How to Reset the Oil Life Monitor in a Honda CR-V - VehicleHistory (2025)

Properly maintaining your Honda CR-V means regularly changing the oil. You could go to the dealer for this, but you can also do it yourself.

If you do, you’ll eventually need to reset the oil life indicator.

How do you reset the oil life on the Honda CR-V?

This differs a bit based on the model year of the vehicle. However, the process is rather easy. You’ll need to navigate through the dashboard menu until you find the area for the engine oil life. Then, press down and hold the display until it blinks. This will allow you to set the reset option.

It’s important to know how to do this if you are changing the oil on your own. The key is that this allows you to maintain an accurate record of when the oil is changed.

A Bit about the Honda CR-V

In 2020, Honda introduced a lot of new features in the CR-V, including a hybrid trim model. The vehicle specs include:

• 2.0L (122 ci) I-4 engine hybrid or 2.4L (146 ci) 4-cylinder engine on the standard model
• 212 horsepower at 6,200 RPMs
• 129 lb-ft. at 3,500 RPMs
• CTV transmission

For this model year, drivers can choose from eight trim packages. They ranged in price from $26,270 to $37,170.

One of the key reasons to keep the oil in good condition is because of fuel economy. When the engine is not working at its optimal level, that can drop your fuel economy. Here’s the good thing: The 2020 Honda CRV has one of the best fuel economies in its class.

According to EPA estimates, the 2.0L vehicle gets 40 city and 35 highway for a combined 38 miles per gallon with the hybrid engine.

What is the Oil Life Feature?

Today’s vehicles can provide drivers with so much information. That information is meant to ensure that maintenance or problems are taken care of as soon as possible. The oil life feature is one of those areas.

The oil life indicator is a key component on many newer vehicles, including the latest models of the Honda CRV. In these vehicles, this indicator tells you the quality of the oil. It gives you an estimate as to when you need to replace the oil. It does that, not based on how many miles you’ve driven, but on the likely condition of the oil in the vehicle.

That’s important. Today’s oil products are lasting longer than ever. Vehicles are more efficient than they used to be, which means the engines require better oil but also don’t wear through that oil as often. There’s no benefit in changing the oil every 3,000 miles if the oil is still in good condition. That’s where this feature can be helpful.

There are two types of oil life indicators. Some use a set of data from the vehicle to make this decision about the quality of the oil. Others use a direct measurement to determine it.

These systems do not have actual measurements or sensors on the oil itself, but use data from a various number of components, like the powertrain control module, to estimate the quality.

In vehicles like the CR-V, a direct measurement is used. It uses sensors that sample the oil based on:

• Conductivity
• Mechanical properties
• Soot concentration
• Water presence

These are all factors that can impact the quality and functionality of the oil.

How Do You Reset the Oil Life?

Let’s say that it is time to change the oil. You want to reset the oil life feature to ensure that the information it has is accurate.

This video provides you with information about the 2017 or 2018 Honda CR-V EX, but the application is the same for most vehicles in this lineup. In these vehicles, an orange wrench symbol shows up when the vehicle needs to be serviced. This generally means it is time for an oil change.

To reset the oil life indicator in this vehicle, follow these steps:

• Locate the appropriate display. On the EX and above models for this year, you’ll use the main display. For lower models, use a button next to the dash for navigation.
• Select the “Home” button. Choose the “Settings” button.
• Click the “Vehicle” setting that is displayed.
• Click down to display “Maintenance Info,” and click on that.
• Select the button at the bottom that says, “System Reset.”
• Select the “A: Engine Oil” button.
• Confirm that you wish to reset the engine oil.

That is all you have to do to take the engine oil life back to 100 percent. It will then start to count down this information from this point.

If you performed any other maintenance on the vehicle, such as removal and replacement of the air filters, tire rotation, or spark plugs, you can also go through this same process.

The information is displayed under the Maintenance Minder system. It will display all items due to be serviced based on the sensor information or from the time of the last update.

A Word of Warning

You shouldn’t go through this process unless your vehicle just received new oil. Even if you are just topping up the oil in the engine, do not reset this.

Do it only when all of the oil has been drained from the vehicle, and it has been refilled with clean, new oil. The 2020 Honda CR-V uses 0W-20 synthetic grade oil in most engine models. Be sure to check the owner’s manual for more information on your specific model year and trim.

Taking Care of Your Vehicle Is Essential

With proper information and maintenance, you could extend the life of your vehicle. Do what it takes by knowing about the CR-V’s Vehicle History.