Earlier this week, Honda announced the starting price of the Prelude. Today you can finally build one for yourself. The Prelude configurator is now live on Honda’s website, but you probably won’t be able to waste all day (or even a few hours) building your perfect Honda coupe as there are only a handful of options available.
The 2026 Prelude starts at $43,195, including the $1,195 destination charge, which is expensive. That said, it’s well equipped, with the Civic Type R’s front suspension, adaptive dampers and brakes. It also has standard 19-inch wheels and leather-trimmed seats.
Honda’s online configurator first presents two options: the Prelude Hybrid or the Prelude Hybrid Two-Tone. The Two-Tone is $500 more expensive to start with and comes with a black roof, but limits you to the White Frost Pearl exterior color, which is a required $655 option, bringing the starting price to $44,350.
That’s too limiting for me personally, so I’ll go for the regular Prelude Hybrid. There’s only one powertrain option: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid with 200 horsepower. Honda also does not offer the car with a manual transmission; the Prelude instead simulates an eight-speed transmission.
Photo by: Honda
Now that that choice has been made, the next color is. Honda offers just five exterior colors, three of which are complimentary: Crystal Black Pearl, Meteorite Gray Metallic and Rallye Red. Two optional paint colors are available:
- Boost Pearl Blue ($455)
- Winter Frost ($655)
I like cars with color, so I would spend the extra $455 for Boost Blue Pearl. It feels like Honda designed the Prelude to carry this specifically colour.
Next is the interior, with Honda offering two choices. The cabin is equipped with black leather as standard, but you can also opt for the blue-white combination. This option adds white trim to the doors, dashboard and center console with blue and white front seats.
It looks nice and comes standard on the Two-Tone trim, but I prefer the black interior. The fact that the exterior blue and interior blue don’t match irritates me.
Next are the wheels, and Honda offers just one option: 19-inch gloss black machine-finished alloys. They cost an extra $2,000 and don’t match the blue paint, so I’d go with the standard 19-inch Berlina black alloys.
The packages Honda offers for both Prelude trims are all dealer-installed upgrades, and there are four of them:
- All-Season Protection Package I ($470)
- All-Season Protection Package II ($435)
- Freight Protection Package ($485)
- Protection Package ($370)
I wouldn’t choose any of these, all of which offer a combination of the mudguard kit, luggage tray, wheel locks, all-season floor mats and seat back protector. These are also available as separate accessories, which is the last in the configurator.
Photo by: Honda
Goodies include black exterior mirror caps ($80), which are standard on the two-tone trim, gloss black decals ($175), a rear hatch spoiler ($500) and a front underbody spoiler ($350). These are all options I would get, but there are more if you want them:
- Car cover ($250)
- Door Visors ($215)
- Logo Pattern Projector ($200)
- Protection Film Package ($200)
- Rear fender protection film ($75)
- Splashguard kit ($135)
- Valve Caps ($25)
- Black Wheel Locks ($100)
- All Season Floro Mats ($200)
- Cargo box ($135)
- Cargo cover ($150)
- Illuminated door sills ($330)
- Interior Lighting Kit ($200)
- Backrest Protector ($150)
- Engine block heater ($120)
If you opt for the Prelude Two-Tone, upgrade the wheels and add all available accessories, your Prelude will cost $48,665. It’s doubtful that a buyer would spec their Prelude this way, but there aren’t many options available.
The Prelude I’d spec, with Boost Blue Pearl, the 19-inch Berlina black wheels and a handful of visual accessories, comes in at $44,755. Would you pay that much for a hybrid Honda, and if so, how would you spec your Prelude? Let us know in the comments.
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