- 2026 Honda Passport and 2026 Honda Prelude lead Honda forward in uncertain times
- Honda’s hybrid versions of the CR-V and Accord become the most popular engine options for those models
- 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid hatchback arrives with 48 mpg combined
Honda enters the 2025 calendar year with much greater uncertainty than the 2025 model year. Merger talks with Nissan fizzled then most recently were reignited with the condition that Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida resign. Honda’s commitment to U.S. production took another leap forward early this year by pulling back the curtain on its Ohio EV Hub. The investment of more than $1 billion in retooling its 40-year-old assembly plant in Marysville and its SUV plant in East Liberty—two of the four facilities within 50 miles of each other that comprise the EV Hub—allows Honda to make internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles. The Honda-made EVs launch late this year with the Acura RSX crossover, and will be followed in 2026 by the Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon.
That’s the plan, anyway. As EV demand cools, and political headwinds undermine long-term planning, Honda finds itself in a precarious position, like many other global automakers. The evolutionary EV Hub is fraught with both uncertainty and acts as a hedge against uncertainty. Yet Honda’s cautious and incremental approach to technological evolution has already begun to pay dividends.
Hybrid versions of the Honda CR-V, one of the bestselling non-trucks in the U.S., and the Honda Accord now account for more than 50% of sales for each model. The Honda Prologue electric crossover built in partnership with GM was a surprise hit in 2024, outselling both the related Chevy Blazer EV and the less expensive Chevy Equinox EV. The Prologue and Blazer EV have different personalities based on our head-to-head testing, and aggressive leasing deals helped Honda sell about 33,000 units, or 43% more than the Blazer EV in 2024.
This year Honda expands its hybrid lineup to its entry-level Civic hatchback, while also hiking up its off-road TrailSport grade to the CR-V compact crossover (for 2026) and the latest iteration of the Passport midsize crossover. A lot of change is brewing at Honda and those changes will percolate over the next few years. In the meantime, here are the biggest changes at Honda for the 2025 and 2026 model years.
We cover Acura’s 2025 changes in a separate post.
New, redesigned, and refreshed Honda models
2026 Honda Passport
The redesigned midsize crossover leans into the TrailSport’s off-road promise with blockier, truckier styling, but it also gets longer and roomier than the 2025 Honda Passport. The wheelbase stretches 2.6 inches longer on a platform shared with the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX three-row crossover SUVs, so the Passport slots in as nearly the same size as those three-row SUVs but with two rows and five seats. A new 3.5-liter V-6 with dual-overhead cams instead of a single cam replace the outgoing V-6, and it makes 285 hp, up from 280 hp, and the same 262 lb-ft of torque. A 10-speed automatic replaces the 9-speed, and all-wheel drive is standard. Honda loads it with standard driver-assist technology and modern conveniences such as a 12.3-inch touchscreen absent from every other Honda, but it comes at a price, starting at $46,200 for the base RTL.
The TrailSport and its 31-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires, off-road suspension tune, skid plates for the transmission and fuel tank, front tow hooks, and a trailer hitch connector, as well as some other enhancements, costs $49,900. The TrailSport Elite tops the line at $53,900.
2026 Honda Prelude
The Prelude returns after a 25-year hiatus as a sporty coupe with a hybrid powertrain lifted from the Honda Civic hybrid. Much remains unknown, but it’s rumored that the 200-hp 2.0-liter inline-4 hybrid system used in the Civic will take on a sportier tune for the Prelude coupe. It’s expected to debut later this year as a 2026 model.
2025 Honda Civic Hybrid
The compact sedan and hatchback follow the path led by the Accord with a 2.0-liter inline-4 and a 2-motor hybrid system rated at 200 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the CR-V Hybrid, it’s front-wheel drive only, but that helps the Civic Hybrid sedan get 49 mpg combined and the Civic Hybrid hatchback 48 mpg combined. While the hatchback is roomier for up to five passengers and their gear and it costs only $1,200 more, either body style delivers mostly electric power around town and a smooth, quiet experience. It easily won The Car Connection Best Sedan/Hatchback to Buy 2025 and is our recommended pick for the most affordable hybrid priced below $30,000.
2025 Honda Odyssey
The minivan gets a mild refresh with new ends, a broader grille, new wheel designs, and a slightly different rear bumper. The interior is overhauled with a new 8.0-inch touchscreen, more standard features such as a wireless phone charger, and a new rear entertainment system with a 12.8-inch screen. In both tech and powertrain options (a 280-hp V-6 is the only option), it still trails rivals yet is priced as high if not higher. It starts at $43,315 for the new base EX-L, and tops out at $52,275 for the Elite.
Carryover Honda models (prices include destination)
- 2025 Honda Accord midsize sedan sold in LX ($29,390), SE ($31,655), Sport Hybrid ($34,750), EX-L Hybrid ($36,035), and Touring Hybrid ($40,985) trim levels
- 2025 Honda CR-V compact SUV sold in LX ($31,450), SE ($33,700), Sport Hybrid ($35,700), EX-L Hybrid ($36,350), Sport-L Hybrid ($38,700), and Touring Hybrid ($42,150) trims
- 2025 Honda HR-V small crossover sold in LX ($26,750), Sport ($28,850), and EX-L ($30,850)
- 2025 Honda Pilot three-row SUV drops the base LX; it’s sold in Sport ($41,295), EX-L ($44,595), Touring ($48,595), TrailSport ($50,495), Elite ($54,475), and Elite Black Edition ($55,975)
- 2025 Honda Ridgeline sold in Sport ($41,545), RTL ($44,375), TrailSport ($46,775), and Black Edition ($48,145)