The Honda Prelude Is Back for 2026 With Great Looks, 200 HP, and a Hybrid Powertrain
Honda’s new sixth-gen Prelude borrows the Civic Hybrid’s gas/electric setup and the Type R’s suspension.
Kristen LeeWriterAmir SaidiPhotographerSep 04, 2025
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Honda’s modern crop of sporty front-wheel-drive cars is among the best it’s ever been. But if you want a very specific combination of a hybrid powertrain, performance parts from the Civic Type R, and a 2+2 layout with a liftback trunk, then the 2026 Honda Prelude has finally returned to answer your prayers. And yes, it also marks the return of the two-door Honda coupe! (Check out our drive of every Prelude generation here.)
A Hybrid Heart
Honda hasn’t offered a Prelude since 2001, but the new sixth-generation car will make good on Prelude ideology’s established pillars: spirited, athletic handling through cutting-edge driving technology. In this case, it means employing the dual-motor hybrid setup from the excellent Honda Civic Hybrid.
Beyond the powertrain’s 200-horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque figures—each the same as the Civic Hybrid’s—Honda remains mum about some of the car’s other specs. When we asked why it didn’t increase the power output, a company representative merely said straight-line speed is not the new Prelude’s focus. In fact, the rep continued, the company benchmarked the 2026 Prelude against the Porsche 718 Cayman. Not in power and performance, of course, but in handling and agility.
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A few omissions: Four-wheel steering won’t make a comeback, and there will be no manual transmission. However, a Honda product planner confirmed the new Prelude, fascinatingly, will have one-pedal driving that means merely lifting off the accelerator pedal will yield a strong braking effect as the hybrid system recharges its battery.
The Civic Hybrid’s single-speed transmission used here will be fitted with Honda S+ Shift, a new hybrid-exclusive drive mode that makes its first appearance with the Prelude. The transmission can already torque-dip while accelerating to give a sense of a transmission shift; S+ Shift mode will specifically simulate an eight-speed automatic transmission’s up- and downshifts by pairing those dips to rev-matching via paddle “shifters.”
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It’s Giving Y2K Vibes
As a thing to behold? The new 2026 Honda Prelude’s lines give off superb 2003 energy. Ghosts of the last-gen Mercury Cougar and final Mitsubishi Eclipse live on in its low stance and short overhangs. Adding to the sleekness are pop-out door handles and the removal of the shark fin antenna on the roof.
Blue (to denote hybrid) four-piston Brembo front brake calipers are but one part lifted from the beloved Civic Type R. Other bits include the rear brakes, front and rear track widths, and the magic dual-axis front suspension that renders torque steer a nonfactor. However, Honda says the setup receives a Prelude-specific tune that leans more toward a comfortable, grand-touring ride quality.
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To Live That 2+2 Life
As a mishmash of Civic and Integra, the cabin features nearly Acura-quality materials throughout, as well as attractive blue stitching. Asymmetrical front seats mean firmer cushioning, more lower-thigh bolstering for the driver, and a wider seat for the passenger.
The rear seats offer the truest sense of what it means to be a 2+2 coupe: Even this 5-foot-3 author hit her head on the steeply raked C-pillar and rear window glass.
There is a silver lining, though. The second row can do a 60/40 fold and results in some extra trunk space. While sports cars are usually their owner’s second or third car, we expect the new Prelude to serve plenty of daily-driving duty.
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The Dawn of Something New?
Honda has not yet announced pricing for the 2026 Prelude, but we think it will start in the $38,000 range. We’ll learn more when the car arrives at dealerships in the late autumn.
When it does arrive on the market, the new Prelude won’t really have any equivalent competitors. Who else makes a front-drive, hybrid, grand-touring sports car? The Hyundai Elantra N is too racer-ish, and the Subaru BRZ is rear-drive only, so the Volkswagen Golf GTI is perhaps the most obvious rival here.
Really, though, Honda is sailing into somewhat uncharted territory with this Prelude. When it comes to hybrid sporty cars, the offerings tend to be either big grand tourers like the Lexus LC 500h (RIP) or supercars and hypercars, not little FWD coupes.
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As an aside, if potential customers are concerned about the car’s weight, we can say—as the “owners” of MotorTrend’s long-term Honda Civic Hybrid—that car still feels plenty light-footed and chuckable. Its powertrain is an absolute darling, too, so we greatly anticipate experiencing it in a more performance-oriented setup.
It’s difficult to imagine a car’s legacy before it’s even arrived in customers’ hands, but perhaps the Prelude will go the way of the Acura NSX: potentially misunderstood at first by regular enthusiasts, advanced for its time, and ultimately becoming the first of an upcoming era of mainstream sporty hybrid offerings.
Kristen Lee
I got into cars the way most people do: my dad. Since I was little, it was always something we’d talk about and I think he was stoked to have his kid share his interest. He’d buy me the books, magazines, calendars, and diecast models—everything he could do to encourage a young enthusiast. Eventually, I went to school and got to the point where people start asking you what you want to do with your life. Seeing as cars are what I love and writing is what I enjoy doing, combining the two was the logical next step. This dream job is the only one I’ve ever wanted. Since then, I’ve worked at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, The Drive, and now MotorTrend, and made appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage, Good Morning America, The Smoking Tire Podcast, Fusion’s Car vs. America, the Ask a Clean Person podcast, and MotorTrend’s Shift Talkers. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching the Fast & Furious movies on repeat. Tokyo Drift is the best one.
