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The all-new Honda Prelude has secured a major accolade at the 2025/2026 New Car World Championships, where the Best Cars of the Year (Best COTY) judging panel named it the ‘Best Coupe’. The award marks an impressive return for the iconic model, which has rejoined Honda’s European line-up after a 25-year absence.
Combining a distinctive new design, engaging hybrid performance and Honda’s innovative S+ Shift technology, the new Prelude has been engineered to deliver the pure driving enjoyment long associated with its nameplate. The S+ Shift system enhances driver connection by simulating the feel and sound of rapid automatic gear changes, elevating the coupe’s dynamic appeal.
Powered by Honda’s latest e:HEV full hybrid powertrain—a 2.0-litre petrol engine paired with a dual electric motor automatic transmission—the Prelude produces 184PS (135kW) and offers responsive performance, strong efficiency and refined operation. It becomes the newest addition to Honda’s electrified mainstream range, which benefits from more than 25 years of hybrid expertise.
Upon learning of the award, Tomoyuki Yamagami, Prelude’s chief engineer, said:
**"We thank Best Cars of the Year / The New Car World Championships for this prestigious award.
"What we have done with the Prelude is like creating a wonderful dish using the best ingredients you have close at hand. And then we added a bespoke topping that makes our dish special, tasty and unique in the world. Then, the more of this dish you eat, the better it tastes. That’s what we believe we’ve created here, especially with the powertrain, handling and S+ mode.”**
Best COTY / New Car World Championships judge Peter Lyon added:
**“Honda may have dug deep into its extensive parts bin to create the new Prelude - borrowing the high-performance chassis, suspension and Brembo brake packages from the Civic Type R and the 200-hp hybrid engine and CVT from the Civic e:HEV - but what it has brought to showrooms is much more than the sum of those parts.
“The Prelude deserves this win. The styling is fresh and eye-catching while engineers have added something quite unique to elevate driver interaction. The new Prelude takes the much-disliked CVT and not only gives it a realistic 8-speed shift pattern with paddles, but adds a bespoke S+ Shift mode that enables the car to automatically change down with a blipping function going into corners.”**
Rebecca Adamson, Head of Automobile at Honda Motor Europe – UK, said:
“We’re thrilled that the all-new Honda Prelude has won the Best Coupe accolade at the New Car World Championships 2025/2026. Driving enthusiasts from around the world have been eagerly anticipating the return of this iconic nameplate and I’m delighted that Prelude is already award-winning.”
Customers will be able to order the all-new Prelude from 7 November 2025 through Honda UK’s flexible omni-channel purchasing experience—whether online, in-store, or a combination of both.
The Honda Prelude is priced from £40,995 OTR.
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