After nearly 25 years, there’s a new Honda Prelude about to hit American streets.
It’s been roughly two years since the initial prototype made its debut, but here we are: the 2026 Honda Prelude is making its official North American debut as a production-ready car set to actually hit Honda dealers this fall. Before the big debut, the automaker brought a group of journalists, including me and Nathan (who you’ll see in the video below), to Los Angeles to take a look at what we can finally expect when this hybrid sports coupe goes up — albeit indirectly — against the Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ and the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
I use the word “coupe” fairly openly here, since Honda’s designers added a bit more practicality than you’d expect in making this sixth-generation model a liftback, rather than giving it your typical tiny trunk. It’s obviously still gunning for a sportier vibe against your average Civic Hybrid, but at least that design choice, while integrating the rest of the look into a sleek package that even includes flush door handles (a first for Honda). Overall, the new Prelude pulls off a modern look that doesn’t go completely over the top, which is a trick the automaker’s managed to pull off throughout the decades. Beyond the aesthetic, though, the 2026 Honda Prelude is still crammed with tech for a car its size.
As I covered in the teaser leading up to today’s debut, the new Prelude bases its powertrain around the Civic Hybrid. To that end, you get a 2.0-liter engine paired to a couple electric motors for a combined output of 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. Because we’re talking about Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, the Prelude lacks a transmission in the conventional sense, though the car brings a unique “S+ Shift” mode to mimic aggressive shifting like you’d find in its chief rivals. Still, there’s no manual transmission option here to some enthusiasts’ chagrin. From my experience driving the Civic Hybrid hatch, though, this powertrain setup is snappier than the numbers would lead you to believe…so it may be able to win folks over that they don’t necessarily need the manual to have fun.
The up side of having a hybrid setup, of course, is that the 2026 Honda Prelude should be remarkably fuel efficient while being a sporty little setup. No official EPA figures are available yet, but since it’s smaller (at least in length and height) than the Civic Hybrid, it’s reasonable to assume you could get up to 50 mpg, at least when you’re just driving it around normally.
Despite lacking a manual transmission, the Prelude does bring in some elements that are all its own beyond the special drive mode. On the performance front, Honda raided its parts supply to borrow the same dual-axis front suspension and Brembo brakes from the fantastic Civic Type R. It may not make the same 315 horsepower as its beefier cousin, but that will allow the Prelude to make better use of what power it does have, effectively curbing torque steer off the line and bringing it to a nice and tidy halt when needed. Like the Civic Si, you can also spec the Prelude with a set of summer tires around those 19-inch wheels that either come in gloss black or a machined style.
Once you get inside, the 2026 Honda Prelude will look pretty familiar, again with a few unique touches from the Civic Hybrid.
This car gets its own, more heavily bolstered (and branded) front seats, while the IP itself is also a little nicer by way of softer touch materials on the center console and the instrument panel. A standard 10.2-inch customizable gauge cluster is also part of the mix, as is a 9-inch infotainment screen with Google Built-in apps.
The 2026 Honda Prelude comes as one loaded trim level, so everything you see in the photos and the video below comes as standard equipment. That means you get a leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel, sport pedals, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, a Wi-Fi hotspot, an 8-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound system and a wireless phone charger. Honda also includes its full safety suite of driver assistance tech here, same as it does on the Civic Hybrid.
In the back, you get a cool 32 inches of rear legroom, which is better than the GR86 but still expectedly tight for actually trying to get four adults into this 2+2 setup. Clearly, though, folks are going to go for this because of the look and performance elements, rather than out-and-out space. That said, you can get a couple suitcases in the back and even some golf clubs if you fold the rear seats down.
You’re missing the answer to the question that matters most…
Honda says the 2026 Prelude will be available in the fall, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’re getting pretty close to the actual launch, though it’s up for debate whether we’re talking about a time frame of a few weeks or a couple months.
One question we still don’t have the answer to is how much the 2026 Honda Prelude will cost. Naturally, we assume it will be more expensive than the Civic Hybrid. With the Type R bits and a fully loaded, single trim level to choose from, though, some are worrying whether this model will touch or even eclipse the $40,000. It’s also built in Japan, which is getting a shave on earlier automotive tariffs from 27.5% down to 15%…but that’s still 15%. In other words, that would take an otherwise $3,500 car and make it $40K, before you factor in taxes and fees.
We’ll have to wait and see exactly how Honda plays this one. But again, after driving the Civic Hybrid for a few months and really enjoying it as a daily commuter, I’m intrigued to see how good the Prelude is in its own right, and how well it brings the best of Civic Hybrid and Civic Type R into a small (and hopefully fun) package.
