A CR2025 is a 3-volt lithium coin cell, 20 millimeters across and 2.5 millimeters thick. A handful of older Honda remotes use it. It is less common than CR2032 or CR1616, which is why it causes bad purchases: the diameter matches a CR2032, so the wrong cell looks right until the cover will not close.
If the cell in your hand says CR2025, that is the only number to buy.
The battery, stated plainly
| What this page covers | honda key fob battery cr2025 |
|---|---|
| Battery to buy | CR2025 |
| Fob you are likely holding | Older compact remote |
| Cell type | 3-volt lithium coin cell. Do not use a rechargeable LIR cell. |
| Programming after the swap | Not required when you only change the battery. |
You are most likely to meet a CR2025 in an older compact remote from the early 2000s, including some S2000-era fobs and certain Accord and Prelude remotes of that period. It is not the cell in a modern Civic or CR-V smart key. Those are CR2032, and the shells are a different shape.
The 0.7 millimeter gap between CR2025 and CR2032 sounds trivial. Inside a remote it is the difference between a contact finger that presses and a contact finger that rests. A too-thick cell bows the cover and stresses the screw bosses. A too-thin cell works on the bench, then cuts out when the fob bounces against house keys.
Treat any internet list that says “all Honda fobs are CR2025” as wrong. That claim usually comes from one owner opening one remote. Your remote is the sample that matters. Open it, read it, and if the stamp is gone, compare thickness against a known CR2025 and a known CR2032 in the store before you leave.
The rest of the rules match every other Honda coin cell. Plus and minus are marked in the shell. The chemistry is lithium, not alkaline and not rechargeable. A fresh cell does not require programming. Range on these older remotes was always modest. Judge success by consistent lock and unlock beside the car, not by a parking-lot demonstration you remember from a newer Honda.
If you own both an older Honda and a 2018-or-newer Honda, label the spare cells. A CR2025 loose in a glove box looks identical to a CR2032 at a glance. The thickness tells them apart if you stack them. The printing tells them apart faster.
Changing the cell
Open the remote the way that shell opens, usually a screw or a slide, not the coin-twist used on later smart keys. Photograph the cell. Replace it with CR2025 only. Close the cover without forcing it. If you have to force it, you have the thick cell and you should stop.
Test lock and unlock at the car before you put the screw back in your pocket and drive away. A second test from a few steps back tells you the contact is actually touching.
If the fob still misbehaves
A cover that only closes when you lean on it means the cell is too thick. Remove it and read the number again. A fob that works when you press on the cover with your thumb and dies when you let go has the opposite problem: the cell is thin and the contact is barely meeting. That is a CR2032 cup fed a CR2025, or a worn contact finger.
Corrosion under a CR2025 that leaked after years in a hot car is a board problem. A new cell will not fix eaten traces.
What to spend, and what not to buy
Buy a name-brand CR2025 and keep the old cell until the new one has worked for a day. If you bought a two-pack, leave the spare in the package with the size written on a piece of tape. Future you will not remember which Honda it belonged to.
Related guides
- Honda Key Fob CR2032 Battery
- Honda Key Fob CR1616 Battery
- Honda S2000 Key Fob Battery
- Honda Key Fob Battery Size Chart
Questions people ask
How do I tell CR2025 from CR2032?
Both are 20 mm wide. CR2025 is 2.5 mm thick and CR2032 is 3.2 mm thick. The last two digits are the thickness in tenths of a millimeter.
Which Honda key fobs use CR2025?
Some older compact remotes, not current smart keys. The stamp on the cell is the confirmation.
Will a CR2032 fit a CR2025 Honda remote?
It may not close, and forcing it can crack the cover. Use the thinner cell.
Honda is a trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda Key Fob Battery is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Honda. The code printed on the cell already in your fob overrides any chart. A fob bought later, or a car sold in another country, can use a different shell.