The Facelifted 2026 Honda Pilot Also Gets Its Price Lifted by More Than $2,000

Shocking possibly no one, a new look for the 2026 Honda Pilot means it has a new and more expensive starting price. While we hoped the otherwise carryover items like the overall platform and engine and drivetrain choices wouldn’t add much to the cost, welp, Honda had other ideas. With new features that elevate the company’s three-row SUV, the 2026 Pilot will start the new year with an MSRP that is $2,040 more than it was for 2025 models.

The jump to add $2,040 to the 2026 Honda Pilot Sport FWD doesn’t come in a vacuum. Joining the new front-end design for all Pilots are two new exterior colors (Solar Silver Metallic and Smoke Blue Pearl), standard roof rails, a power tailgate, and a pair of new digital screens for instrumentation and infotainment. Honda also says it fixed the cabin noise we’ve complained about by reducing key frequencies by 2–3 decibels, and that it improved the steering feel and precision.

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These are all welcome fixes and additions, but we would have liked to see a fuel-economy improvement, especially considering you’re paying more off the bat. Even some slight electrification would have improved the unchanged 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined EPA drive cycles from 2025. And those are its best figures for the 2026 Pilot Sport FWD. The Pilot TrailSport AWD returns just 18/23/20 thanks to its off-road-oriented tires, lift, and additional trail accoutrement. But at least you now get heated rear outboard seats, a brown leather interior with orange contrast stitching, and a unique color called Ash Green Metallic. If you happened to like the Diffused Sky Metallic, sorry, but Honda has removed that paint option for the Pilot TrailSport for 2026.

Honda also cut one trim level entirely for 2026. The highest Pilot trim you may now order with FWD is the EX-L FWD as Honda drops the Touring FWD. We imagine the take rate for a FWD model above EX-L was too low, but the Touring AWD does get a 360-degree surround-view camera system as standard, along with a new brown leather interior option and new machine-finished 20-inch Shark Gray wheels.

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There is some good news if you’re looking at the upscale trims. The Pilot Elite and Black Edition AWDs are only $460 more than in 2025, and the 2026 Pilot Elite AWD also gets a new set of 20-inch machine-finished Shark Gray wheels and Ultra-Suede seat accents with diamond stitching. Meanwhile, the Black Edition just gets a new set of 20-inch Berlina Black wheels.

Going by the on-paper specs, Honda is making it a bit difficult to recommend the Pilot without a hybrid option at its $43,690 starting price. Especially as the 2026 Hyundai Palisade is coming with hybrid options that start at nearly the same price point as the 2026 Pilot Sport FWD. The difference is barely $2,000 more than the base Pilot, and you’ll spend $600 less per year in fuel costs over the Honda thanks to the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid FWDs 31/32/31 EPA mpg ratings. Add driven rear wheels on both models, and the Hyundai still beats the Honda with its 29/30/29 mpg rating. That means you’ll still save $600 per year on fill ups while spending only $2,000 more for the purchase of the Palisade SEL Hybrid AWD that starts at $47,760. Here’s to hoping the rumors about the Pilot finally gaining electrification on its next-generation platform are true.