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Ford Escape vs Honda CR-V

2026 Ford Escape vs 2026 Honda CR-V — two rivals compared on efficiency, size, safety and reliability.

Ford Escape

2026 Ford Escape

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WDAWD/4WDHybrid/EV
VS1 – 3Honda CR-V wins 3 of 4 categories
Honda CR-V

2026 Honda CR-V

Midsize Station WagonsAWD/4WDHybrid/EV

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The short version

The Honda CR-V is the bigger car, about 4 inches longer.

Across all model years since 2005, the Honda CR-V has had fewer recall campaigns (60 vs 84).

The two cars

The 2026 Ford Escape is a small SUV offered with 3 engines (2.5L 4-cyl, 1.5L 3-cyl turbo and 2.0L 4-cyl turbo), including a hybrid version and front-wheel drive, part-time 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It measures about 181 inches long and 74 inches wide on a 107-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 3,419 lb (4dr SUV 1.5l AWD).

The 2026 Honda CR-V is a midsize station wagon offered with 2 engines (2.0L 4-cyl and 1.5L 4-cyl turbo), including a hybrid version and front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It measures about 185 inches long and 74 inches wide on a 106-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 3,635 lb (4dr SUV AWD).

Buying used? The 2024 Escape and the 2022 CR-V have the fewest problems in our data; avoid the 2017 Escape and the 2018 CR-V.

Basics

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
Class
Midsize Station Wagons
Plug-in Hybrid, Hybrid, Regular Gasoline
Fuel
Hybrid, eFCV, Regular Gasoline
2.5L 4-cyl, 1.5L 3-cyl turbo, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo
Engines
2.0L 4-cyl, 1.5L 4-cyl turbo
Front-Wheel Drive, Part-time 4-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive
Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive

Efficiency

40 MPG
Best combined MPG
40 MPG
42 city
City / highway MPG (best)
43 city
$1,700
Fuel cost per year (EPA)
$1,700

Performance & space

–
Horsepower (most powerful)
190 hp
180.7 in
Length
184.6 in
74 in
Width
73.6 in
66.1 in
Height
66.1 in
3,283 lb
Curb weight (lightest)
3,525 lb

Safety & reliability

11
Driver-assist features standard
14
3
Recalls (2026)
2
84
Recalls, all years since 2005
60
4
Owner complaints (latest year)
177

Interest

17,453
Wikipedia views, 30 days
36,497

Buying used

2024
Best used year
2022
2017
Year to avoid
2018

Green = clearly better. Prices are not included. How we calculate this →

Which one should you choose?

Choose the Ford Escape if…

  • You want something easier to park (4 in shorter)

Choose the Honda CR-V if…

  • You want more room (4 in longer)
  • You want more standard driver-assist tech
  • You put reliability history first (60 vs 84 recalls since 2005)

Pros & cons of each

2026 Ford Escape

  • Excellent fuel economyUp to 40 MPG combined — 32% better than the average 2026 small SUV (30.2 MPG).
  • Hybrid version availableOffered as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid as well as gas.
  • AWD / 4WD available
  • Lots of standard safety tech4 of 5 key driver aids standard on the versions we checked.

2026 Honda CR-V

  • Excellent fuel economyUp to 40 MPG combined — 56% better than the average 2026 midsize station wagon (25.7 MPG).
  • Hybrid version availableOffered as a hybrid as well as gas.
  • AWD / 4WD available
  • Lots of standard safety tech5 of 5 key driver aids standard on the versions we checked.

Full 2026 Ford Escape specs →Full 2026 Honda CR-V specs →Compare fuel costs for your driving →Compare size & garage fit →