Review and specifications

2026 Honda Prelude

The Honda Prelude is back for 2026, taking some of the best parts of the Civic lineup--specifically, the Civic Hybrid's drivetrain and the Civic Type R's confident-handling suspension design--and combining them in a sport compact coupe. While most of its 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain is shared with the Civic Hybrid, the Prelude adds paddle shifters that allow the driver to row through simulated gear shifts. Like its predecessors from decades ago, the Prelude has a 2+2 interior layout, and we expect the back seat to be better used for cargo or small children accordingly. Inside, you’ll find aggressively bolstered front bucket seats, Google built-in services including a voice assistant and Google Maps, and thankfully, an array of straightforward physical controls. We like that key active safety features, including blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning, are standard.

Market value

$42,000

Fuel

Hybrid

Transmission

Automatic

Seats

4