All-New 200-HP Hybrid Honda Prelude to Arrive Fall 2026

• Competes with: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86
• Looks like: A bona fide sports coupe for the hybrid age
• Powertrain: 200-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to two electric motors; front-wheel drive
• Release date: Late fall 2025

Coupes have been steadily disappearing from showrooms for years now, with the coupe version of Honda’s own Accord having been absent since 2018. But now Honda is bucking that trend and hoping to reignite interest in affordable two-door performance cars with the 2026 Prelude.

Related: Prelude to the Prelude: Honda Previews Upcoming Hybrid Coupe’s Proven Suspension

Like a Civic Hybrid Type R With Two Doors

• Key takeaway: The new Prelude uses the Civic hybrid’s 200-hp two-motor powertrain and borrows some of the Civic Type R’s performance parts, including its dual-axis front suspension, wide stance, adaptive dampers and brakes. The Prelude will also debut Honda’s S+ Shift system, which allows drivers to manually shift gears.

Prelude is a hallowed name in Honda history, but the upcoming coupe has all the hallmarks of a genuine enthusiast effort rather than a cynical marketing exercise. The upcoming resurrection appears to be based on the Civic, which we say not so much because of the nearly identical upper dash panels, but because the Prelude boasts some serious performance gear from Honda’s current performance leader, the Civic Type R.

The Type R’s trick front suspension consists of dual-axis struts that minimize torque steer, a twitchiness that is common when routing 310 pounds-feet through the wheels that are also in charge of steering. The Civic Type R also donates its wide stance, adaptive shock absorbers and brakes to the Prelude, the latter of which features 13.8-inch rotors clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers and 12-inch rear discs. On the Prelude, the brakes and a couple of small trim pieces on the front and rear bumpers are painted the coupe’s signature shade of blue.

Rather than the all-out performance of the 315-horsepower Type R, the Prelude is aimed at more balanced, environmentally conscious thrills. It’s powered by the same two-motor hybrid powertrain that’s found in the Civic hybrid, in which the electric motors assist a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and help generate a combined 200 hp and 232 pounds-feet of torque. That’s the same power and 40 pounds-feet more torque than the Civic Si makes, which is promising. Honda isn’t talking fuel-economy figures yet, but this setup returns up to an EPA-rated 50/47/49 mpg city/highway/combined in the Civic hybrid sedan.

While the Civic Si is only available with a six-speed manual transmission, the Prelude (like the Civic hybrid) doesn’t really get a transmission; instead, it features direct drive from its electric motor, a setup found in electric vehicles. But unlike its four-door hybrid donor, the Prelude boasts Honda’s new S+ Shift system, which features aluminum paddle shifters that shuffle through preset gear ratios to mimic a manually controlled automatic transmission — complete with rev-matched downshifts. Four drive modes (Comfort, GT, Sport and Individual) vary powertrain, steering and suspension settings to match the Prelude to the driver’s mood or the road.

A Familiar Yet Different Interior

• Key takeaway: Only one trim level will be available at launch; it comes equipped with seating with firmer padding for the driver, a Bose sound system, Google Built-In, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

While there are some similarities inside between the Prelude and the Civic, the new coupe sports a new center console, different door panels and sport seats. Honda has taken a unique approach to seating in the Prelude, too; while the front seats don’t look different from each other in photos, Honda applied firmer padding and more aggressive thigh bolsters to the driver’s seat than to the front passenger’s seat. Interior color choices are black or an attractive blue and white two-tone, both featuring blue stitching.

The Prelude will debut in a single well-equipped trim level that features black 19-inch wheels, perforated leather seating, heated front seats, metal pedals, wireless phone charging, an eight-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound system, a 10.2-inch digital instrument panel, and a 9-inch touchscreen with Google Built-In and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Standard Safety Features, Optional Accessories

The Honda Sensing safety suite is also standard on the Prelude and features forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering, lane departure warning and steering assist, blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic-jam assist, a driver attention monitor, road-sign recognition and automatic high beams.

At the same time as the Prelude goes on sale, Honda will launch a line of accessories that includes different 19-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, a front splitter, and black badges and mirror caps. High-performance summer tires will also be available.

Read More Honda News:

• Honda Bringing Prelude Back to U.S. as Hybrid
• How Much Is the 2026 Honda Civic?
• Which Hybrid Vehicles Have All-Wheel Drive?
• Honda, Acura EV Owners Now Have Access to Tesla Superchargers
• 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid TrailSport Review: A Compromise Against Compromises

Release Date and Pricing

The 2026 Honda Prelude will arrive at dealerships late this fall, and pricing will be announced closer to the start of sales. Expect its pricing to land somewhere between the Civic hybrid and Type R’s, though that’s a broad window; the 2026 version of the gas-electric sedan starts at about $30,000 and the 2025 Type R north of $47,000 (prices include destination).

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