Honda is converting its most popular U.S car, the CR-V, into a "100% hybrid" vehicle -meaning no solely gas-powered versions will be made - as car shoppers continue flocking to fuel efficient vehicles with gas prices remaining high near $4 per gallon.
The Japanese company said in a Nov. 12 news release
"the 2028 Honda CR-V will arrive next year, powered exclusively by an all-new two-motor Honda Hybrid system.""With a 100% hybrid powertrain, the next-generation Honda CR-V will further expand the appeal of America's most popular SUV as demand for hybrid-electric vehicles reaches record levels," Luis Guerra, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, said in a statement.
The announcement comes as several of Honda's competitors have gone
all in on hybrids and their customers appear to be receiving them well.
Cars.com said hybrids now make up 12.2% of new vehicles for sale, up from 11.4% a year ago and 8% two years ago. Additionally, in the first half of 2026, 22% of shoppers said they would consider a hybrid vehicle, which was up from 20% in 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book.
"While durability and safety remain the most influential purchase considerations across all shoppers, affordability and fuel economy have become increasingly important over the past five years," Kelley Blue Book said.
The USA TODAY Cars team took a look at why Honda is making the CR-V hybrid now, why it is the company's most important vehicle, and why Honda's competitors are also flooding showrooms with hybrids now.
Why is Honda making the CR-V a hybrid now?
Honda said it decided now was the right time to make a hybrid of its most popular car because it was listening to its customers.
"Increasing sales of hybrid-electric vehicles is key to Honda's overall growth strategy," the company said. "With hybrid and SUV consideration at all-time highs, the 7th-generation CR-V is the first of several hybrid models Honda plans to launch in North America by 2030."
The next chapter of CR-V is taking shape. Arriving next year, the all-new 2028 Honda CR-V will feature a standard hybrid powertrain, a new platform, and a bold new design. Learn more: https://t.co/owCPcqsx6q pic.twitter.com/n5QSIxkOjX
— Honda (@Honda) November 12, 2026
Honda currently offers the CR-V in both gas-powered and hybrid formats. The 2027 hybrid CR-V start at $36,030 and it will be available in seven trims. The company said it has a two-motor hybrid system, and it will have 204 horsepower. The hybrid version of the current CR-V gets an EPA-estimated 43 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg on highways.
The CR-V has been Honda's top-selling U.S. car since 2017, when it first surpassed the Civic sedan for that title.
Here's how the CR-V has sold in the U.S. since then:
- 2025: 403,786
- 2024: 402,791
- 2023: 361,457
- 2022: 238,155
- 2021: 361,271
- 2020: 323,502
- 2019: 384,168
- 2018: 379,013
- 2017: 377,895
Why are carmakers turning more than ever to hybrids?
Carmakers are selling more hybrids than ever because, as several of them cut back on their EV production at the start of President Trump's administration, the hybrids they were already making became more attractive to consumers as the salience of fuel efficiency increased for car shoppers.
In 2025, there were 13,929,600 non-plug-in hybrid vehicles and 1,765,700 plug-in hybrid vehicles registered on U.S. roads, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuel Data Center. By comparison, the agency said there were 5,689,100 fully electric cars and over 240 million gas cars registered in the nation last year.
At the start of the second Trump administration, the White House and Republicans in Congress moved to eliminate the popular $7,500 EV tax credit offered by the federal government since the tail end of former President George W. Bush's administration. Trump also moved to cut funding for electric vehicle chargers approved by former President Joe Biden.
Carmakers reacted to the shifting headwinds in Washington by cutting back on many of their plans to introduce new electric models. But automakers that have been marketing hybrids for years, like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia, have reaped the benefits as gas prices surged.
Why are shoppers gravitating to hybrid cars?
High gas prices for most of this year have driven shoppers to consider hybrids a lot more.
The average price of gas on Friday, Nov. 13 was $3.87, according to AAA. That's up from an average of $3.07 on Nov. 13, 2025.
Despite those increases, polls show there is still hesitancy among some drivers about going fully electric. Car buyers have been telling pollsters for years that they have major concerns about the battery range of electric cars. The concern has bubbled up so often that it has been dubbed "range anxiety."
According to a poll released in January 2026 by the EVs for All America group, an advocacy group that works with car manufacturers to push U.S. and state lawmakers to adopt EV-friendly policies, 20% of 600 respondents to a poll intended to survey potential EV buyers in 2025 said their top concern about plug-in models is the charger networks being unreliable.
That's where hybrids come in. Most regular hybrids have batteries that get their power from regenerative braking, according to Edmunds, which is an automotive industry research group that also tests and reviews cars. That means drivers don't have to worry about hooking up to a charger at all. Hybrid cars operate on battery usually for shorter, low-speed portions of the trip and switch to gas when necessary for longer, higher-speed trips. Some hybrid cars can get over 500 miles on a single tank.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs as they are sometimes referred to, usually have a significantly larger battery pack that allows the car to be operated on electric power for stretches of time that can last about 40 to 50 miles, according to Edmunds. Plug-in hybrids have been seen as a compromise option for people who want to experience electric driving but are not ready to commit to driving a fully electric car.
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Honda's popular CR-V SUV going '100% hybrid' in sign of larger trends
