Electric vehicles (EVs) may grab headlines, but they still have quite a way to go before replacing traditional, gas-powered vehicles. EVs only comprised 8.7 percent of total vehicle sales in the United States last year, according to Kelly Blue Book (KBB) but overall EV sales did see an increase of 15.2 percent and the Prologue, Honda’s first EV, helped grow those sales.
In 2024 Honda took its first step with the all-new Prologue EV. KBB sales stats place it among the top ten list of EVs sales, coming in at number seven. Latino Traffic Report (LTR) recently test drove the Elite trim that comes with all-wheel drive (AWD). As an EV, it has an impressive range, but the driving experience needs some refining.
The Prologue steps up on the outside with a handsome, uncomplicated design, including the newly designed Honda badge. It’s also the first Honda SUV with Google built-in on all Prologue trims, and includes apps such as Google A
ssistant, Google Maps to help find the nearest charging station.
The standard AWD adds a second motor and combined with the first, they generate 288 hp and 333 lb.–ft. of torque. While its acceleration is impressive, there were also two killjoys onboard— an overly sensitive rear parking sensor and Honda’s one-pedal driving feature to help extend the electric range.
The sensor made it difficult to back out of the driveway, particularly when doing so at an incline. The Prologue would stop as if it sensed the road as an obstruction. The experience was pretty jarring. Meanwhile, one-pedal driving also reduced the throttle sharply when coasting but the braking can be adjusted and if that doesn’t work, it can also be shut off.
A charge chord should be included but unfortunately it wasn’t on the test model which made charging the Prologue at home impossible. When fully charged at home or at one of Honda’s fast charging networks that include Tesla Supercharger stations as well as EVgo and Electrify America (plus their roaming partners), it should have an EPA maximum range of 273 miles (for the test model). Still, the test model arrived with 256 miles of charge that it held onto pretty impressively through a week of driving, ending with 56 miles of charge. The trim level with the greatest range is the Prologue EX with a 296-mile range.
The roomy interior—it’s about eight-inches longer and five-inches wider than the CR-V—included a colorful display in the instrument panel, including a navigation map and the infotainment system included 40 presets which was generous. Other fancy features on this top-of-the-line model included a 360-degree camera, head-up display, 11.3-inch color touchscreen, 36-month subscription to Google, Bose premium audio, leather trimmed seats with heated and cooled seats in the front, and a panoramic sunroof.
Pricing for the 2024 Prologue starts at $48,850. The as-tested price came to $59,295.
Sí: The Honda Prologue EV has an impressive range* that should encourage the manufacturer to expand its EV lineup. It also benefits from a clean, refined design.
No: Some technology, like the rear parking sensor, needs adjusting.
*In March of 2025, Honda announced that the maximum range for the Prologue has increased to 305 miles.
Transmission that normally offers the best city/highway fuel economy of 31/40 miles per gallon (mpg). Because the Sport Touring trim is specially tuned, the EPA estimated fuel economy for the test model dropped slightly to 30 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. It earned an average of 34.4 mpg on the test drive. Paddle shifters, standard on the Sport Touring model, enhanced its performance.
Creature comforts on the test model included heated front and outboard rear seats, a moonroof, rain-sensing wipers, a leather trimmed interior, Apple Carplay/Android Audio, and navigation.
With seating for five adults, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid (as does the entire Clarity family) falls firmly into the mid-sized sedan category. Yes, the rear middle passenger will be in hip contact with seatmates, but there’s more than adequate leg and headroom. Ingress and egress are easy too. What’s more, trunk space solidly approaches generous.
The three winners each stood out in their segments for different reasons.
The classic midsize sedan’s groundbreaking redesign begins with an all-new body with a lower, wider stance, a lighter and more rigid unibody structure, new LED headlamps that sharply resemble those of Honda’s higher-end brand, Acura, a sweeping greenhouse, a bold front fascia, and a longer and lower hood. These features combine to create a more upscale appearance than the previous model.
Under the hood, the V6 is no longer an option, but the tenth generation Accord can be powered by three four-cylinder engines, including Accord’s two new turbos—a 1.5-liter direct-injected turbo with dual Variable Timing Control (VTC) 192 horses and 192 lb.–ft. of torque, and a 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo with dual VTC and 252 hp and 273 lb.–ft. of torque. Both can be matched to a six-speed manual transmission on the Sport trim. A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) can be mated to the 1.5- liter and a new ten-speed automatic transmission is available to pair with the 2.0-liter. Both engines and configurations were available to drive at the launch as well as the third-generation 2018 Honda Accord hybrid. All models at the launch performed handily, including both engines, as did the hybrid.
At the launch, only fuel economy figures for the 1.5-liter were available. Matched to the six-speed manual transmission, the Accord Sport should achieve 26 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. We achieved an average of 32 mpg at the launch. The CVT will achieve one mpg better than the manual in the city on the Sport trim but on other trims it earns four mpgs more in the city and three mpgs better on the highway.
Standard creature comforts on the Accord include dual zone climate control, push button start, a capless fuel filler, a customizable seven-inch TFT digital display in the gauge cluster, seven-inch audio display (with knobs), and USB audio interface. Higher-end features include an eight-inch audio display, heated leather seats (front and back), a power moonroof, Head-Up Display, wireless phone charging (Android only), and Honda satellite-linked navigation.
