2026 Honda Prelude – Hybrid… Fun?

The Honda Prelude returns. It’s similar, and yet quite different from the Prelude you might remember. I certainly remember the old car, as my own first car was a 1987 Prelude. For 2026, Honda is delivering a sporty-ish coupe with some Civic underpinnings – so that much remains familiar. The type of powertrain, however, is vastly different. This one is a hybrid, and there is no gearbox.

Honda is employing its two-motor hybrid system in a car with sporting pretensions for the first time ever. The two-motor system combines a pair of electric motors with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Combined output is rated at 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. One of the electric motors is a generator to shove electrons into the battery, the other delivers propulsive power as needed, and the gas engine can deliver power to either one of those motors. It can also drive the wheels in certain instances by way of a lockup clutch. There’s no actual transmission in play here.

That hasn’t stopped Honda from delivering something intriguing in the absence of a gearbox. The Prelude marks the debut of the automaker’s S+ shift technology. It works by allowing you to manage engine RPM via a set of paddle shifters. Honda then says the system can deliver quick simulated shifts via coordination between the gas engine and an electric motor. It will blip downshifts, “rev match”, and hold gears. It could be quite silly… or mildly entertaining. I’ll have to wait to try it in person.

Regardless, I do think this new Prelude looks great. The styling feels exactly right for a new, 6th-generation version of the car. It’s got the right face, a great liftback rear, and an excellent profile view. Even better, though, is what Honda is doing with respect to the chassis. There be plenty of Type R influence under the skin.

Up front, the Prelude uses the same dual-axis front strut suspension setup as the Civic Type R. It also comes with adaptive dampers as standard kit. Honda tosses in the wider front and rear track from the Civic, and even gives the Prelude 13.8″ front brakes from Brembo. This means the Prelude should be ready to boogie. In fact, the chassis should be more than ready to handle more power.

That’s part of the reason why I’m not surprised that Honda plans to initially launch with just the singular, well-equipped trim. It has great standard features, including an 8-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound system, the full suite of Honda Sensing safety bits, a wireless charger, and nicely trimmed seats. But it leaves the door open for an eventual Prelude Si.

I have to imagine that such a thing is being developed. Everything the car would need to borrow from the Civic Si should bolt right on in, right on down to the manual gearbox. The standard Prelude will serve as an excellent (and very nicely appointed) starting point. But soon after, a Prelude Si will liven up the party. Honda would be crazy not to do this, right? I don’t think the automaker will go full Prelude Type R on us, but that would be even more fun.

Either way, it’s great to see the return of the Prelude as well as have another coupe available in the automotive marketplace. It’s certainly a shrinking segment, so any fresh faces have to be welcomed with open arms.

There’s no price listed just yet, but the 2026 Honda Prelude should arrive on dealer lots sometime in the fall of 2025. I suspect it will land somewhere just above the Civic Hybrid and a dash below the Accord Hybrid in price.