Small But Mighty! 2026 Honda HR-V vs. 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross

More people each year are choosing to trade in their sedans for small crossovers, and today we have the two most common choices: the Honda HR-V and the Toyota Corolla Cross. For 2026, both Honda and Toyota are bringing their A-game and refreshing these rivals with the latest tech and features. But we want to know, who should be your pick in a 2026 Honda HR-V vs. 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross comparison? Well, let’s find out right now!

Exterior Design

Now jumping right into the exteriors, Honda and Toyota designed these two with quite different philosophies. Toyota, especially after its refresh this year, plays into a tough and rugged design with a boxy grille up front. Honda, on the other hand, goes for more of a rounded and sleek appearance, with a smaller amount of painted cladding. We don’t score the appearance of vehicles, but we’d love to hear what you guys think in the comments below.

What we do score are all the various features and differences, so let’s get into those. Starting with the headlights, both models feature full-LED arrangements, but the Toyota goes the extra mile by selecting more premium projector LEDs instead of reflector LEDs on the Honda, plus it gives you LED fog lamps as well.

Walking around the vehicles, you notice both features newly redesigned 18-inch alloy wheels, and lengthwise, the HR-V is the bigger of the two by a couple inches. Of course, we will be comparing all the interior space and dimensions later in the comparison. 

Length: 176.1-inches (Corolla Cross) | 179.8-inches (HR-V)

In the back, we have a surprise treat: despite the less-expensive price tags, both models feature LED taillight clusters. The HR-V additionally includes an LED reverse light, and both have spoilers and exposed wipers.

The mirrors on each of them feature heating and blind-spot monitoring, and as far as the other important active safety features, they are also all nicely included here, to help you avoid crashes. 

That’s going to conclude the outside, so now let’s move on to the more important interior, where we have a lot to talk about.

Interior Design

Heading to the interiors, both crossovers feature smart entry systems, and remote start built into the fob.

After opening the doors, you’ll find newly updated cabins that have some of the latest and greatest tech from more expensive models. Before we get into that, the first stop is the seats. They are real leather covered in the HR-V, vs SofTex leatherette on the Corolla. Both are quite soft and have niceties like heating and lumbar support in the case of the Toyota. Neither offer memory.

Getting inside, material quality is a broad category so we will divide it into solidity and material selections. In both categories, the Honda HR-V will have an appreciable advantage. When you press on the materials or do things like close the door, it feels more solid and it also has a lot more soft-touch plastics and leatherette-padded areas compared to the pretty austere Corolla’s cabin.

Once you fire the two crossovers up, you’ll find a partially digital 7-inch gauge on the Honda, while Toyota went a step further and gave you a 12.3-inch digital cluster straight from the RAV4 this year.

Pulling back to the steering wheels, we have leatherette-wrapping, manual adjustment, and even heating in the case of the Corolla Cross.

Storage and Technology

When it comes to storage, Honda’s packaging takes the easy lead. Starting with the center console, we performed the signature Car Confections donut test on both, and the HR-V is the largest subcompact crossover we have ever tested, fitting 14 donuts. That’s much more than the Corolla, and the packaging genius of Honda doesn’t end there because they also have extra passthrough storage and a larger front bin, even though Toyota did redesign this to enhance the space in 2026.

Both keep traditional shifters, and when we go into reverse, they have backup cameras with active trajectory and even parking sensors. No 360-degree camera systems are offered.

Moving up the dashboard, next we have climate controls. Both have two zones and refreshingly easy-to-use physical controls for all the functions. 

Speaking of controls, the refreshed Corolla Cross has volume buttons instead of a knob, which makes it harder to adjust than in the HR-V.

The sound systems themselves are also different. The Honda has an 8-speaker unbranded system, and our Toyota has the optional 9-speaker JBL system. Neither are what we’d call exceptional, but the Corolla Cross does have the lead here.

HR-V: 8 Speakers Audio

Corolla Cross: 9 Speaker JBL Premium Audio

Infotainment-wise, the HR-V has upgraded to a standard 9-inch screen on all trims for 2026 model year. That would’ve been an advantage over the Toyota, however, for 2026 they also upgraded the screens. On top models, you have this new 10.5-inch display, which is more screen real estate.

Features-wise, both run smoothly and have main features buyers crave like wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. Toyota also includes built in navigation which isn’t on the HR-V’s super basic software.

Wrapping up the front of the cabins, the HR-V has an auto-dimming mirror, and the Corolla has HomeLink garage door openers. Additionally, both give you standard-sized sunroofs.

Rear Seats and Cargo

Now let’s head into the rear seats and the cargo areas, which are also very important. If you remember from the exterior part, the HR-V has a size advantage, which translates to more rear legroom. And by a significant amount, too. It has a whopping 16% advantage, although headroom is too similar to get a point.

Corolla Cross: Legroom: 32-inches | Headroom: 39.1-inches

HR-V: 37.7 inches for legroom | Headroom: 38.0-in

As far as the features back here, the Corolla Cross gives you more for comfort since it features vents, charging USB ports, and a center armrest. Even though EX-L is the top trim of the Honda offered in the U.S, there are none of those features.

Out back, the Toyota has a power tailgate which isn’t offered on HR-V.

Once it opens, this is where we see one of the biggest advantages of the HR-V: cargo capacity. With the seats in place, the Honda has over 7 more cubic feet of space and that advantage expands even more with the seats folded, with it having over 20% more space. That’s very significant for weekend warriors and families with kids.

Both have spare tires. 

Corolla Cross: Behind 2nd row: 17.1 cu.ft | Max: 44 cu.ft

HR-V: Behind 2^nd row: 24.4 cubic feet | 55.1 cu.ft with the seats folded

Alright, we’re done with the interiors now, but some of the most important things to consider take place on the test drive, so let’s take this fight to the streets!

Powertrains

So, what’s under the hood of these two? Well, the HR-V comes only with a 2.0L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder, while the Toyota has hybrid and regular engines available. At this price point, you get the gas engine option, which aligns nicely with the Honda. It also gives you a 2.0L naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder, in this case making 169 hp vs. 158 horsepower in the HR-V. Corolla also has more torque at 150 lb. ft. so it shouldn’t be surprising it accelerates faster to 60 mph – although neither of them could ever be classified as “quick”.

Corolla Cross: 2.0L I-4: 169 hp | 150 lb.ft | 0-60 MPH (Car & Driver): 9.2s

HR-V: 2.0L I-4: 158 hp | 138 lb.ft | 0-60 MPH (Car & Driver): 9.4s

Transmission-wise, we have a CVT in both with shift simulation, and power is routed to the ground via AWD systems.

Test Drive and Fuel Economy

Ride and handling are strong areas for both, and they do equally well. Neither have sloppy steering, which is uncommon for this segment, and the HR-V in particular feels balanced and doesn’t exhibit much body roll when cornering.

Ride quality-wise, they have pretty good compliance over large bumps in the road and don’t feel super far from the larger compact SUV segment.

Now out on the highway, sound isolation is important, which is why we take sound-level readings of every vehicle we test here at Car Confections. Unfortunately, our Corolla Cross was taken on a media drive in California, which means we can’t officially score this area, but know that neither will be overly quiet.

Corolla Cross: 64? lol dB @ 55 MPH

HR-V: 56.8 dB @ 55 MPH

Lastly, let’s get into fuel economy. Both are coming in at decent numbers, but the Toyota will take the lead. It gets 3 better MPG combined, and of course, keep in mind it’s also available in a more powerful hybrid version that gets 42 MPG combined saving you lots at the pump. That’s a major thing to draw attention to because not only does that model get better MPG’s but its also a lot more powerful.

Corolla Cross (AWD): 29/31/30 MPG

HR-V (AWD): 25/30/27 MPG

Resale & Reliability

In our reviews and comparisons, we are also adding in reliability and resale information to give you a better picture of the overall value beyond just the original MSRP. 

Beginning with reliability, we developed the Combined Reliability Index, which takes into account several studies from trustworthy sources and combines them in a way that gives a more realistic picture. In this respect, they are some of the strongest brands money can buy. Honda is rated 13 spots above industry average, and Toyota is 15 spots above average.

Related to that, they have the same general warranty coverage and Honda has one year of complimentary maintenance compared to the Toyota’s 2 years.

HR-V: Warranty: Basic Warranty: 3yr/36k mi | Powertrain: 5yr/60k mi | Comp Main: 1 yr 

Corolla Cross: Warranty: Basic Warranty: 3yr/36k mi | Powertrain: 5yr/60k mi | Comp Main: 2 yrs

We also put Mason’s economics degree to work to develop a detailed Predicted Resale Value tool. After 5 years and 60,000 miles, Honda actually has the highest value in the entire auto industry, at 64.79% expected retained value. Toyota is hot on its heels with 64.5% after 5 years and 60,000 miles.

Price Assessment

Now let’s break down the cost of these two and evaluate how much value each model is delivering. 

Our loaded HR-V EX-L is just slightly under $33,000 after the price increases for 2026. The Toyota has always been one of the most expensive options, and that is even more true this year. Our XLE rings in at $34,500 after equivalent options.

HR-V (EX-L AWD): $31,550 | Options: +$0 | Destination: $1,395 | Total: $32,945

Corolla Cross (XLE AWD): $31,010 | Options: +$2,050 | Destination: $1,450 | Total: $34,510

Nevertheless, there is a $1,565 price difference between these two affordable models.

2026 Honda HR-V vs. 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross Pick!

So, this was a close call between these two competitors! But, who should be your personal pick when it comes to your preferences!

Corolla Cross: 

• More features (lumbar, heated steering wheel)
• Rear seat features (USBs, vents, armrest)
• Available hybrid

HR-V: 

• Significantly more space (storage and cargo)
• Premium cabin materials
• Price

Now we want to know your opinions, so make sure to head to the comment section and let us know which one you would pick!

Thanks for joining us for another Car Confections Comparison! We’ll catch you next time as we sample the latest automotive delicacies!