How Much Is the 2026 Honda Prelude?

Key Points

• The all-new 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid performance coupe starts at $43,195 (all prices include $1,195 destination charge).
• Combines powertrain from Civic hybrid and suspension from Civic Type R
• 44 mpg combined fuel economy

When automakers take Part A from that car and Part B from another one, there’s usually a whiff of cynicism around the resulting parts-bin special. But the 2026 Honda Prelude appears to be the right combination of special components — and it’s wrapped in attractive all-new sheet metal. The hybrid performance coupe pairs the powerful and efficient powertrain from the Civic hybrid with the brilliant suspension from the Civic Type R, resulting in a vehicle that’s quicker than the Civic Si and vastly more efficient. It is, however, also vastly more expensive.

Related: 2026 Honda Prelude Quick Spin: Your Civic Hybrid Coupe Is Here

Release Date and Pricing

The 2026 Prelude is on sale now. It’s available in a single trim level, priced from $43,195. That’s a big step up from the comparable Civic hybrid Sport Touring sedan, which starts at $33,490, but it’s almost $4,000 less than the Civic Type R that donates its suspension and brakes to the Prelude and bases at $47,090.

Trim Levels and Safety Features

Honda is pitching the reborn Prelude as a grand-touring coupe, and in keeping with that plush classification, the lone available spec is fairly loaded. In addition to the Type R’s suspension (including adaptive dampers) and brakes, the Prelude features keyless entry and start, remote start, black 19-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lighting and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Moving inside, you’ll find heated front seats with leather upholstery and manual adjustments, metal pedals, a wireless phone charger, dual-zone automatic climate control and ambient lighting. Cabin tech consists of a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, and a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Google Built-In.

Honda Sensing is standard on the 2026 Prelude. The safety suite includes forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering, blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, traffic jam assist, road-sign recognition and automatic high beams.

Powertrain Specs and MPG

Honda directly transplanted the powertrain from the Civic hybrid into the 2026 Prelude. Teaming a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a pair of electric motors, it generates the same combined 200 horsepower and 232 pounds-feet of torque here as it does in that Civic. The electric motors function as a sort of de facto continuously variable automatic transmission, sending power exclusively to the front wheels. For the Prelude, Honda developed what it’s calling S+ Shift, which simulates the function of a sequential transmission that drivers can actuate through aluminum paddles mounted to the steering column.

The Prelude’s 200 hp equals that of the Civic Si, but the hybrid coupe’s 232 pounds-feet of torque eclipses the Si’s torque output by more than 20% — a full 40 pounds-feet. That should more than offset the Prelude’s 300-pound weight increase over the Si.

For the other half of the powertrain picture, it’s useful to compare the Prelude to the Civic that donates its hybrid system. Honda says the 2026 Prelude returns an estimated 46/41/44 mpg city/highway/combined, compared to the Civic hybrid’s EPA-rated 50/47/49 mpg. Honda’s quoted curb weight of 3,261 pounds is only 9 pounds heavier than its claim for the comparable Civic hybrid Sport Touring, so the difference is likely due to the Prelude’s heavier wheels and tires plus its sportier powertrain tuning.

Read More About the Honda Prelude:

• 2026 Honda Prelude Up Close: Putting the Green in Grand Touring
• All-New 200-HP Hybrid Honda Prelude to Arrive Fall 2026
• Prelude to the Prelude: Honda Previews Upcoming Hybrid Coupe’s Proven Suspension
• Honda Bringing Prelude Back to U.S. as Hybrid
• Research the Honda Prelude

Related Video:

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.