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If Melbourne’s CBD was a car, it’d be something small enough to dart through laneways but clever enough to hold a week’s worth of plans, errands and flat-pack furniture.
This is why the 2025 Honda HR-V e:HEV makes sense for life here, and I’ve had the pleasure of taking it for spins around town. You can whip it up Armadale’s High Street, slip it into a parallel park that’s the width of a yoga mat, and still feel smug enough to grab a long black without worrying if you’ll be late.
The HR-V nameplate has been around since the late ’90s, when it became one of the original small SUVs in Australia before the category exploded. Honda calls it the ‘High-riding Revolutionary Vehicle’, which sounds a bit dramatic until you realise it’s been quietly shaping the ‘city SUV’ brief for decades.
This updated e:HEV version brings that formula into 2025 with slicker looks, smarter tech and better efficiency, without losing the nimble, urban-friendly feel that’s always been its thing.
Let’s get the grown-up numbers out of the way. Under the bonnet, you’ve got a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with Honda’s hybrid system, giving you 96kW and 253Nm. It drives less like a hybrid and more like an EV in the city – smooth, quiet and quick off the mark when you need it.
Official combined fuel economy is 4.3L/100 km, which in real-world Melbourne traffic allowed me to barely touch the fuel tank all week. With this economy, that’s the sort of flex I’ll take. The tank holds 40 litres of fuel, so you’re looking at up to 780km of range if you’re playing it sensibly.
There are three drive modes in the Honda HR-V. In Eco mode, the HR-V drives like an EV on a lazy sunny Sunday morning – smooth, quiet, and happy to sip power slowly. Switch to Sport and the whole thing wakes up. You get more torque sooner, the petrol engine stays in its sweet spot, and the steering and throttle feel sharper.
It’s not packing huge horsepower, but the extra urgency makes it feel fun, light and ready to dart through traffic or take a freeway on-ramp with a grin and a difference.
Boot space? It’s quoted at 304L, which is smaller than some rivals, before you consider Honda’s Magic Seats. Called magic for a reason, they flip up (yes I said up) to accommodate tall plants or boxes, or fold down to swallow bigger hauls.
Between photography jobs, taking my two labradors to a park and grocery trips, I didn’t miss the extra litres, as the magic seats made the difference. And there’s something satisfying about how quickly you can reconfigure it to suit your day.
Inside, it feels like Honda has been paying attention to what city drivers actually want. A 9.0-inch touchscreen sits proudly on the dash, paired with a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, heated front seats, and enough USB ports to keep everyone’s phone happy.
I tested the speaker system on one of my sunny morning drives with some throwbacks and suddenly thought ‘this would have been the perfect first car packed with friends heading to a beach’.
As for the price, the e:HEV X I drove starts at $39,900 drive-away, sitting just below the $42,900 e:HEV L grade.
If you’re happy to skip some top-spec extras like blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert, you’ll still get a lot of car for under $40k. And for context, the petrol-only Vi X kicks off at $34,900, so the hybrid’s efficiency really justifies the step up.
On the road, the HR-V is one of those cars that just clicks with you. The steering is light enough to get through traffic without breaking a sweat, but still planted when you hit the freeway.
It soaks up Melbourne’s potholes (IYKYK) and tram tracks without spilling your coffee, and while the CVT does like to have its say on hilly runs around Arthurs Seat, it’s more background chatter than deal-breaker. This is the sort of car you can run your whole life in and still have more than half a tank left.
CVT for beginners – what that means when you’re driving:
- Smoother acceleration — no noticeable ‘gear changes’, just a steady pull
- Better fuel-efficiency — it keeps the engine in its most efficient rev range
- Quieter in gentle driving — but, when you floor it (especially up hills), it can get a bit ‘vocal’
And compared to its bigger sibling, the ZR-V, the HR-V is the one you choose if space isn’t your top priority.
The ZR-V’s extra boot capacity (380L) and five-seat layout are great for families, but the HR-V’s smaller footprint is better for singles, couples, and anyone who spends more time battling inner-city traffic than loading up for camping trips.
After a week with the HR-V e:HEV, it feels like the reliable friend who always shows up, but also lets you be the main character in your own busy-city montage.
You’re not buying it to make a statement, but you’re also not sacrificing style, comfort or cleverness. You’re buying it because it just works.
In between the errands, the traffic, and the everyday grind, it gives you those little wins: slipping into that last park, getting home without refuelling, and knowing your car can keep up without making a fuss.
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