Honda said Thursday that the next CR-V will be sold only as a hybrid, starting with a redesigned 2028 model, InsideEVs reported. The current CR-V is still offered with both a hybrid and a conventional gasoline powertrain, a choice the 2028 model will not offer. The 2028 model, arriving next year, will open a seventh generation for the SUV.

"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 the announcement, according to InsideEVs.

The new CR-V will use a two-motor hybrid system. Honda said the setup will improve driving efficiency and widen the range of speeds where the engine runs most efficiently, compared with the current hybrid. Toyota made the RAV4 a hybrid-only model starting with the 2026 model year, and the Camry is now hybrid-only as well. Honda is following that path on its best-selling crossover.

The top three, electrified

Taken together, InsideEVs said, America's three best-selling SUVs in 2025 will soon all come with some form of electrification: the RAV4 and CR-V as hybrids, and the Tesla Model Y as a battery-electric vehicle. Those three accounted for some 1.2 million sales combined last year. Hybrids already reached 16 percent of the U.S. light-duty vehicle market in the third quarter, a surge InsideEVs tied to growing awareness, higher gasoline prices, and more hybrid choices in showrooms.

More hybrid SUVs are on the way. Nissan is preparing a Rogue Hybrid that InsideEVs said is designed to drive a lot like an EV, and GM is reportedly bringing hybrid powertrains to three-row SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. Consumer Reports, cited in the same story, found that the average hybrid commands a $1,700 premium and that most models pay that difference back in fuel savings within four years.

InsideEVs was careful to separate hybrids from full electrics. Battery-electric cars remain cheaper to run per mile for drivers who can charge at home, the report said, and are still better for the climate than hybrids. Honda, it added, has been stepping back from the EV market for now, so buyers who want to drop gasoline entirely will have to look at other brands. The hard news is still the powertrain change: the next CR-V will not have a gas-only version.