2026 Honda CR-V: O’Fallon Buyers Guide

Quick Answer: The 2026 Honda CR-V at a Glance

The 2026 CR-V is a mid-cycle refresh of Honda’s best-selling SUV, sold in seven trims: three with the 190-hp 1.5-liter turbo (LX $30,920, EX $33,150, EX-L $35,400) and four with the 204-hp hybrid (Sport $35,630, Sport-L $38,725, the new TrailSport $38,800, Sport Touring $42,550), all before a $1,395 destination charge. Every trim now gets a 9-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, and the full Honda Sensing safety suite as standard. All-wheel drive adds $1,500 where it’s optional and comes standard on TrailSport and Sport Touring. All seven are sold and serviced at Frank Leta Honda on Auto Mall Drive in O’Fallon — the dealership that opened the Midwest’s first Honda franchise back in 1971, and the one that backs every new CR-V with its own Lifetime Warranty.

2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Hybrid in Ash Green Metallic driving a dirt trail with a roof basket
The refreshed 2026 CR-V, led by the first-ever TrailSport Hybrid. Photo: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Fifty-five years of being the Honda dealer here

Frank Leta Honda has sold Hondas in the St. Louis area since 1971, when it became the first Honda franchise anywhere in the Midwest, and the CR-V has spent most of that run as the vehicle St. Charles County families actually cross-shop everything else against before buying anyway. The 2026 refresh narrows the gap between the trims: the base LX now carries the same 9-inch screen, wireless phone mirroring, and wireless charging pad that used to require climbing several rungs, and Honda Sensing — collision braking, adaptive cruise with low-speed follow, lane keeping, traffic-sign recognition — has no trim gate at all. Fold the second row and the cargo hold stretches to 76.5 cubic feet, which covers a Costco run to Mid Rivers Mall and a weekend of gear for the lake in the same trip.

The other 2026 headline is the first CR-V TrailSport, a hybrid-only, all-wheel-drive-only trim on genuine all-terrain tires, built in Greensburg, Indiana — about four hours up the road. It gives the lineup something it never had: a version built for the gravel county roads and river-access lots that a lot of Missouri weekends actually end at, not just the interstate.

Turbo or hybrid: the one decision that sorts everything

Powertrains are fixed by trim, so this choice is really a trim-family choice. LX, EX, and EX-L run the 1.5-liter turbo four with 190 horsepower and a CVT, EPA-rated 28 city / 33 highway with front-wheel drive (27/31 with AWD). The four Sport-badged trims run Honda’s fourth-generation two-motor hybrid, 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft, rated 43/36 as a front-driver and 40/34 with AWD — the TrailSport’s all-terrain tires trim that to 38/33. That gap matters for a commute that spends real time stopped on Highway K or waiting through the lights on Mexico Road: the hybrid does its best work exactly there, and 43 mpg city beats the turbo by fifteen. There’s no hybrid option on the lower trims and no turbo option on the Sport trims, so if the fuel math is what brought you here, the Sport Hybrid at $35,630 is the entry point.

Pick your 2026 CR-V

CR-V LX

from $30,920 MSRP
The refresh made the base trim livable: 9-inch screen, wireless CarPlay, full safety suite.

CR-V EX

from $33,150 MSRP
Moonroof, heated seats, dual-zone climate, and blind-spot monitoring for $2,230 more.

CR-V EX-L

from $35,400 MSRP
Leather, power tailgate, parking sensors — the top of the turbo range.

CR-V Sport Hybrid

from $35,630 MSRP
The 204-hp hybrid entry: 43 mpg city, gloss-black wheels, Sport mode.

CR-V Sport-L Hybrid

from $38,725 MSRP
Hybrid economy plus the leather-and-power-tailgate comfort package.

CR-V TrailSport Hybrid

from $38,800 MSRP
New for 2026: standard AWD, all-terrain tires, and the gear for unpaved weekends.

CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid

from $42,550 MSRP
Bose audio, Google built-in, hands-free tailgate — everything Honda knows how to put in one.
2026 Honda CR-V cargo area loaded with luggage, tailgate open
Up to 76.5 cubic feet with the second row folded. Photo: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

What CR-V buyers say about this store

Frank Leta Honda carries roughly a 4.6-star Google rating across more than 3,200 reviews, and CR-V buyers show up in them constantly. Jennifer Blair drove up from Springfield after a hail storm totaled her old one: “We specifically chose Frank Leta Honda due to their reputation for being fair and transparent, and the lifetime warranty is hard to beat. We worked with Taylor Culbertson, and he was fantastic… We left with a new 2026 CR-V and couldn’t be happier.” Larry Jeske closed on a Sport Touring Hybrid the same way: “Our sales representative Kyler was awesome. No pressure sales tactics were involved… Enjoying our 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid Touring.” Cheryl Rowland has stuck around even longer: “I have been a regular customer for my Honda CR-V since I purchased it from [Frank Leta Honda] in 2016. Everyone is very polite and professional.” And JL Segundo traded an HR-V up a size with David Sedlock’s help: “He made the entire process smooth and stress-free… I’m extremely happy with my new CR-V.”

Owning one in St. Charles County

The buying decision is half the story; the other half lives in this set’s companion pages. The 2026 CR-V service & repair guide covers the Maintenance Minder, Frank Leta Honda’s own Lifetime Warranty, Missouri’s inspection rules, and what freeze-thaw winters do to a CR-V that other regions never have to plan around. The pricing & leasing guide walks the MSRP ladder, how Missouri collects its vehicle sales tax (it’s not the dealer who collects it — more on that), and how monthly offer cycles work in your favor.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CR-V changing in 2026?

It’s a refresh of the sixth generation (introduced for 2023), not a redesign: updated front styling, new wheel designs, the 9-inch touchscreen and wireless CarPlay/Android Auto made standard on every trim, a larger 10.2-inch digital cluster on EX-L and above, and the first-ever TrailSport Hybrid joining the lineup.

How much is the new Honda CR-V 2026?

MSRPs run from $30,920 for the LX to $42,550 for the Sport Touring Hybrid, plus a $1,395 destination charge and $1,500 for all-wheel drive where it’s optional. The pricing & leasing guide breaks down every trim and the Missouri fees that follow.

Is the 2026 Honda CR-V good or bad?

It’s one of the strongest picks in the class — the refresh addressed the old complaints (stingy base-trim tech), the hybrid’s fuel economy leads the mainstream field, and the CR-V’s resale-value reputation does the long-term math for you. The honest knocks: no third row, and towing tops out at 1,500 pounds on turbo trims (1,000 on hybrids).

Which CR-V should I stay away from?

That question mostly follows used listings — early 1.5T model years (2017-2018) drew complaints about oil dilution that Honda addressed with software updates. On a new 2026 there’s no trim to avoid; the real trap is paying for AWD you won’t use, or skipping the hybrid when your commute is stop-and-go.

What is Honda’s cheapest SUV?

The smaller HR-V starts a few thousand below the CR-V and shares this lot. If your back seat carries adults or your weekends carry cargo, most shoppers find the CR-V’s extra room worth the difference — sit in both back-to-back and it settles itself.

What is the best month to buy a Honda CR-V?

Structurally, model-year turnover (late summer into fall) and December’s year-end push tend to bring the strongest support, but Honda resets its national programs every month, so the honest answer is whichever month your build and the current offer line up. Checking the offers page before you shop costs nothing.

Where can I test drive a 2026 CR-V near O’Fallon?

Frank Leta Honda keeps the CR-V range in stock at 500 Auto Mall Drive, open until 8 PM on sales days, with the hybrid trims parked in their own CR-V Hybrid inventory a few rows over.

Seven trims, one afternoon

Reading trim sheets gets you to a shortlist; sitting in two or three finishes the job in an hour. Start with the trim guides above, then put your top picks side by side on the lot — the turbo and hybrid rows sit close together, and the used and Certified Pre-Owned stock is there for anyone running the new-versus-CPO comparison honestly.

All 2026 Honda CR-V guides

MSRP figures exclude the $1,395 destination charge plus taxes, title, registration, and dealer-installed accessories; the dealer sets the actual selling price. Fuel-economy figures are EPA estimates for comparison; your mileage will vary with conditions and driving style. Equipment, colors, and availability can change with production timing — confirm current specs with Frank Leta Honda. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Frank Leta Honda.