The return of the Honda Prelude has been fraught with controversy. It's not available with a manual transmission. It has a hybrid powertrain. It's not especially powerful. But of all the decisions that have left enthusiasts scratching their heads, the price has probably led to the most scratched scalps.It has a starting MSRP of $42,000, which comes to $43,195 with the destination charge. That means you'll be spending quite a bit more on a 200-horsepower Prelude than many options with more power and even practicality.However, a car's price tag isn't the only cost. There are plenty of costs related to maintaining and running a vehicle. We can't predict all of those, as we don't know how every car's reliability will turn out. Fuel economy though, and annual fuel costs, are very predictable, and those factors are ones you'll be dealing with on a regular basis.The Prelude, being a hybrid, is quite efficient and will save you money at the pump. What we wanted to find out, though, was how long it would take for a Prelude to end up being cheaper than the competition. The results were interesting.Honda/CarBuzzWe've utilized official EPA fuel economy figures to calculate running costs for the 2026 Honda Prelude and its rivals. Calculations are based on annual mileage of 15,000 miles, based on 45% highway and 55% city driving, in line with EPA estimates. Fuel costs are derived from the EPA; at the time of writing, the EPA had 87 octane set at $2.92 per gallon and $3.86 per gallon for 91 to 93 octane. Pricing, Fuel Economy, Annual Fuel Costs The Prelude isn't cheap at its $43,195 starting price, but it is genuinely fuel efficient, racking up EPA consumption of 41/47/44 mpg city/highway/combined. Plus, it runs on 87 octane fuel. Driving 15,000 miles a year, the EPA estimates you'll spend only $1,000 on fuel, although that depends heavily onwhich state you're in, given thecurrent state of rising gas prices.Honda/CarBuzz Now, the vehicles that we chose to compare with the Prelude are sporty models, all of which cost as much or less than the Prelude. The reason for that is because a car that's more expensive than the Prelude is only going to become even more expensive in comparison over time. We're trying to see where the Prelude's efficiency gives it an eventual cost advantage. We also didn't restrict the body style. The market for sporty cars is tight enough that we figured there's a decent chance that a Prelude buyer may also be looking at sporty sedans and hatchbacks.You can see all the options with their prices, power, fuel economy, fuel type, and annual fuel costs below.Honda/CarBuzz Of these options, the next most efficient car is the Honda Civic Si with 31 mpg combined. Its highway economy of 37 mpg is particularly impressive. It takes premium fuel, though, so the Civic Si ties the VW Jetta GLI for the next lowest fuel costs at $1,500 per year. The GLI benefits from running on regular, but its 29 mpg combined economy rating isn't terrible either.As for the lowest priced options, those are the manual versions of the Mazda MX-5 Miata at $31,665 and the Toyota GR86 at $32,395, and we think that it's pretty cool that the cheapest of these cars are fun rear-drive two-doors. When The Prelude Becomes Cheaper Honda On a long enough timescale, the Prelude will eventually be cheaper than all of these cars when factoring in solely the base price and annual fuel costs. For some of these vehicles, the Prelude will gain an advantage really quickly, and others will potentially take longer than the time the car is on the road.Not surprisingly, the more expensive the car, the more quickly the Prelude becomes more affordable. After just a single year, you'll have spent more buying and fueling the automatic Toyota GR Corolla, and after another the manual one becomes more expensive. The CVT-equipped Subaru WRX also matches the GR Corolla. After five years, the manual-equipped WRX and automatic-equipped Miata reach the cost crossover with the Prelude. Both GR86 models exceed the Prelude's costs at 7 years. That's assuming you purchased the cheapest version of each of those cars, not a higher-spec trim, which in some cases is the one you really want.Honda These other cars do end up being more expensive, but the amount of time it takes may be longer than the time someone might own a new car before trading it in for something else.The Civic Si is the worst case situation, as it will take a whopping 21 years for the Prelude to become the more affordable option. The Jetta GLI isn't too far behind at 17 years. In 2024, the average age of cars on the road was 12.6 years, so if you think you'll be keeping your car for less time than that, the Civic Si, Jetta GLI, and a couple of others are probably better choices financially. Don't Be Fooled By Cheap MSRPs For Poorly Equipped Base Trims Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet The time span for the Prelude beating most of those cars, or breaking even, is either a bit less or a bit more than most financing for a vehicle purchase, so the cost difference is something that might be worth consideration. It's especially worth consideration when you factor in the prices used to calculate the offset period are the base MSRPs for the lowest trims, often equipped sparingly. The Prelude is a single everything-included trim, packed with a full safety suite, park sensors, collision avoidance, etc., auto-dimming mirrors, a Bose eight-speaker sound system with a subwoofer, wireless phone charging, heated front seats, dual-zone climate, and more.Buying a Miata, for example, in a closer spec like the Grand Touring trim narrows the price gap to $6,230, which is overturned by annual fuel costs in just over six years, not the decade posited above for the base-spec Mazda. And it reduces even further if you buy the RF or choose an automatic transmission.Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet Do Fuel Costs Matter In An Enthusiast Car? So there you have it, the Prelude's frugal fuel use can save you some money compared to some similarly priced competitors. The problem, though, is that buyers of sporty cars aren't just looking at fuel economy. While we'd wager that some of the rivals mentioned above are favored for being cheap to run, many of them find homes because they're fun to drive and are cheap to buy. Plus, many of them are either rear-wheel drive, have a manual gearbox, or both, and many of them are more powerful than the Prelude.Honda/CarBuzz Of all these options, the Prelude is the second least powerful, beating only the Miata, which also boasts much less weight, an available manual, and rear drive. You can also drop the top on the Miata. Many of these options even offer more practicality with the extra performance, such as the GR Corolla, WRX, and the VWs.Also, if you spend just a bit more, you can get even more performance. The Nissan Z starts at nearly the same price ($44,265) and brings 400 horsepower. At around the $48,000 mark, you can get a Ford Mustang GT with 480 hp, or a Honda Civic Type R, which has all the Prelude's sweet suspension with 315 hp, a manual, and way more practicality.All this isn't to say that the Prelude isn't fun, because it is. That Type R-derived suspension and steering equipment means the Prelude is a spectacular handler. It also combines that with solid comfort, a premium interior, and some drop-dead gorgeous looks. However, this look at costs makes it all the more clear that the Prelude is an extremely niche vehicle in an already niche segment.2026 Honda Prelude static (1)