Used Honda CR-V 2012-2018 reliability

Honda CR-Vs are most likely to have been bought by families, which means the interior may have been abused in its past life. While Hondas are generally well made, it is worth paying attention to what the inside of the car looks like before committing.

There is the possibility that the vehicle may have been used for towing, which will have put extra strain on the clutch. If the car you are looking at has a tow bar fitted and it looks to have been used, make sure you check how the clutch engages during a test drive, as replacing the clutch and flywheel can get very expensive.

Brake discs

Examples built between 18 December 2012 and 20 March 2013 may have been fitted with brake discs that were too small, which could compromise braking performance in an emergency situation. All CR-Vs affected by this recall should have been seen to by now, but it might still be a good idea to check with your local Honda dealer to make sure the correct size brake discs have been fitted to your car - particularly if it is an early one.

Unintended braking

The software for the automatic emergency braking system fitted to some models produced between 30 August 2012 and 15 October 2014 might be a bit overzealous when identifying objects in front of the car that it needs to avoid. This might pose a problem for following traffic or occupants inside the vehicle if the car suddenly starts braking to perform an emergency stop. Any Honda dealer will be able to update the software used in the system to fix this issue.

Hondas have in the past earned a reputation for reliability, and the CR-V is no exception. In our 2023 rundown of the most reliable large SUVs, the 2012 CR-V was ranked third. When it comes to building a reliable car, Honda knows a thing or two: it was ranked fourth out of 30 brands.