined
6.4 L/100 km
5.5–6.2 L/100 km
Cargo, seats up
1,028 L hybrid / 1,113 L gas
1,036–1,070 L
Cargo, seats folded
2,030 L hybrid
1,994 L
Max towing
453 kg (1,000 lb)
1,588 kg (3,500 lb)
Drivetrain
FWD on base LX, AWD on all others
AWD standard on all trims
Assembly
Alliston, Ontario
Cambridge / Woodstock, Ontario
Specifications based on the 2026 model year.
The CR-V
What’s the biggest difference between the CR-V and RAV4 in 2026?
Toyota discontinued the gas RAV4. Every 2026 Toyota RAV4 sold in Canada is a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, with all-wheel drive standard. The 2026 Honda CR-V still offers two turbocharged gas trims, the LX and Sport, alongside four hybrid trims. That gives the CR-V a lower entry point and gives buyers a choice Toyota no longer offers.
But if you don’t want to pay a hybrid premium at all, the CR-V LX at $36,975 is now the only way into either nameplate without one. Honda’s hybrid trims sit at the top of the CR-V range rather than the bottom, and account for more than 65% of CR-V sales in Canada.
Which SUV uses less fuel?
The RAV4, clearly. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is rated 5.5 to 6.2 L/100 km combined depending on trim. The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid with all-wheel drive is rated 6.0 city, 6.9 highway, 6.4 combined. On fuel economy alone the RAV4 is the more efficient vehicle, and we won’t argue otherwise.
At 20,000 km a year and $1.85 per litre, the CR-V Hybrid AWD burns about $2,370 in fuel and a RAV4 Hybrid LE AWD about $2,035. Roughly $335 a year, or $1,675 over five years.
The cheapest CR-V Hybrid costs $8,400 more than the cheapest RAV4, but those aren’t equivalent trims. Matched against a mid-grade RAV4 the gap narrows sharply. Ask us to run the two trims you’re actually cross-shopping.
Which has more cargo space?
It splits. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 holds more behind the rear seats — 1,036 to 1,070 L against 1,028 L for the 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The CR-V holds more with the seats folded, 2,030 L against 1,994 L. The gas CR-V beats both at 1,113 L seats-up.
The seats-up gap is small enough that neither will surprise you on a grocery run. Folded is where it shows: a bike with the front wheel off, a flat-packed dresser, ski gear for four. The CR-V’s bay is longer, the RAV4’s squarer and more upright after Toyota’s 2026 redesign.
One thing no spec sheet lists: CR-V Hybrid trims carry a tire repair kit, not a spare. The RAV4 keeps a spare. Worth knowing if you drive the Coquihalla or the Duffey Lake road.
How do the two hybrid systems actually drive?
They feel different, not just different on paper. The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid runs as an electric vehicle most of the time, using its 2.0L engine mainly as a generator and clutching it to the wheels only at steady highway speeds. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 blends engine and motor continuously through a planetary gearset.
From the driver’s seat: the CR-V Hybrid pulls away with an EV’s immediate torque — 247 lb-ft from a standstill — and keeps engine noise down under moderate acceleration. The RAV4 is smoother at highway cruise and the more efficient of the two, but its engine note rises and holds under hard acceleration. Toyota’s added sound insulation for 2026 reduces this without eliminating it. This is a preference, not a verdict. Drive both back to back — we’ll set that up even though only one of them is on our lot.
Which is better for Vancouver driving?
Both suit the city; parking and towing decide it. The 2026 Honda CR-V is 4,695 mm long against the 2026 Toyota RAV4’s 4,595 mm — about 10 cm more to fit into a downtown parkade stall. If you park in an older West End or Kitsilano building, measure your stall first.
In stop-and-go traffic on Broadway both hybrids are at their most efficient, and both run on electric power alone at low speed. For the Sea-to-Sky in winter, the RAV4 has standard all-wheel drive on every trim; on the CR-V only the base LX is front-wheel drive, and all four hybrid trims have AWD.
If you tow, this ends quickly. The 2026 RAV4 is rated to 1,588 kg on most trims. The CR-V Hybrid is rated to 453 kg. That’s not a gap Honda can talk its way out of, and we’d rather tell you now than after you’ve bought.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Every Honda CR-V sold in Canada is built at Honda of Canada Mfg. in Alliston, Ontario, which has produced more than 11 million vehicles since 1986. RAV4 hybrids sold in Canada are built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in Ontario, though the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid is imported from Japan.
Yes. The 2026 CR-V LX and Sport use a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 190 horsepower, rated at 7.8 L/100 km combined with front-wheel drive or 8.4 with all-wheel drive. The 2026 RAV4 has no gas-only equivalent.
At 20,000 km a year and $1.85 per litre, the hybrid saves roughly $740 a year against the gas AWD model. The Sport Hybrid costs about $2,525 more than the gas Sport, so the fuel saving alone covers the difference in a little over three years — sooner if you drive more than 20,000 km.
Both hold value unusually well for the segment and the gap between them is narrow enough that it will vary by trim, colour and year. We can pull current Canadian Black Book figures for the two specific trims you’re comparing — ask us rather than trusting a general answer.
Both come with a full standard driver-assist suite — Honda Sensing on every CR-V, Toyota Safety Sense 4.0 on every RAV4 — and both nameplates have historically rated well with the IIHS. Check the IIHS site for ratings on the exact model year and trim you’re considering, as ratings change with equipment.
No. We’re a Honda dealership, so we have an obvious interest in you buying a CR-V. We’ve tried to write this comparison straight anyway, because a shopper who finds out we shaded the numbers isn’t coming back for service.
See the CR-V at Carter Honda
Visit us Burrard Street, Vancouver. Serving downtown, the West End, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, the North Shore and Burnaby.