This New Honda Is Set To Be The Cheapest Hybrid Coupe You Can Buy

Enthusiasts often lament the decline in popularity of various niche body styles and powertrain options as the vast majority of consumers gravitate towards things like crossovers and more of them begin switching to EVs. One of the hardest hit vehicle categories has been the traditional two-door coupe. Especially if you focus on more affordable models than things like the Aston Martin DB12, there aren’t very many coupes left on sale. And if you want a coupe that’s actually efficient there are even fewer, as most are performance-oriented models.

There is one exciting new coupe that recently got unveiled: the 2026 Honda Prelude. This Civic-based coupe joins a tiny list of hybrid two-doors that you can buy in the U.S., all of which are much more expensive and not nearly as fuel-efficient. Now, this list of hybrid coupes doesn’t include 48-volt mild-hybrids, like what the BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz CLE use — we’re focused on series hybrids and plug-in hybrids, as those mild-hybrid systems are mainly for smoother start/stop operation. Also, for this exercise I don’t count the C8 Corvette E-Ray as a “coupe,” nor do I think that word really applies to supercars like the Ferrari 296 and McLaren Artura. This list is also one car shorter than it would’ve been a few months ago, as Lexus recently discontinued the hybrid version of the LC, which did get a very respectable 29 mpg combined.

Instead of alphabetically, we’re going to order this list from most to least fuel-efficient, starting with the new Prelude and working our way down. Let’s dive in.

The front-wheel-drive Prelude shares its two-motor hybrid system with the Civic, making 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. While its fuel economy numbers are slightly lower than the Civic’s, the Prelude is not the most efficient hybrid coupe, but the most efficient coupe on sale full stop, and probably the most efficient “sporty” car too. The EPA has yet to rate the Prelude, but Honda is estimating it will get 44 mpg combined, 46 mpg city and 41 mpg highway. A nonhybrid Ford Mustang EcoBoost, for instance, only manages 26 mpg combined, while an automatic Toyota GR86 gets 24 mpg.

And that’s in a package combining a spacious liftback body with a more premium interior, a new simulated shifting system, and brakes and suspension taken from the Civic Type R. An official 0-to-60-mph time has yet to be announced, but given the Civic Hybrid does the deed in about 6.2 seconds, it should be pretty quick for such an efficient vehicle. Honda says the Prelude will reach dealers in the U.S. later this fall, and while we don’t know pricing yet, it should come in at around $40,000.

Next up we’ve got the 992.2 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, the first car to use Porsche’s new T-Hybrid system. Instead of a twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-6 like in normal Carreras, the GTS T-Hybrid has a single-turbo 3.6-liter engine with an electric motor integrated into the transmission and a small 1.9-kWh 400-volt battery pack. It’s very quick, hitting 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and it’s also extremely good to drive, with a distinct character compared to other 911s.

As the 911 GTS’ hybrid powertrain is really all about performance, there isn’t much of an efficiency boost here. Its EPA ratings of 20 mpg combined, 17 mpg city and 24 mpg are the same as a Carrera S and each 1 mpg shy of a base Carrera, but the combined and highway numbers are 1 mpg better than the outgoing nonhybrid GTS. The hybrid system also makes daily driving and highway a lot smoother, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more noticeable efficiency boosts in the real world. As with all new Porsches, though, it’s expensive. The base Carrera GTS coupe starts at $178,250, over $24k more expensive than a Carrera S.

The other two hybrid coupes on sale are both plug-in hybrids with worse gas-only mpg ratings that are offset by usable electric-only ranges. The more efficient of the two is the facelifted Bentley Continental GT, which has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, a 187-hp electric motor in the transmission, and a 25.9-kWh battery pack. In base trim this powertrain makes 671 horsepower and 685 pound-feet of torque, but the Speed and Mulliner models get 771 hp and 738 lb-ft sent to all four wheels.

Looking at just the V8’s efficiency the EPA rates the Continental GT PHEVs at 19 mpg, but they have an MPGe rating of 46 when the whole hybrid system is taken into account. With a full charge the EPA says the Bentleys can drive 33 miles on just electricity (more in the real world), and you can drive in EV mode at up to 87 mph. But you have to pay dearly for the privilege — the standard Conti PHEV costs $284,750 before options, while the Speed starts at over $300,000.

Finally we’ve got the longly named Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance, which also has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with a hybrid system and all-wheel drive. The GT’s electric motor mounted to the rear axle is even more powerful than the Bentley’s, making 201 hp and 236 lb-ft, and it has its own two-speed transmission and limited-slip differential. Its 400-volt battery pack only has a usable capacity of 4.8 kWh, and the EPA says there is just 11 miles of EV-only range, but thanks to the powertrain’s tuning that battery is constantly being juiced back up, especially when driving hard. The GT63 S E Performance’s gas-only EPA rating is 19 mpg combined, 5 mpg better than a nonhybrid GT63’s combined cycle figure, and its 28 MPGe rating isn’t horrible. It is cheaper than the Bentley, though at $197,050 I can’t exactly call it “cheap.”

And that’s it. Supercars and mild-hybrids aside, if you want a two-door coupe with a hybrid powertrain, these are your choices. Hopefully more automakers start introducing hybrid coupes, and interesting enthusiast-oriented ones at that.