Where each one leads
Honda CR-V
- Against cars of the same age, the Honda CR-V comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 10% more often than average) than the Mazda CX-7 (passes 4% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Honda CR-V comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 25% less often than average) than the Mazda CX-7 (fails 22% more often than average).
- Fewer Honda CR-V cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.1% against 22.6%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Honda CR-V uses 7.8 l/100 km, the 2011 Mazda CX-7 10.4.
Mazda CX-7
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Honda CR-V | Mazda CX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1997–2026 | 2007–2013 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 395,972 (2010–2022) | 27,001 (2010–2021) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 198,284 | 822 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 9,748 | 266 |
| In traffic in Finland | 17,060 | 229 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Honda CR-V | Mazda CX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 74% | 58% |
| … against cars of the same age | +10% | −4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.2% | 3.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | −25% | +22% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.1% | 22.6% |
| US owner complaints | 16,042 | 1,134 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2018 (2,161) | 2007 (528) |
| US recall campaigns | 63 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 3,487 | 1,432 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 60 | — |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Honda CR-V | Mazda CX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Honda CR-V | Mazda CX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.8 l/100 km (2026) | 10.4 l/100 km (2011) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.1 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 157 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 108 kW (145 hp) | 127 kW (170 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,715 kg | 1,835 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €48,229 | €48,455 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 240,000 km | 240,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).