by Chris Chilton
- A California Honda dealer is advertising the 2026 Prelude for nearly $44,000.
- Barber Honda’s Autotrader adverts have the hybrid coupe priced at $43,850.
- If accurate, the Prelude’s MSRP would sit about $10k above a base Mustang.
We’re still waiting to hear from Honda how much it’s going to charge you to climb behind the wheel of the reborn Prelude coupe, but at least three dealers in the States have given us our biggest hint yet, and it’s an expensive one.
Related: New Prelude Costs More Than A BMW 2-Series In The UK, Does 0-62 In 8.2 Seconds
Barber Honda in Bakersfield, California, is currently running an ad on the Autotrader website for the 2026 Prelude, and lists the MSRP at $43,850, while on its own website, it suggests a $42,655 MSRP. The $1,195 difference between those figures exactly matches Honda’s destination charge for MY25 cars, which suggests $42,655 could be the true MSRP.
We also found at least two more live listings at the time of writing, including one from Honda of Denton in Texas showing an MSRP of $43,650, and another from Lehigh Valley Honda in Pennsylvania for the same exact amount. It’s unclear, however, which trim levels these refer to or whether either includes additional options.
How Much Will It Cost in America?
We previously reported on a Motor Trend story that suggested an MSRP of $38,000, which the magazine then increased to $42,000, but Barber’s quoted price is higher again.
To give you an idea of where that kind of price would put the Prelude in the affordable coupe market, you can get the keys to a brand-new Toyota GR86 for just $30,800, or a Ford Mustang Ecoboost for $32,320.
Neither is as well equipped as the Prelude, which comes only in one high-spec grade with standard leather seats and Bose hifi, but that’s a big price gap.
The 2026 Prelude’s hybrid setup further separates it from the pack, but you can decide for yourself whether the electric helper is an advantage, since it means you can’t have a manual transmission, and the 200 hp (203 PS) power output looks feeble. The GR86 makes 228 hp (231 PS), and the auto-only Mustang Ecoboost demolishes both with 315 hp (319 PS).Autotrader/Barber
The Nissan Z Question
But the biggest comparison that Barber Honda’s $43,850 invites is with the $42,970 Nissan Z. No, you don’t get expensive upholstery or fancy hifi in a base Z, you have to step up to the $52,970 performance trim for that, which also brings better brakes and an LSD.
What the entry-level Z does give you, though, is a 400 hp (406 PS) twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and the freedom to shift your own gears, something the Prelude can’t match.
And there’s another performance legend that’s dangerously close to the Prelude on price and also dangerously close to home. A 315 hp (319 PS) 2025 Civic Type R has an MSRP of $45,895, and though we expect the new one to be a little more expensive, the difference in monthly payments between a Type R and the Prelude (at Barber’s quoted price) would be negligible.
