2026 Honda Pilot

Name: 2026 Honda Pilot
Brand: Honda

Release Date: Fall 2025

Estimated Price: Starting around $42,000

The 2026 Honda Pilot is a decent three-row crossover. Its comfortable, composed ride will keep everyone happy on longer road trips, and abundant cubbies and cupholders will hold all your small items. But several drawbacks — including a small back seat — keep it from being a top pick.Read full review

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2026 Honda Pilot Review

Pros

Roomy first- and second-row seating
Lots of cargo space and interior storage spots
Easy-to-use controls

Cons

Standard touchscreen interface is too small
Third-row seating is cramped for adults
Lackluster acceleration and braking performance

What's new

We don't expect major changes for the 2026 Honda Pilot
Part of the fourth Pilot generation introduced for 2023

Overview

Written by automotive expert James Riswick

8/27/2025

The Honda Pilot is the automaker's venerable three-row SUV. Its familiar boxy proportions and spacious cabin have made it a favorite family hauler for the last two decades. The brand has stuck with a familiar formula too. Power continues to come from a V6, and all-wheel drive has always been an option. The 2026 Pilot is more of the same — and that's no bad thing — with its easy-to-use tech interface, plenty of capability, and ample room for most passengers. The third row is a touch cramped, and the Pilot could use more zing from under the hood. That said, those drawbacks are minor, and the Pilot is always worth considering for families and Honda fans alike.

Edmunds spotlight: We're hoping for a bigger screen

The current generation Pilot has been around since 2023. That isn't very long when it comes to the lifespans of these three-row SUVs, but there's something it lacks that many rivals have embraced: a big, fancy touchscreen. The Pilot's infotainment display measures a measly 9 inches, and in the enormous Pilot, it looks dinky and out of place. A bigger display is a quick fix, and Honda already has a 12.3-incher that it uses in the Accord and new 2026 Passport. We think this screen is far more fitting for something Pilot-sized. Hopefully, Honda delivers on this ask because it would quickly remedy one of our biggest gripes with the Pilot.

Competitors to consider

If you're interested in the 2026 Honda Pilot, you should know the three-row SUV segment is packed to the gills with competition. The Kia Telluride offers more advanced tech and a wider array of trims, while the Hyundai Palisade is a more luxurious experience with a hushed cabin and expensive-feeling materials. You should also check out the Toyota Grand Highlander. Its available hybrid version gets significantly better mpg than the Pilot.

Edmunds Expert Rating

edmunds TESTED

Driven, tested, rated by automotive expert Will Kaufman

Average

6.1

out of 10

We drove the Honda Pilot on our test track and on real roads. Our Edmunds team conducts rigorous independent vehicle testing, driving 500,000 miles a year.

Driving experience

6.5/10

How does the Honda Pilot drive? Driving the Pilot is a mixed bag. The V6 sounds snarly when you step on the gas, but actual acceleration is only average. At the Edmunds test track, our Pilot TrailSport test vehicle managed the 0-60 mph run in 7.8 seconds. The transmission makes a lot of shifts, especially around town, and that can also make the Pilot feel overly sensitive to gas pedal inputs when accelerating from a stop.

The Pilot's brake pedal makes it pretty easy to get consistently smooth stops. But we found the Pilot's emergency stopping distances were longer than what we got from rival three-row SUVs. At least the Honda is comfortable thanks to a smooth ride quality over bumps and broken pavement.

Visibility is decent thanks to the large windows. We were less impressed with the Pilot's available surround-view camera system. It can be tricky to get a detailed view of what's around you because of the small screen and poor camera resolution. The Pilot's other driver aids thankfully work better, with the adaptive cruise control and lane centering working in tandem to make highway driving less fatiguing.

Comfort

7.1/10

How comfortable is the Honda Pilot? The front seats and optional second-row captain's chairs are pleasantly soft without giving up support. The front seats lack the level of adjustability some competitors offer, so not everybody will get the most comfort out of them. The step-in height might be a touch high for children, but the large doors make getting in and out easier. And they also make the experience of loading in car seats smoother, as does the roomy second row. The third row has slightly less room than some competitors, but it will fit adults in a pinch.

On the whole, wind, road and engine noise is low, but the cabin isn't quite as quiet as the interiors of competitors like the Kia Telluride. The climate system is simple to adjust and powerful enough for the large cabin. All three rows get vents, but vent placement in the second and third rows isn't optimal. But we are fans of the easy-to-use physical buttons and knobs for the climate control. And it's not just the climate controls that get buttons. Honda has done a great job of keeping commonly used functions out of the screen and within easy reach of the driver.

In-cabin tech

7.8/10

How’s the tech? The Pilot offers plenty of usable tech features, The infotainment interface, which includes wireless phone connectivity, works quickly and is easy to figure out. But both the standard 7-inch screen and the upgraded 9-inch screen look dwarfed by the large cabin. It's unfortunate the larger 12.3-inch screen in the Passport or the Accord isn't available here. There are plenty of places to charge, though, including a wireless charging pad and a household-style outlet. Each row also has at least two USB ports. But if you want to plug in your phone to use the data connection, you'll have to bring an old-school USB-A cable to do so.

Storage & cargo

7.2/10

How’s storage and cargo? Competitors offer more cargo space, but the Pilot has enough flexible cargo features and small-item storage to make it a helpful family hauler. The 50/50-split third-row seats are easy to fold down, and both rows folded yields a maximum of 87 cubic feet of cargo room. The load floor also has two positions and can be lowered to allow for taller items to fit.

When it comes to small-item storage, the Pilot is one of the best. Front passengers get an extra-large center console tray and box, along with a few extra cubbies for smaller items. Both the front and rear doors offer a bunch of trays and pockets, and cupholders for every seat will fit a 40-ounce water bottle.

The Pilot can tow up to 5,000 pounds, which is about average.

Value

5.3/10

Is the Honda Pilot a good value? The Pilot provides plenty of utility and comfort, and its interior is sturdily built with hefty, solid plastics all around. Competitors spread more soft-touch materials around, especially in higher trims, but the Pilot feels built to endure family life. It's an ideal interior for cleaning up with whatever wipes you have on hand.

But in terms of bang for your buck, most competitors offer more features per dollar. You'll spend more than some top competitors to get a top-trim level, and even then you'll have fewer features than on competitors like the Telluride. Kia and Hyundai also have significantly longer warranties than the Pilot's three-year/36,000-mile basic and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage.

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

MPG

3/10

How’s the fuel economy? Depending on its equipment, the Pilot has an EPA estimate ranging from 20 mpg combined (18 city/23 highway) for the all-wheel-drive TrailSport to 22 mpg combined for a front-wheel-drive model. On Edmunds' real-world test route, our Pilot TrailSport test vehicle averaged 22 mpg, which means drivers should be able to match the EPA estimate. This result is on par with top V6 competitors but well off the segment's efficiency leader, the turbo four-cylinder Toyota Highlander, without offering any quicker acceleration.

X factor

3/10

The Pilot is pretty easy to live with, and the TrailSport's added off-road ability broadens its appeal. That said, it comes across to us as the victim of an identity crisis. Honda has tried to make it a sporty, tough-and-rugged and family-friendly SUV, all in one. But this jack-of-all-trades approach means it's a master of none. The Pilot is competent but lacks standout traits.

2026 Honda Pilot trim level differences

[Editor's note: The following unofficial information is based on last year's Pilot. We expect the 2026 model will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Honda Pilot is a three-row SUV that seats up to eight passengers. It's available in six trim levels: Sport, EX-L, Touring, TrailSport, Elite and Black Edition. All are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine (285 horsepower, 262 lb-ft) mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional — except on the TrailSport, Elite and Black Edition trims, which get all-wheel drive standard. Highlighted features include:

Which Pilot trim does Edmunds recommend?

Honda hasn't released official information on the 2026 Pilot as of this writing. We'll update our recommendation if anything changes, but based on last year's Pilot, we recommend the EX-L for most buyers. For about $3,000 more than the base Sport, you get many desirable upgrades we think are worth it, including wireless smartphone integration, wireless phone charging, a bigger touchscreen and a power liftgate.

2026 Honda Pilot video

Kia Telluride vs. Toyota Grand Highlander vs. Honda Pilot vs. VW Atlas | 3-Row SUV Comparison Test

NOTE: This video is about the 2024 Honda Pilot, but since the 2026 Honda Pilot is part of the same generation, our earlier analysis still applies.

The Kia Telluride has been the gold standard when it comes to three-row midsize SUVs for a few years now, but the competition has been working hard to catch up. In addition to the all-new Honda Pilot and updated Volkswagen Atlas, the Telluride now faces perhaps its fiercest competitor yet: the all-new Toyota Grand Highlander. Will the Telluride hold onto its crown against…

2026 Honda Pilot

2026 Honda Pilot Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Edmunds spotlight: We're hoping for a bigger screen

Competitors to consider

Edmunds Expert Rating

Driving experience

Comfort

In-cabin tech

Storage & cargo

Value

MPG

X factor

2026 Honda Pilot trim level differences

Which Pilot trim does Edmunds recommend?

2026 Honda Pilot video

Kia Telluride vs. Toyota Grand Highlander vs. Honda Pilot vs. VW Atlas | 3-Row SUV Comparison Test

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