The 2026 Honda Odyssey is the family minivan that refuses to apologize for being a minivan. It seats eight, swallows luggage, and comes loaded with features that parents actually use. This is a refresh year with updated trim packaging and modest price adjustments, but the core of what makes the Odyssey work, including its 3.5L V6, sliding doors, and family-focused interior, carries over unchanged. MotoPickers dug into every trim to help you figure out which one is worth your money.
MotoPickers Rating
The Odyssey is the kind of vehicle that wins you over through sheer practicality. The 280-hp V6 keeps up with highway traffic without complaint, the sliding doors make school drop-off less chaotic, and the cabin is genuinely well-organized for a family that lives out of their car. It’s not the flashiest thing in the segment, but it does the job better than most.
Where it falls short is fuel economy. At 19 MPG city and 28 MPG highway, this is a thirsty van for a segment where hybrid options now exist. The tech package also feels a step behind — the infotainment scores reflect a system that works but doesn’t wow.
This is the van for families who want reliability, space, and Honda’s reputation for longevity. If you’re hauling kids, gear, and a dog on a regular basis, the Odyssey was built for exactly that life.
| Category | Score (out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Performance | 7.0 |
| Comfort | 7.8 |
| Technology | 5.5 |
| Value | 6.0 |
| Fuel Efficiency | 5.8 |
What’s New / Updates Over Previous Version
The 2026 Odyssey is largely a carryover from the 2025 model. Honda has updated the trim packaging and adjusted prices modestly upward, but the powertrain, safety suite, and core feature set remain the same. If you were shopping a 2025, the fundamentals haven’t changed.
The most notable shift is how features are distributed across trims. Some equipment that previously required a higher trim has moved down, and the Sport-L trim gets a refreshed visual identity with blacked-out exterior trim and red interior accents. See the Trim Guide below for a full breakdown of what each trim now includes and where the pricing lands.
If you were holding out for a hybrid Odyssey, this isn’t the year. Honda has not announced an electrified version for this generation.
Competitors
The Toyota Sienna is the most direct rival, and it’s hybrid-only now, which gives it a real fuel economy edge over the Odyssey’s V6. The Chrysler Pacifica is worth a look if you want AWD or plug-in hybrid capability, since the Odyssey offers neither. The Kia Carnival comes in at a similar price point with SUV-inspired styling that some buyers prefer over the traditional minivan look. The Chrysler Voyager is the budget option in the segment, trading features for a lower entry price.
Exterior Spotlight
The Odyssey’s exterior is clean and functional without trying too hard. Honda kept the lines smooth and the profile low enough to clear most parking garage clearances, while the sliding rear doors and wide stance signal exactly what this van is built to do.
Color Options
The Odyssey is available in a range of colors, with approximately a handful of options to choose from. The lighter silvers and whites show off the van’s clean body lines well and hide road dust better on daily drivers. Radiant Red Metallic is the boldest choice in the lineup and gives the Odyssey a less utilitarian look on the road.
Wheel Options
The EX-L rides on 18-inch aluminum wheels, which have a slightly taller sidewall that absorbs road imperfections a bit more forgivingly. The Sport-L, Touring, and Elite step up to 19-inch aluminum wheels, which fill the wheel wells more aggressively and give the van a sharper stance. The trade-off is a marginally firmer ride on rough pavement, though most buyers won’t notice the difference on typical suburban roads.
Interior Analysis
The Odyssey’s cabin is built around how families actually use a vehicle. Storage shows up everywhere you look, the second row slides and reclines, and the third row folds flat when you need the extra room. It’s a thoughtful layout that clearly had real family input.
Features
The 9.0-inch touchscreen sits high on the dash so you can check it without dropping your eyes far from the road. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on every trim, so you’re never hunting for a USB cable when you climb in. The wireless phone charger is a small convenience that quietly becomes indispensable after a week of cord-free charging.
The 7.0-inch digital instrument display gives the driver a clean readout of speed, navigation prompts, and driver assist status. It isn’t a fully configurable gauge cluster, but it shows everything you actually need at a quick glance.
Rear passengers on the Touring and Elite get a dedicated entertainment system, which is the feature that ends long-drive arguments. USB ports are spread throughout the cabin so second- and third-row passengers can charge devices without running a cable to the front. The 7-speaker audio system handles highway listening well, and the Elite’s 11-speaker premium setup is noticeably better for music on longer trips.
One honest weakness: the infotainment system works reliably, but the interface falls behind the Sienna’s system on screen responsiveness and menu navigation. Getting to what you want takes a few extra taps, and the screen resolution isn’t as crisp as some rivals. It’s worth a back-to-back test drive if that matters to you.
Comfort
Up front, the driver’s seat has power adjustment with memory settings, so two drivers in the same household aren’t fighting over the position every morning. The heated front seats warm up quickly in cold weather, and the Elite adds ventilated seats for summer driving. Tri-zone automatic climate control lets the driver, front passenger, and rear passengers each dial in their own temperature.
The second row is where the Odyssey earns its reputation. The Magic Slide seats move side to side and fore and aft, making it much easier to reach a child in a car seat without climbing into the van. Three car seats can fit across the second row, which is a genuine consideration for families with multiple young kids.
The third row works well for adults on trips under two hours, though taller passengers will start feeling the ceiling on longer hauls. Ride quality is smooth enough that rear passengers aren’t getting rattled over highway expansion joints. The suspension soaks up most road imperfections without sending shocks through the cabin, which matters a lot when you have sleeping kids in the back.
Cargo
Behind the third row, the Odyssey holds enough space for a full set of carry-on luggage for a family of four, though you’ll be stacking bags. The van really opens up once you fold the third row flat. At that point, a large dog crate, a double stroller, or a week of camping gear slides in without any struggle.
The second row also folds and reconfigures, and when both rows are down, the floor is flat enough to slide large items straight in from the power tailgate. The tailgate opens hands-free with a foot motion on the Touring trim, which you’ll appreciate every time your arms are loaded with grocery bags.
The wide sliding door opening makes loading a rear-facing infant seat far easier than in a typical SUV. The low load floor means you’re not hoisting heavy items up and over a tall cargo sill. For families who load and unload gear several times a week, those details add up fast.
Power and Performance
The Odyssey runs one powertrain across all four trims. There’s no hybrid option and no engine upgrade available, so every buyer gets the same setup under the hood.
Engine Specs
Every 2026 Odyssey comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. That engine is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels. Front-wheel drive is the only configuration available, as there is no all-wheel drive option on the Odyssey.
The 10-speed transmission has closely spaced gear ratios, which keeps the engine in its power band across a wide range of speeds. At highway cruising speeds, the transmission settles into a high gear to keep engine RPM low, which helps with both refinement and fuel economy on long drives. The V6 and 10-speed pairing is a proven combination in Honda’s lineup, and it’s been refined over several model years to work smoothly in everyday driving.
Curb weight ranges from 4,526 lbs on the EX-L to 4,590 lbs on the Elite, so the powertrain is moving a substantial amount of vehicle in every configuration.
Performance Data (0-60)
The Odyssey gets to 60 mph in around 6.4 seconds, which is quick enough that merging onto a busy highway doesn’t require planning ahead. Press the accelerator firmly from a highway on-ramp and the van responds with authority. There’s enough power to slot into a gap in traffic with nothing to worry about from behind the wheel.
The 10-speed transmission is smooth in everyday driving and largely invisible during normal acceleration. It shifts without hesitation when you’re cruising and downshifts promptly when you need to pass. Under hard acceleration, it holds gears longer and works through the ratios quickly. It doesn’t hunt for gears on rolling hills the way older 6-speed automatics sometimes did.
Where the powertrain feels less impressive is in stop-and-go traffic. The van’s weight means it takes a deliberate press of the accelerator to get moving briskly from a stop. It’s not slow, but it doesn’t feel light on its feet in city driving. For a vehicle that spends most of its life on suburban roads and highways, that’s a reasonable trade-off.
Fuel Economy
The Odyssey carries an EPA rating of 19 MPG city, 28 MPG highway, and 22 MPG combined across all trims. Paired with a 19.5-gallon tank, those figures translate to roughly 540 miles between fill-ups for highway-heavy drivers, while mixed suburban use brings that range down to a more modest 420–430 miles per tank.
It’s worth noting that these numbers fall below the segment average once hybrid alternatives enter the conversation. Driving style plays a meaningful role in what you’ll actually see at the pump—steady highway speeds can push efficiency toward that 28 MPG ceiling, whereas frequent stop-and-go driving will pull it back closer to 19 MPG. For buyers who count fuel costs among their primary concerns, the hybrid competition deserves a serious look.
Suspension, Braking, and Handling
The Odyssey uses an independent strut setup at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear. In plain terms, that means each wheel moves independently over bumps, so a pothole on one side doesn’t send a jolt through the whole cabin. On highway expansion joints and rough suburban roads, the suspension absorbs most of what the road throws at it without waking up rear passengers.
Speed bumps at low speed produce a soft thud rather than a sharp impact, which is the right behavior for a family van. The ride is tuned toward comfort, and it shows.
Braking uses ventilated disc brakes at the front and disc brakes at the rear. In a firm stop from highway speed, the pedal feels progressive and the van slows in a straight line without pulling. The brake pedal has a natural feel underfoot, not grabby at light pressure, but responsive when you need to stop quickly.
The Odyssey doesn’t pretend to be sporty, and the steering reflects that. It’s light and easy to manage in parking lots and tight spaces, but it gives you very little road feel at highway speeds. If you want a van that feels planted and communicative through corners, the Odyssey isn’t that vehicle.
Tech Overview
The Odyssey’s tech package covers the basics well and adds a few genuinely useful family features on higher trims. It’s not a cutting-edge system, but it’s reliable and easy to use without taking your eyes off the road for long.
Infotainment and Connectivity
The 9.0-inch touchscreen is the main interface for audio, navigation, and phone connectivity. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect without a cable, and the connection stays stable on longer drives. The 7.0-inch digital instrument display in front of the driver shows navigation turn prompts, which means you’re not glancing across the dash while driving.
The 7-speaker audio system on the EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring handles everyday listening well. The Elite upgrades to an 11-speaker premium system that fills the cabin more evenly at higher volumes. Wireless phone charging is standard on every trim, sitting in a spot that’s easy to reach from behind the wheel.
The system’s main limitation is interface depth. Common tasks like changing audio sources or adjusting navigation settings require more taps than they should.
Features / Drive Modes
The Odyssey’s Honda Sensing suite comes included on every trim level and covers adaptive cruise control, lane centering, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The adaptive cruise works well on highway driving and holds a set following distance smoothly. Lane centering keeps the van centered in marked lanes without requiring constant steering input, which reduces fatigue on long highway stretches.
Honda’s two top-tier trims, the Touring and Elite, add CabinWatch, an interior camera that displays a live view of backseat passengers on the infotainment screen, and CabinTalk, a PA system that lets the driver speak to people sitting further back through the rear speakers without raising their voice. Both features sound like gimmicks until you’ve used them on a road trip with kids in the third row.
There are no selectable drive modes on the Odyssey. The powertrain and chassis behave the same regardless of conditions.
Safety Capabilities
The Odyssey has a solid safety foundation built around Honda Sensing, structural reinforcement, and a full suite of passive protection. It’s a vehicle you can feel good about putting your family in.
Safety Ratings
The 2026 Odyssey carries over the same structure and safety architecture from the prior generation, which earned strong scores in previous NHTSA and IIHS evaluations. Honda has not published updated 2026-specific crash test results at the time of this writing, so buyers should verify current ratings through IIHS and NHTSA directly before purchase. The structural design prioritizes occupant protection across all three rows, with reinforced side pillars and a rigid passenger cell.
Safety Features
The Odyssey’s passive safety package includes front, side, and curtain airbags covering all three rows. The curtain airbags extend the full length of the cabin, which matters for third-row passengers in a side-impact collision. Electronic stability control and traction control are standard and work in the background to keep the van tracking straight when traction is lost. The structure is built to absorb and redirect crash energy away from the passenger compartment, which is the foundation everything else sits on.
Driver Assists
Honda Sensing handles the active safety workload. Adaptive cruise control maintains a set following distance and slows the van when traffic ahead slows, then accelerates back to speed when the road clears. Lane keeping assist nudges the steering if the van drifts toward a lane marker without a turn signal. Automatic emergency braking activates when the system detects an imminent collision and the driver hasn’t responded. In everyday highway driving, these systems work quietly in the background and intervene only when needed. The adaptive cruise in particular reduces fatigue on long interstate trips.
Additional Safety Features
Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are standard on all trims and cover the two situations where a minivan’s size works against you. The Odyssey is wide enough that a car sitting in your blind spot can disappear from the mirrors, and the alert system catches those situations with a light in the mirror and an audible warning. Rear cross-traffic alert is most useful in parking lots where backing out of a space with limited sightlines is a daily occurrence. The Touring adds front and rear parking sensors that give distance feedback as you approach obstacles, which is useful in tight urban parking structures.
Trim Guide
The Odyssey comes in four trims: EX-L, Sport-L, Touring, and Elite. Each step up adds features that matter for specific buyers, and the price gaps are large enough that it’s worth knowing exactly what you’re paying for.
Trim and Price
The EX-L starts at $43,315 and covers the essentials well, bundling leather-trimmed seats, a power moonroof, power sliding doors, a power tailgate, and tri-zone climate control alongside wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, a 9.0-inch touchscreen, wireless charging, and the full Honda Sensing suite. Anyone wanting a well-equipped van without overpaying will find this the logical starting point.
The Sport-L at $44,465 is primarily a styling package, adding blacked-out exterior trim, 19-inch wheels, and red accent stitching while otherwise mirroring the EX-L’s feature list. If the darker look appeals to you, the $1,150 difference is reasonable. If not, put that money toward the Touring.
At $48,005, the Touring is where things get noticeably more serious. Built-in navigation, a rear-seat entertainment system, CabinWatch, CabinTalk, parking sensors, and a hands-free power tailgate all come standard here. The $3,540 jump from the Sport-L is the largest gap in the lineup, but the Touring is our pick for most families, the rear entertainment system changes road trips, and CabinTalk means you stop shouting at kids in the third row.
The Elite at $52,275 rounds out the lineup, adding ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, and an 11-speaker audio upgrade. Cooled seats are the standout addition and represent a real comfort difference in hot climates, though the $4,270 premium over the Touring is steep and mostly comfort-focused, making the Touring the better value for those who can live without them.
Warranty and Maintenance Information
The 2026 Odyssey comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, with roadside assistance included for the same 3-year/36,000-mile period. Honda also includes 2 years or 24,000 miles of complimentary maintenance covering oil changes and tire rotations, standard terms for the segment that give reasonable coverage for the first few years of family use.