I’m sure by now you’ve either seen or participated in Honda Prelude pricing discourse. At $43,195 — including a destination — the 200-horsepower hybrid coupe seems to be a bit too much money for most folks on the internet to swallow. Well, like most issues in today’s world, you can actually blame President Donald Trump for causing the problem. I know it might sound strange, but when you look at what Honda is charging for the Prelude in Canada, it makes sense. The 2026 Prelude costs about $5,620 less for our neighbors up north.
The 2026 Prelude, Civic Type R suspension and all, starts at CA$49,990 in Canada (about $52,961 with fees included). Converted, that works out to approximately $35,464 and $37,571 in U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate of November 26. I should give a quick shoutout to CarScoops, which first noticed the discrepancy. All in all, it works out to be about a 14% price difference between the USDM and CDM Prelude.
As I’m sure you know, the U.S. — at the behest of Trump — slaps a 15% tariff on all cars imported from Japan. Canada, on the other hand, is part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to CarScoops. That means Japanese-built cars can qualify for a 0% duty. Of course, automakers try to absorb some tariff costs when they can, but that’s not always the case, which seems to be what’s happening here.
I reached out to Honda to see what the deal was, and the automaker more or less confirmed my Trump-related suspicions. Naturally, there was some hedging, so as not to drop all the blame at Trump’s feet, but this statement from a Honda spokesperson makes the matter seem fairly clear:
The U.S. and Canada are different markets and the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is set independently in each market for a new vehicle based on a number of factors including import costs, duties, exchange rates, etc. American Honda is actively working to minimize the impact of tariffs on our customers.
