The upcoming 2026 Honda Prelude is probably one of the most polarizing cars in recent memory. The internet has been plenty vocal about its front-wheel-drive setup, hybrid powertrain, and lack of a manual transmission. Now there’s one more thing the masses are bound to complain about: Its price.
The 2026 Honda Prelude starts at $43,195 with the mandatory $1,195 destination fee included. Not exactly a bargain by modern two-door standards. But Honda does have some justification for the relatively high price tag.
For one, the Prelude has more equipment than almost anything you’d cross-shop it with. It comes standard with leather-trimmed sport seats, 19-inch wheels, a 9.0-inch touchscreen, and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. Plus, it also packs performance goodies from the Civic Type R—its adaptive dampers, front suspension, and brakes specifically. That also potentially leaves room for a cheaper version down the line, fingers crossed.
Power is still the Prelude's big problem in this respect. With the Civic Hybrid’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder electrified setup underhood, it makes a scant 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. A new S+ Shift system is said to improve things like the throttle response and "shift points"—since this isn’t a traditional automatic—while still returning an impressive 46 miles per gallon in the city, 41 highway, and 44 combined.
Here’s where it’s interesting, though. When adjusted for inflation, the new Prelude is actually $2,000 cheaper than it was 25 years ago. The previous Prelude started at $23,600, which translates to $43,776 in 2025 dollars (it was pricey back then, too).
I recently wrote about how "affordable" sports cars have gotten, well, less affordable in recent years, especially compared to their MSRPs from a decade ago or longer. The base Ford Mustang was the most egregious, jumping by 9.7 percent in 13 years. The Toyota GR Corolla was up 8.4 percent in only three years. And the Volkswagen Golf R now starts at over $50,000—5.1 percent more than it did a decade ago.
By that same logic, the fact that this new Prelude is 1.3 percent cheaper than it was in 2001 is no small miracle. Forty-three thousand dollars definitely isn’t pocket change, but when average MSRPs hover at around $50,000, it doesn't sound as egregious.
I get it: Honda’s new coupe is still too expensive when compared to other sporty two doors. While not direct competitors, you can point to the Toyota GR86 and Mazda Miata as the Prelude’s stiffest competition (though we fully recognize that both of those vehicles are true rear-wheel-drive sports cars with manual transmissions).
The Miata starts at $31,065 for 2026, making it one of the cheapest cars in the class. Toyota’s sports car starts at $31,535. Within the family, Honda asks $32,190 for the 2026 Civic Si sedan and $47,090 for the Civic Type R.
The Prelude, then, is tucked neatly between its Civic siblings price-wise. It’s a bit more expensive than the Si sedan, but still more than a few thousand dollars shy of the Type R. If only it were closer to the Type R in terms of performance.
| Model | 2026 Price |
| Mazda Miata | $31,065 |
| Toyota GR86 | $31,535 |
| Honda Civic Si | $32,190 |
| Acura Integra | $34,195 |
| Subaru BRZ | $37,055 |
| Toyota GR Corolla | $42,495 |
| BMW 230i | $42,875 |
| Honda Prelude | $43,195 |
| Nissan Z | $44,215 |
| Honda Civic Type R | $47,090 |
Prelude buyers will be able to pick from five different color options: Winter Frost, Meteorite Gray, Crystal Black, Rallye Red, and Boost Blue. The interior, meanwhile, will be offered in two different color combos: A two-tone blue-and-white leather or black.
Honda also offers a line of visual accessories for the new Prelude, ranging from unique black 19-inch wheels and a black decklid spoiler to underbody spoilers, black badges, and mirror covers. Honda doesn’t have pricing for those accessories, but we imagine a fully loaded Prelude closes in on the $50,000 mark.
Let’s just hope the driving experience is every penny’s worth of what Honda is asking.
