2025 Honda Prologue Review

Up until fairly recently, the Tesla Model Y was the bestselling passenger vehicle in the world, which apparently meant it was a requirement for every automaker to have something similar in its lineup.

Enter the 2025 Honda Prologue, a compact crossover meant to bring the brand into the electric age — and you to the supermarket — in quiet, quick, and practical style. A minor update this year provides slightly more power and range.

Sprightly, comfortable, and spacious — but a little uninspiring to drive and be in — the somewhat overpriced Prologue feels like a box Honda had to tick. It doesn’t really inspire joy, and perhaps that’s not the point. But considering so many of its electric vehicle (EV) gold rush rivals accomplish the same mission with more panache, technology, and luxury, the Prologue is a hard sell.

Styling 7 / 10

The Honda Prologue is one of those EVs that’s hard to pin down in terms of size just looking at pictures. Its design and proportions may make it look huge, but park it next to the subcompact Subaru Crosstrek and they’re pretty much the same height. Purely as a styling exercise, it’s a little stoic, a little futuristic, but wholly different from any other Honda. It’s big-looking yet sleek at the same time, and viewed from the back, its sloping beltline and tiny rear window give it a concept-like look.

Some of its curb appeal will frankly be down to the fact that there aren’t many other Prologues on the road. Inside, the dash is styled so the air vents blend into a bar that spans the dash, and it’s not a bad-looking cabin, but I feel like it’s an interior that Honda’s designers didn’t spend much time drawing up. 

User-Friendliness 8 / 10

The Prologue’s cabin may not be exciting, but it’s decently easy to use. A row of buttons and knobs control the climate, there’s a volume knob accompanying the 11.3-inch touchscreen and 11-inch instrument screen, and steering wheel controls are actual buttons and will feel familiar to anyone who’s been in a recent General Motors (GM) product. That’s because the Prologue is built by GM and shares plenty in common with the likes of the Chevrolet Equinox EV.

While we’re on the subject, that central touchscreen runs what is clearly GM’s infotainment software reskinned to resemble Honda’s interface. It’s not bad in terms of usability — basic in nature, but most functions are straightforward. The system features Google Built-in but, unlike most recent GM EVs, still has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, both wireless.

Safety 6.5 / 10

Adaptive cruise control is standard and works pretty well, but the Prologue only features lane-keeping, which is an assist that nudges when you veer out of a lane, and not a true lane-tracing system. It’s a fairly glaring omission when you compare it to its electric rivals from Hyundai and Kia, which offer an excellently capable shared system, the Ford Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise, and, ironically, its Chevrolet Blazer EV platform twin, which can be had with Super Cruise.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), the Prologue scores “Acceptable” to “Good” in all tests but falls short of qualifying as a Top Safety Pick. It gets less-than-ideal “Acceptable” ratings in the small front overlap crash test, headlights, and front crash protection as it pertains to pedestrians.

Features 7.5 / 10

Standard creature comforts that come with the base Prologue EX include a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, LED headlights, a six-speaker stereo, and a wireless phone charger. Step up to the EX-L and you get a 12-speaker audio system, leather on the seats and steering wheel, memory settings for the driver’s seat, six-way power adjust for the front passenger, a hands-free tailgate, roof rails, and a panoramic sunroof.

The top Touring adds surround-view cameras, a head-up display, heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, more ambient lighting, and bigger 21-inch wheels. One Prologue feature that I can safely say no other current Honda has is OnStar, GM’s telematics and emergency response system.

Practicality 8.5 / 10

Hop inside, and the Prologue is quite spacious. Rear-seat space is particularly impressive, and the cargo area is vast with a reasonably low liftover height. Despite this EV not having an engine, though, there’s no frunk; lift open the hood and it’s all electric drivetrain components in there.

Comfort 9 / 10

A cushy ride is one of this EV’s biggest strengths. The suspension is satisfyingly soft while the seats are well-conceived for comfort. Heated seats up front are standard, and they’re ventilated in this top Touring trim.

Power 8 / 10

In Canada, the Prologue only comes with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain now making 300 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque — 12 hp and 25 lb-ft more than last year. In practice, this makes the Prologue really quite peppy for everyday driving. No, it’s not a performance EV with neck-snapping launches, but I never felt wanting for more power during my time with it.

Driving Feel 6.5 / 10

I did, however, wish the rest of the driving experience rose to the powertrain’s level. Even by regular electric crossover standards, the Prologue feels decidedly lax. The slow, borderline mushy steering is the opposite of engaging, while the brakes lunge a bit.

Going over potholes, the Prologue can feel like you’re riding on a marshmallow, but the other end of the double-edged sword is that it can feel that way through corners, too. There’s a Touring-exclusive sport mode button hidden (appropriately, perhaps) near your left knee, but all it seems to do is make the steering heavier and turn on artificial whooshing noises.

Fuel Economy 9 / 10

Using an 85-kW battery, EX and EX-L trims of the Prologue are good for a Honda-estimated 473 km of range, a 20-km bump over last year, while this Touring trim with the bigger wheels can go 455 km, 16 more than before. Over more than 300 mixed test km, I observed an efficiency figure of 4.5 km/kWh (22.2 kWh/100 km). Extrapolating for the 85-kW, that gives the Prologue an effective real-world range of 382 km.

Comparing quoted range numbers, the Honda is pretty much right in the ballpark of its direct Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Ford Mustang Mach-E rivals, but falls short of the Tesla Model Y Long Range’s 526 km. Unsurprisingly, the Chevy Blazer EV practically matches the Prologue on range.

It can DC fast-charge at speeds of 150 kW, with a Honda-quoted — and rather optimistic — 100 km of range recoupable in 10 minutes. Actual charging speeds will vary greatly in practice, but at least the process of opening and closing the Prologue’s charge port is simple, which isn’t a given with some other EVs. Press on it to open, press down on it again when you close. As of this writing, an adapter for accessing Tesla’s Supercharger network isn’t available in Canada, but a Honda spokesperson says there will be news on this front “very soon.”

Value 6 / 10

The 2025 Honda Prologue starts at $65,131 for a base EX, but this top Touring costs $71,990, including a $2,000 destination charge. Throw in the $100 A/C tax and $300 for the pretty Pacific Blue Metallic paint on this tester, and this one checked out at $72,390.

That’s about $6,000 more expensive than a loaded Ioniq 5 and $4,000 more than a top EV6. Its Blazer EV RS badge cousin costs around the same, and keep in mind that Super Cruise is not standard but rather a $4,450 option. A Mustang Mach-E Premium, meanwhile, can be had for about what the Prologue starts at.

The Verdict

EVs may still only occupy a small slice of the automotive pie in Canada in 2025, but this class of segment-fluid, low-ish riding electric crossovers is pretty saturated. And after living with one for a week, I can confidently say the 2025 Honda Prologue is one of the electric crossovers of all time.

Honda has a solid base here — or, rather, it has borrowed a solid base from GM — with a spacious, comfortable, peppy EV that has par-for-class range and a decent user experience. But its handling is frumpy and it’s kind of drab on the inside. It’s also priced noticeably higher than a lot of its competitors while arguably offering less tech, and it’s an EV that simply wouldn’t stand out if it weren’t so rare.

Almost as though it knows the results have been subpar, Honda has already abandoned its partnership with GM and is actively working on its own “0 Series” EVs. Having had the privilege of driving a prototype last year, I can also confidently say that there are likely many better electric Hondas on the horizon.

This leaves the Prologue as a bit of an odd duck both in Honda’s lineup and on the market as a whole. It may just become a quirky, rare “Did you know they used to make this?” car in a few years. But as a method of transportation in the here and now, you’d likely be better served with something else.