37MPG TOPS
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That's still pretty good!
mpg is affected by so many factors: ambient temperature, terrain, speed, vehicle load, tyre pressures, driving style, fuel quality, elevation, etc.
Coasting ('pulse-and-glide') is generally more efficient than regenerative braking.
I'm routinely getting 45 mpg [US] / 55 mpg [UK] and can get 55+ mpg [US] / 66+ mpg [UK] if I focus on hyper-miling. That said, my part of the UK has quite gently undulating terrain and is typically about 25 degC [77 degF] at this time of year - although it's hotter than that right now. Is your location more hilly or colder?
Coasting ('pulse-and-glide') is generally more efficient than regenerative braking.
I'm routinely getting 45 mpg [US] / 55 mpg [UK] and can get 55+ mpg [US] / 66+ mpg [UK] if I focus on hyper-miling. That said, my part of the UK has quite gently undulating terrain and is typically about 25 degC [77 degF] at this time of year - although it's hotter than that right now. Is your location more hilly or colder?
I’m averaging 44.5 over nearly 4,000 miles. The one dip to ~39 was on a long high speed (-70 mph) trip with lots of two lane road full throttle passing.
(I tracked my CR-Z over 116,000 miles and average 42.4 - that took quite a bit of effort - pulse and glide mostly and being the slow car on Los Angeles freeways. https://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/cr-z/2011/gozoner/91387)
The Prelude is a breeze to get my 44.5 mpg. GT mode, no S+ (except for short periods). Regen paddles to brake, coasting to stops when possible. I live on the side of a mountain so every trip is up and down and down and up.
Great to see that you've averaged 44+ mpg[US] . Like you, I used to have a CR-Z. My new Prelude is bigger, heavier, more powerful and faster - yet (somehow) it manages to be more economical too!
And it seems to do it all more effortlessly as well...
- Feb 26, 2026
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I haven’t gotten *anything* less than 42mpg in this car, combination city and highway. I drive in either GT or Sport mode, never Comfort, coasting to stops to save Brembo brakes (am going to start trying the paddle shifters, though!) but not particularly worrying about how quickly I accelerate… I drive to enjoy the drive even if I am headed to the grocery. I have had the car since February, but was working from home until last month (laid off, so now retired early!!) so I am just now putting any miles on it.
It seems like maybe you should have your car checked. This is from my errands the past 2 days after I got gas… all GT mode, including about 20 miles on the highway at about 70 mph.
It seems like maybe you should have your car checked. This is from my errands the past 2 days after I got gas… all GT mode, including about 20 miles on the highway at about 70 mph.
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Ok, it was going to happen sooner or later, but now that I have seen your screen shot (even though that is for just 18 miles, which *could* be a lot of coasting on slightly downhill terrain, etc.), I am going to have to intentionally alter my driving to see the best mileage that I can get in this baby. (The best I ever got in my 2017 Accord hybrid (sedan, of course) for an extended number of miles in my normal driving area was 59.)
Sounds like you’ve been driving hybrids for a while and It’ll be really interesting to see what you can achieve with the new Prelude.
I got my first hybrid Honda 15 years ago and it’s certainly true that they have gradually changed my intuitive driving style – effectively teaching me to drive more efficiently and to make best use of the hybrid technology.
Here’s the result of a fuel consumption experiment that I did in 2017, to compare my 2012 Honda Insight and 2011 Honda CR-Z. Both cars did really well, easily exceeding their ‘official’ mpg…
https://www.crzforum.com/threads/experiment_results.83249/?post_id=1260905#post-1260905
Be warned, it’s easy to get a bit obsessive…!
My wife's 57 mile drive today. A good mix of winding minor roads, dual carriageway (freeway), and also some congestion and heavy traffic. The car seemed to do even better on this longer run!
70.6 mpg [UK] = 58.8 mpg [US]
70.6 mpg [UK] = 58.8 mpg [US]
I have no idea why the Prelude is 1.5mpg worse than the Civic, (my current car) but looking at your figures it seems that's not the case after all, I would have thought that with the Prelude being even more aerodynamic it probably is better on the motorway, which makes up for the extra weight of the Prelude, and how the hell is the Prelude heavier than the Civic? it has no electric seats, two fewer doors and, in the case of mine, no heavy glass sunroof.My wife's 57 mile drive today. A good mix of winding minor roads, dual carriageway (freeway), and also some congestion and heavy traffic. The car seemed to do even better on this longer run!
70.6 mpg [UK] = 58.8 mpg [US]
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From Honda UK's website, the current Civic Advance has a kerb weight of 1503 kg and the Prelude is 1480 kg kerb weight. So the Prelude is actually lighter - but not by very much! I don't think there's an officially published Cd (drag coefficient) for the Prelude but it certainly looks quite slippery so, as you say, maybe it's a bit more aerodynamically efficient than the Civic at higher speeds?
The official fuel consumption test cycle (WLTC class 3) takes 30 minutes and is divided into four different speed regimes: low, medium, high, extra high. But the average speed for the whole test is only 28.9 mph (46.5 km/h), so official fuel consumption figures tend to favour cars with good low-speed efficiency and are unlikely to reveal the relative advantage that more aerodynamic cars have when driven at higher speeds.
It would be interesting to test the fuel efficiency of the Prelude and the Civic hybrid at (say) 100 mph. Maybe the more slippery-looking Prelude would win...?
I don't think there's an officially published Cd (drag coefficient) for the Prelude but it certainly looks quite slippery so, as you say, maybe it's a bit more aerodynamically efficient than the Civic at higher speeds?The official fuel consumption test cycle (WLTC class 3) takes 30 minutes and is divided into four different speed regimes: low, medium, high, extra high. But the average speed for the whole test is only 28.9 mph (46.5 km/h), so official fuel consumption figures tend to favour cars with good low-speed efficiency and are unlikely to reveal the relative advantage that more aerodynamic cars have when driven at higher speeds.
It would be interesting to test the fuel efficiency of the Prelude and the Civic hybrid at (say) 100 mph. Maybe the more slippery-looking Prelude would win...?
That surprised me. I got the impression from testers that the Prelude was heavier. Another thing: the official 0 to60 for the Civic is faster than the Prelude. Again, I have no idea why that would be if the Prelude is indeed lighter; the time for the Advance is 8.1 and for the Prelude 8.2, though we know they are both quite a bit faster than that.From Honda UK's website, the current Civic Advance has a kerb weight of 1503 kg and the Prelude is 1480 kg kerb weight. So the Prelude is actually lighter - but not by very much!
The official fuel consumption test cycle (WLTC class 3) takes 30 minutes and is divided into four different speed regimes: low, medium, high, extra high. But the average speed for the whole test is only 28.9 mph (46.5 km/h), so official fuel consumption figures tend to favour cars with good low-speed efficiency and are unlikely to reveal the relative advantage that more aerodynamic cars have when driven at higher speeds.
It would be interesting to test the fuel efficiency of the Prelude and the Civic hybrid at (say) 100 mph. Maybe the more slippery-looking Prelude would win...?
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I don't know why there is a difference in the reported weights for the two cars between the UK and the US, but I can tell you exactly why the Prelude is heavier (even though it's short the glass moonroof and two doors).
The primary reason is that the Prelude has the 4 cylinder Atkinson gasoline engine, an electric traction motor, AND the 72 cell high-voltage lithium battery. That is a LOT of weight and probably accounts for most of the additional weight.
The Prelude also has a larger, more heavily reinforced chassis to achieve its wonderful handling.
A small amount may also come from the larger Brembo brakes (and, presumably, also heavier suspension hardware) borrowed from the Type R.
The primary reason is that the Prelude has the 4 cylinder Atkinson gasoline engine, an electric traction motor, AND the 72 cell high-voltage lithium battery. That is a LOT of weight and probably accounts for most of the additional weight.
The Prelude also has a larger, more heavily reinforced chassis to achieve its wonderful handling.
A small amount may also come from the larger Brembo brakes (and, presumably, also heavier suspension hardware) borrowed from the Type R.
In the UK, all current Civics have a hybrid powertrain that is almost identical to the system in our Preludes. We no longer get the Civic type R
I agree with you that some of the Prelude's weight will be accounted for by its big brakes, suspension, and super-strong structure. Also, the glass area is arguably larger than it looks, with that big fastback rear - so probably not much weight saving there. The Prelude runs on slightly bigger wheels and tyres too...
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📸 Honda Prelude Photos
📸 Honda Prelude Photos
