In an industry where rumors spread like a California wildfire, Honda has long been known to be working up an all-new version of the once-popular sporty Prelude. And now it’s official, the Japanese automaker revealing the sixth-generation coupe during a Thursday event in Japan. But it still may surprise many potential buyers to learn that the 2026 Honda Prelude will be the automaker’s latest model to go hybrid.
The 2026 Honda Prelude adopts a windswept design to help improve both performance and fuel economy.
After months of teasing us with terse news releases and carefully cropped pics, we’ve finally gotten a look at the 2026 Honda Prelude – but it will be a very different vehicle from what fans might remember.
No, it won’t stray far from its roots as a grand touring sports coupe. But the 2026 Honda Prelude will be the first-ever version of that nameplate powered by a hybrid drivetrain borrowed from the Civic line. Meanwhile, the new coupe will also share some of its sportiest components with the Civic Type R.
The question, of course, is whether there’s a market left for a reasonably affordable grand tourer like Prelude. Passenger cars, in general, have suffered mightily as U.S. motorists continue shifting to SUVs and CUVs. Coupes have largely vanished, but for low-volume, high-price performance niches like the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette.
What’s new
The original, 1978 Honda Prelude.
First introduced in 1978, Prelude was part of a trio of core Honda products, along with the Accord and Civic. But slow sales led Honda to end production of the coupe in 2001. Fans have been calling for its return ever since.
What they’ll get for 2026 is a ground-up redesign, a sharp-nosed fastback that “demonstrates our commitment to exciting, fun-to-drive vehicles,” said Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales.
The biggest news: the 2026 Prelude will trade out its old VTEC powertrain technology for a gas-electric alternative, a move that Laudermilk said, “will help to accelerate our hybrid-electric sales in the years ahead.” Indeed, hybrids currently account for a third of Honda’s global sales. The goal, the automaker said in a news release, is to expand that to “over 60%…in the coming years.”
Hybrid power
The gen-6 Prelude is the latest Honda to go hybrid.
Honda launched its first hybrid-electric vehicle, the original, 2-door Insight, around the same time the automaker pulled the plug on the gen-5 Prelude. It was a quirky looking 2-seater delivering extreme fuel-economy numbers – but barely able to get out of its own way. How things have changed. Honda’s current crop of HEVs still deliver solid mileage – up to 49 mpg combined for the Civic hybrid – but have also amped up the performance quotient.
That should be the case with the 2026 Prelude which beefs up the Civic powertrain’s package – which pairs twin electric motors with a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle direct injection gasoline engine. The combined package delivers 200 horsepower and a peak 232 pound-feet of torque. Honda promises the new Prelude’s drivetrain will deliver an “exhilarating” feel, and that suggests the hybrid package has been tuned to amplify the low-end torque that electric motors can generate.
As for fuel economy? The automaker has yet to release those numbers. It’s expected Prelude will come in a bit below what Civic hybrids deliver, trading off some fuel efficiency for performance. Even then, it should come in well into the 30 mpg range, perhaps even topping 40, insiders suggest.
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Borrowing from the Civic Type R
New cats-eye headlights.
To make a business case for Prelude, Honda’s product development department had to rein in spending. But the engineering team was able to pull some useful technology off the Honda shelf, notably the one labeled “Civic Type R.” That included key chassis components, including the dual-axis strut front suspension, along with Brembo brakes with four-piston aluminum front calipers.
Prelude also gets An Adaptive Damper System has become the option of choice on a number of sporty products where active damping would simply be too expensive. Tuned specifically for the 2026 Prelude, the system can adapt to road conditions and driver input, yielding what Honda described as an exhilarating and engaging ride, even while smoothing out the bumps under less aggressive conditions.
Drivers will have plenty of options, thanks to a four-setting driver mode control that optimizes vehicle setting for Comfort, GT or Sport driving, while letting a motorist mix-and-match settings with an “Individual” mode.
The 2026 coupe also Honda’s new S+ Shift system. Prelude doesn’t have a conventional transmission. The systems traction motor functions more like an EV, directly sending power to the front wheels. The S+ system ensures that doesn’t result in the sort of motorboat sensation experienced with many other hybrid vehicles, and products using CVT gearboxes. It can replicate downshift blips, rev-matching and gear holding, and it offers a manual mode for those Prelude fans who still long for the coupes long-gone stick.
A new look
The Prelude offers a reasonable amount of cargo space – especially when rear seats are folded down.
Design trends have changed markedly since the last Prelude rolled off into the sunset. For 2026, Prelude gets a much sleeker and refined appearance, with a knife-sharp nose, a double-bubble fastback roof and other details clearly shaped with the help of a wind tunnel.
There’s a thin upper grille framed by cats-eye headlamps, The larger grille below the bumper is finished in black chrome. A low splitter and rear spoiler built into the hatch further manage air flow and enhance high-speed downforce. A lightbar stretches across the back end of the new Prelude, underscoring the coupe’s width and sporty stance.
Prelude’s 19-inch machine-finished Berlina Black wheels come stock with 235/40R19 all-season tires, but performance fans can opt for summer rubber, if they prefer.
Sporty interior
Dual digital displays and some welcome manual controls.
The lean, mean look carries over into Prelude’s cabin. While full dimensions have yet to be released, this 2+2 offers more interior space than you might expect, Honda highlighting that rear seat occupants get a full 32.0 inches of legroom. We’ll have to wait for cargo numbers but the rear seat can add space thanks to its 60/40 split.
The instrument panel layout is clearly driver-centric and offers such welcome features as a leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel, alloy paddle-shifters, sport pedals and leather-trimmed front sports with integrated had restraints. The IP is dominated by a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, as well as a 9-inch touchscreen. That latter display has unique pages to track the performance of the hybrid powertrain.
There’s been a growing pushback against relying solely on touchscreens to handle all vehicle controls. Buyers should thus appreciate not just the volume control knob but the standalone climate control panel midway up the center stack.
Technology
Prelude’s infotainment system is powered by Google built-in.
The infotainment system is powered by Google built-in which features apps like Google Assistant, Google Maps and more on Google Play. The sixth-generation Prelude adds wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a wireless phone charger and a WiFi hotspot is among the options.
An 8-speaker Bose Centerpoint premium sound system is standard and includes a large subwoofer in the cargo compartment.
All Prelude trims also come standard with the Honda Sensing suit of advanced driver assistance systems, including Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) incorporating Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Driver Attention Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Monitor, Blind Spot Information System (BSI), Auto High-Beam Headlights, Traffic Jam Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition System, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS).
Pricing and availability.
The 2026 Honda Prelude will be imported from Japan. As a result, Honda will face the new Trump tariffs on foreign-made vehicles. That may help explain why it has yet to announce final pricing. It’s expected to come in below the Civic Type R, however, that model currently starting at $46,690.
Honda is getting ready to launch production of the 2026 Prelude which will first go on sale in Japan. Plans call for it to reach U.S. showrooms by the beginning of November and we’re likely to see the automaker open up an order bank before then.
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