The 2026 Honda Pilot is a three-row midsize crossover SUV with a spacious cabin, rugged styling, easygoing manners, and performance that’s just about average. Competitors are numerous, and include the Subaru Ascent, the Toyota Grand Highlander, the Kia Telluride, the Hyundai Palisade, and the Volkswagen Atlas.
2026 Honda Pilot Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Honda Pilot
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Honda Pilot
The Honda Pilot is refreshed for the 2026 model year with tweaked styling, updated infotainment, retuned driving dynamics, and a better-insulated cabin. This midsize SUV seats up to eight across its three rows, and was last fully redesigned for the 2023 model year. These changes help keep the Pilot in the mix in an increasingly competitive segment.
Design
The Pilot has a boxy, utilitarian exterior design that hints at off-road-readiness; in truth, only the TrailSport trim really lives up to the expectation. New details include standard roof rails across the lineup, redesigned front and rear scuff plates, a revised front fascia with a bigger grille, and trim level-specific grille and surround colors. The Pilot is now available in new Solar Silver, Smoke Blue, and Ash Green, though the latter is offered only on the TrailSport model. Finally, top trims get new 20-inch wheel designs.
Powertrain
The Pilot’s powertrain carries over unchanged, though the steering has been retuned for a more natural feel and better stability. The Pilot makes 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque from its 3.5-liter V6 engine, and its 10-speed automatic transmission is generally smooth but occasionally sluggish. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, but the Pilot is available with all-wheel drive (AWD) with a torque-management system to shift traction where it’s most needed. Depending on trim, the Pilot comes with Normal, Econ, Snow, Tow, Sport, Trail, and Sand driving modes. Properly equipped, this Honda can tow up to 5,000 pounds. It’s rated for up to 22 mpg combined, which isn’t especially good for the class, and most competitors are available with a hybrid powertrain option.
Interior
The three-row Pilot is available in seven- and eight-seat configurations, and it's one of the few midsize SUVs on the market with an eight-seat option. While the first and second rows are comfortable and spacious, the third row is appropriate mostly for kids, which is typical of SUVs this size. The Pilot can stow 18.6 cubic feet of cargo behind the third row, and the seats fold down for a maximum of 86.5 cubes of cargo space. For 2026, the Pilot gets new insulation and improved glass to reduce road and wind noise, for a more relaxing experience, and a power tailgate is now standard across the lineup. Some trim levels also get more premium upholstery options.
Technology
For 2026, the Pilot gets updated infotainment in the form of a newly standard 10.2-inch digital information display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot. The software has been updated, too, for quicker responses. Other standard features include a seven-speaker audio system and four USB ports. Options include wireless charging and a premium Bose audio system with 12 speakers.
Safety
Safety features largely carry over, though the Pilot now features standard post-collision braking. Honda includes a rearview camera, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centering assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and a rear-seat reminder system across the lineup. Options include a 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, and a head-up display (HUD). The 2026 Honda Pilot has not yet been crash-tested, but the similar 2025 model fared well. It earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Pricing and Release Date
The 2026 Honda Pilot goes on sale in December of 2025. The trim lineup includes Sport, EX-L, Touring, TrailSport, Elite, and Black Edition models. As of this writing, pricing is not yet available and will be announced closer to the Pilot’s on-sale date. For reference, the 2025 Honda Pilot starts at $40,200 for the base Sport trim and goes up to $54,580 for the top Black Edition trim, not including the $1,495 destination fee.
