Honda Prelude Review 2025

Introduction

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You may, however, need your eyes checking if you think the all-new Honda Prelude isn’t an instant head-turner.

The Prelude name has been dormant for the last 25 years, but it’s back for 2026 and guaranteed to make an impact thanks to its dynamic styling, high-end cockpit and engaging performance credentials.

Just like the Civic Type R, from which it gains much of its technology, there is just the single Advance trim grade and there is just the one powertrain too. It’s a highly efficient 2.0-litre hybrid unit that blends the instant response and power of an electric motor with the long-range refinement of a petrol engine.

One feature Honda were very keen to talk about is the S+ Shift set-up that allows the driver to take control of the automatic transmission via steering wheel paddles with simulated sound and the feel of quick shifting.

More about that in a bit but, overall, it’s a stirring comeback for this sixth generation Prelude that will be sold with an asking price of £40,995.

We tested the car in the glorious sunshine on an extensive road route in and around Nice in Southern France, where it certainly fitted in perfectly as it mingled effortlessly with the rich and famous.

At a glance

In a time where some new cars seem to morph into one another, the sixth-generation Honda Prelude is something of a breath of fresh air.

Back in the day, the vehicle was originally styled on the Honda Accord and, although attractive enough, rarely drew that much attention. The Prelude was eventually dropped from the production manifesto back in 2001.

Fast forward 25 years and enter the new-look Prelude as a sleek two-door, four-seat coupe. The designers wanted to emulate the grace and simplicity of modern gliders but the streamlined body and sharp nose is perhaps more reminiscent of fighter jets. The Prelude also gets thin headlight clusters, a narrow black grille, a dark coloured lower bumper and flared wheel arches.

On the top, there is a double-bubble panel evoking classic high-performance cars with smooth flowing lines into the tailgate. There is a glass print antenna in the rear window, plus a full width rear tail light. And, with that glider theme as inspiration, the signature daytime running lights mimic the wide spreading wingspan of airplanes.

Also striking in appearance are the sporty 19-inch alloy wheels with blue brake callipers featuring ‘Prelude’ script, and our car featured stand-out Racing Blue paintwork, that added £700 to the asking price. Well worth the extra cost.

Key features

It’s a simplistic choice for would-be Prelude customers with just the one trim level called Advance, similarly to the discontinued Civic Type R. But there are plenty of stand-out features and customers can choose between a pair of two-tone material finishes featuring either a white and blue, or black and blue theme. There is also the option of specifying the Prelude with a Houndstooth Check material that is a nod to the 1978 Prelude.

The infotainment set-up includes two individual displays with a nine-inch screen that is the access point to much of the on-board tech, plus a 10.2-inch driver display screen that can be customised to taste.

Honda has been very clear about its safety mission with an aim to eliminate all road deaths involving a Honda by 2050. With that in mind, the Prelude features the latest advanced suite of Honda SENSING driver assistance technologies that are similar to those found in the latest generation Civic.

So, expect forward collision warning system, cross traffic monitor, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot information, post collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation system, lane keep assist and a total of 10 airbags as standard, including knee airbags for both front seat occupants and side airbags for those in the back.

Performance and drive

Powering the all-new front-wheel drive Honda Prelude is a 2.0-litre petrol engine, working alongside a 1.1kWh battery and two batteries to deliver 184PS and 315Nm of torque. The car is swift out the starting gates and can reach 62mph from a standing start in 8.2 seconds and maxes out at 117mph.

There is an automatic CVT gearbox, but Honda is very proud of its S+ Shift technology which offers the simulation of an eight-speed transmission and is controlled via the steering wheel paddles. This system mimics the characteristics and appeal of a manual gearbox and has Active Sound Control to accurately represent the rev noise, along with engine sound.

It's an entertaining feature and the accompanying soundtrack will make you smile, especially the ‘blip’ as you change down through the gears. But we felt a little too much emphasis was put on this function, which after time feels a tad gimmicky. It’s the sort of trickery that will be played with a few times and demonstrated eagerly to friends, and then gradually put on the back burner as owners return to more traditional driving methods, which by the way, are very impressive on this car.

When the S+ Shift setting is not selected, the paddles revert back to controls for adjusting the strength of the regenerative braking with seven levels to choose from. New for Honda is a Coasting mode which allows the vehicle to effectively glide under its own momentum when the throttle pedal is lifted, resulting in maximised fuel efficiency.

There will be people, mainly Civic Type R fans, who will say it needs more power, and that may come in a later model, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time behind the wheel as it fizzed through the French countryside and strolled up steep mountain roads with a nonchalant hop and a skip.

Honda benefits from in excess of 25 years of hybrid expertise and that know-how is truly evident in this car. With the power and instant response of the electric motors and the long-time refinement of the petrol engine, the car is at home in urban or rural settings alike.

There are drive modes called Comfort, Sport, Individual and GT, which is the default setting, and these change the characteristics and dynamics of the car. Additionally, there are functions such as an EV Drive mode powered by the battery, a Hybrid Drive mode where the engine driven generator directly supplies the propulsion motor, and an Engine Drive mode where the petrol engine is directly connected to the wheels.

The suspension set-up is straight from the Type R so expect agile handling with adaptive dampers to assist the comfort and performance.

Running costs and emissions

With its single trim and powertrain, the pricing structure for the Honda Prelude could not be simpler. The car costs £40,995, which means it is unfortunately eligible for the Expensive Car Supplement adding an extra £425 to the annual tax bill from years two to six.

The day-to-day running costs are not too bad considering the dynamic styling of the car with combined fuel efficiency of 45.2mpg and carbon emissions of 117g/km. The first-year road tax bill will be £440, dropping to the standard fee of £195 after 12 months (plus that extra £425 luxury car tax).

Anyone lucky enough to be offered the Honda Prelude as a business car will see a Benefit in Kind tax rating of 29 per cent.

Honda has an excellent reputation for reliability and there is little reason to believe the Prelude will have any issues either. But, for added peace of mind, the car comes with a three-year, 90,000-mile warranty package.

Interior and tech

The interior of the Honda Prelude is beautifully designed with high-end fixtures and fittings throughout, along with elegant upholstery, soft-touch surfaces and innovative infotainment systems.

The seats were powered so, along with ample manual steering wheel adjustment, getting the perfect driving position is a simple process. Then it’s just a case of sitting back for a moment to take stock of the wealth of on-board technology at your disposal.

Between the front seats is the centre console where all the main driver controls are situated, including the gear selector buttons, drive mode options and the Honda S+ Shift switch that introduces the feel of manual gear changing to the mix.

The Prelude name is neatly embroidered onto the dashboard in front of the passenger, and the car is offered with either a white and blue, or black and blue colour scheme. The leather-wrapped steering wheel also has thumb rests for a sportier grip.

There is plenty of on-board technology too with a customisable 10.2-inch driver display that features a unique Prelude graphic and also changes colour according to which drive mode is selected. The displays will inform the driver about power outputs, regenerative braking levels, along with navigational information and safety functions, as well as all the vital driving data such as speed and fuel levels. Credit to Honda designers for developing readouts that are clear and informative without displaying a raft of pointless information that clutters up the screens – simple dials and easily absorbed figures.

The nine-inch infotainment touchscreen is simple to use on the fly and there is voice activation too to help the driver quickly get to any specific function. Honda is renowned for safety and the menu layers have been designed to minimise the amount of time the driver takes their eyes from the road.

There is full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a high-end eight-speaker Bose sound system which was developed by Bose audio engineers to maximise the sound quality.

Practicality and boot space

The Honda Prelude is a two-door, four-seat, 2+2 coupe and, like cars of a similar ilk, the room in the back is quite limited, especially for grown-ups. Up front the driver and passenger have bundles of space to stretch out and Honda has designed the seats individually for added passenger comfort and extra driver bolster support which is noticeable during dynamic driving.

Despite its coupe styling, the Prelude offers generous levels of comfort. It stretches 4,532mm in length, is 2,076mm wide (including mirrors), and is 1,349mm tall with a 2,604mm wheelbase. The boot is accessed via a manual tailgate and can accommodate 269 litres of luggage which includes a small underfloor compartment. This capacity can be increased further to 663 litres with the pair of rear seats folded flat. It’s sometimes difficult to put these figures into perspective, but the space with just the front seats in use is ample to carry two full-sized golf bags or a full-sized bicycle.

There is a tonneau cover to keep items out of sight from prying eyes plus a handy load divider can help prevent smaller items form rolling around.

Additionally, Honda has made clever use of the space within the car to offer a number of convenient storage compartments. These include a lockable glovebox, front cup holders, a central cubby, door bins, seat-back pockets, a sunglasses compartment, wireless charger and some trays.

Safety

Honda does not expect the Prelude to sell in high numbers and, therefore, it’s unlikely to be tested for a Euro NCAP safety rating. However, the Japanese carmaker packs its vehicles with safety features and driver assistance aids to protect occupants and other road users alike.

In addition to the many systems we have already listed, the Prelude boasts a strong crash structure for exceptional front, rear and side collision protection.

Honda claims the Prelude represents another step in the company’s bold ambition to bring traffic collision fatalities involving one of its vehicles (including motorcycles) to zero by 2050.

Options

The Honda Prelude is well equipped as standard, but customers will have the opportunity to put their personal stamp on the stylish coupe. For starters, there is the paintwork. The Crystal Black shade is free, but the Meteoroid Grey, Moonlight White and Racing Blue (as featured on our test car) all add £700 the final cost of the vehicle.

There is also a Black Pack that introduces a tailgate spoiler, front bumper decorations, black emblems on the front and rear of the car, along with the wheels. Additionally, an Illumination Pack introduces Prelude logo projector, ambient lights, illuminated door sills and a lit console and cup holders.

No prices have been announced for these packs at this time.

Rival cars

The two-door coupe sector is pretty niche these days with many manufacturers withdrawing their models in recent years. But there is still some quality competition that will be vying for sales alongside the Honda Prelude, including the BMW 220i M Sport and the more expensive Alpine A110.

Verdict and next steps

It’s still early doors when it comes to who and what will win all the coveted car of the year awards moving forward, but we believe the Honda Prelude will definitely be a front runner.

It delivers on all counts from style, performance, efficiency and price, and is an exceptionally capable model to carry forward the prestigious Prelude name for Honda.

Yes, there was a lot of emphasis on the car’s clever S+ Shift transmission technology and, while this was fun to try out and worked well enough, we felt the car would be just as impressive without it.

There are still some figures that need to be clarified as we are in the early stages of new Prelude, but customers should know that the order books are now open, there will be dealership demonstrators from next February with first deliveries starting in March. From then onwards, the Prelude will become a much-envied model up and down the country.

And, with fairly low sales volume expected, this striking two-door coupe could very quickly become part of an exclusive and much sought-after club.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Honda Prelude.