I Drove the 2025 Honda Prologue EV for 7 Days. Here's the Shocking Truth About Honda's First All-Electric SUV

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I Drove the 2025 Honda Prologue EV for 7 Days. Here's the Shocking Truth About Honda's First All-Electric SUV originally appeared on Autoblog.
A Honda by marriage, not by blood
Honda's first-ever electric SUV, the Prologue, was jointly developed with General Motors, and its platform and battery tech are shared with the Acura ZDX, the Chevrolet Blazer EV, and the Cadillac Lyriq. Those with a keen eye for detail may have noticed this rather quickly, thanks to its distinctive long silhouette and pinched rear windshield area. Although Honda has done a respectable job of dressing the Prologue to stand apart from its fraternal quadruplet siblings, its General Motors co-development is still distinctly noticeable beneath the surface. After spending a week living with the 2025 Honda Prologue, its cross-bred DNA became much more apparent, even causing more than a few headaches. My time with Honda's electric SUV was certainly not all negative, though, and the Prologue genuinely offers a highly compelling package. Nonetheless, one question remained constant in my mind at all times: Is this vehicle truly deserving of the Honda badge?
The Prologue isn't the lightweight, intricately tuned, high-revving, engaging-to-drive yet unkillably reliable commuter car that I tend to associate with Honda's legacy of excellence. Still, considering it's a fully electric mid-size SUV, one would think it's only fair to waive a few of those qualifications in place of its large battery pack and spacious cabin. Although some compromises are to be expected from switching to an all-electric powertrain and chassis, especially considering its jointly developed nature, I had hoped that, at the very least, the Prologue would still have unique traits and qualities that set it apart from other electric crossovers in ways that only a Honda could: in the intangible details. While the Prologue receives high marks in many areas, I struggled to find much of the distinct "Honda essence" that can still be found in other contemporary Honda models, such as the Civic Si and the Passport TrailSport.
The Prologue's bold styling turns heads but isn't desperate for attention
The Prologue's confused identity is echoed throughout its design, both inside and out. Objectively speaking, I have nothing unfavorable to say about how the Prologue looks. Honestly, I think it's a fantastic-looking SUV, if not one of the most cosmetically attractive electric crossovers in its segment. Its handsomeness is understated yet prominent; every angle looks fresh and contemporary without a sense that it's trying too hard to look modern. I thought the Sonic Grey Pearl paint job paired well with the top trim's eye-catching 21-inch alloys. However, you'd be forgiven if you feel the Prologue looks a tad bit bland. While a marketing executive might describe its styling with words like "inoffensive" and "restrained," I would argue that the Prologue could benefit from some more flair and character, something that better ties it to Honda's identity, perhaps some more interesting paint colors as well.
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It isn't easy, from a Honda designer standpoint, to draw a line between the sophisticated understatement that mature EV buyers desire and the red-accented, spoiler-clad Civic Type R raciness that younger enthusiasts hope to see from the legacy Japanese automaker. The Honda Prologue's styling is sensible, functional, and well-groomed, which I anticipate is precisely the type of person Honda aims to appeal to with this SUV. Its design does its job satisfactorily, albeit without much passionate flair to convey a more personalized touch from the brand.
A surprisingly spacious cabin means you can stretch out in style
It's similarly understated inside as well, but the cabin is truly where the Prologue shines. From a styling standpoint, everything looks great, and in fact, it's much more welcoming and humane than some of its rivals are. There is a lot of black and grey, but the Touring's two-tone upholstery and orange stitching provide a touch of contrast that goes a long way. Now, this next bit may sound somewhat clichéd to hear from an automotive journalist. Still, I must admit that I was delighted with the Prologue's inclusion of actual, physical buttons and dials for many of its commonly used controls, though moving the exterior light controls to the central infotainment screen was an unusual choice. Regardless, I was relieved not to have to navigate through a series of submenus to adjust something as minor as the seat temperature.
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The Prologue's cabin isn't perfect, however. The wireless device charging pad was utterly useless, and my iPhone 14 Pro Max's battery drained faster than the pad could charge it. The only available USB ports were USB-C, which can be a pain in the neck for guys like me who refuse to buy a million different adapters for every device they own. I also heard plenty of complaints from back-seat passengers about the lack of heated rear seats, to which I responded by bragging sarcastically about how I not only had heated seats up front, but also a heated steering wheel and the option to ventilate my seat, should my buns get overly baked.
Despite its few faults, the Honda Prologue's interior cabin is the definitive highlight of the vehicle. It offers ample amounts of space; the seats aren't too snug, but they provide satisfactory bolstering through tight corners. The amount of cargo space is commendable, and the massive sliding panoramic moonroof floods the cabin with natural light and fresh air. All of the cabin's amenities, paired with the Prologue's supple ride, create an occupant experience that is plush and pleasant, provided the driver is competent enough to make smooth, calculated inputs. Like many EVs, it tends towards jerkiness if the driver isn't paying enough attention.
The Prologue rides like it's on a cloud, but cornering exposes one of its most significant weaknesses
The 2025 Honda Prologue EV's driving dynamics are where the SUV diverges most from Honda's heritage. Weighing 5,273 pounds, it was always going to be a difficult task for engineers to emulate the cornering prowess of something like a Prelude or the CR-X, but the Prologue navigates curves more like a pickup truck than a hot hatch. In its default drive mode, the Prologue's steering is featherlight. It doesn't communicate well, creating an inherent dissonance for the driver that contrasts with the SUV's hefty weight and elevated ride height. Switching into "Sport Mode" makes a meaningful difference, however, and both steering feel and throttle response are improved to an acceptable degree.
Once I let go of the fact that, despite its 355 lb-ft torque figure, the Prologue is not a sports car, I gained a much different appreciation for its approach to driving dynamics. The Prologue is a cruiser, encouraging its driver to slow down, relax, and reach their destination safely. In fact, the Prologue won't even allow its driver to shift out of "Park" until all front-seat occupants have fastened their seatbelts. When I finally accepted the Prologue's focus on comfort over control for what it is, I began to appreciate its excellent damping, which absorbs every bump with ease, and how impressively quiet the cabin remains at all times. The Honda Prologue is by no means a sporty car, but its immense comfort comes across as confident and intentional, and for that, I must commend Honda for achieving this goal to such a high degree.
The nitty-gritty details
The specific 2025 Honda Prologue EV I tested was a Canadian-market vehicle equipped with the "Touring" trim package. Although the U.S.-market Prologue Touring is the mid-level package, the Canadian-market Prologue Touring is akin to the U.S.-market Prologue Elite, as it is the top-of-the-line model. Like all Canadian-market Prologues, this one was equipped with the optional-in-the-States 85kWh dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain, which provides an immediately available 300 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torque on tap, and offers up to 455 kilometers (roughly 282 miles) of battery range. Lesser-equipped models can achieve up to 473 kilometers (approximately 294 miles). In my experience, the real-world range is closer to 425 kilometers (around 264 miles), but that's admittedly only because I don't drive like my grandmother.
All Prologues equipped with all-wheel drive are capable of towing up to 1,500 pounds (akin to a small utility trailer). The majority of Honda's HONDA SENSING® active safety features come standard across the board, and higher-level trims gain additional features such as front & rear parking assist, rear pedestrian alert, and a surround-view camera. Inside, the Prologue boasts an 11" digital gauge cluster alongside an 11.3" color touchscreen central infotainment display. This specific Prologue also benefited from an upgraded, 12-speaker BOSE® Premium Sound System, a heated leather steering wheel, ventilated front seats, and a massive, gorgeous panoramic sunroof.
The real verdict
Despite its many creature comforts, exceptionally spacious interior, and cloud-like ride, my experience living with the 2025 Honda Prologue was not entirely trouble-free. The most annoying part was trying to charge it up. Without an EV charger at home, I remained at the mercy of public charging stations. As I live about half an hour outside the city in a somewhat rural, farmland area, public charging station availability was scarce at best. However, things only got worse when I tried to charge the Prologue with a Level 2 AC charger. After fiddling with two or three different level 2 chargers and even attempting an at-home charge using the Prologue's very own level 1 charger in a wall socket, I was met with an error message on the dashboard every single time, warning me to "service the charging system." It was only until I found a level 3 DC charger that I was finally able to charge the Prologue without error. I was then forced to charge exclusively with level 3 chargers for the duration of my time with the vehicle, as these were the only chargers the Prologue's system would accept.
After spending some time scrolling through Prologue Drivers, I quickly learned that charging issues with the Honda Prologue appear to be a relatively common occurrence among real-world owners. It's entirely plausible that the specific Prologue I drove had a unique problem of its own. Upon returning the vehicle, I was informed that it was scheduled for regular maintenance immediately after my scheduled time with it. Therefore, perhaps it just needed a simple software update, but that's purely speculative.
Even if the charging glitches had not been an issue, my proneness to motion sickness sure was. Motion sickness is a common trait in my family, and I often feel nauseous in just about any car when riding as a passenger for an extended period, but typically not while driving; this feeling is always exacerbated twofold in EVs, because of how inherently difficult it can be to anticipate movements. Driving the Honda Prologue was the first time I've experienced motion sickness while behind the wheel, even having driven many other EVs before and since. I couldn't quite put my finger on the root cause of this, but my best guess is that it has something to do with how the Prologue's engineers attempt to mask its nearly 5,300-pound curb weight, which makes it difficult to feel much of what's going on behind the steering wheel and beneath your feet.
Overall, my week with the Honda Prologue was a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, it was incredibly comfortable and aptly luxurious for its price point. I was also genuinely impressed by its battery range. On the other hand, its deceivingly large size made it difficult to park and severely impacted its handling; some of its interior GM-ness, such as exterior light controls being integrated into the central infotainment system, was noticeable, and its glitchy charging system was often migraine-inducing. Although the 2025 Honda Prologue is a practical, functional, and comfortable electric crossover with numerous compelling selling points, it remains challenging to envision the Prologue as an authentic Honda product because, well, it isn't entirely one.
I am, however, very optimistic about Honda's upcoming 0 Series models, which will finally debut Honda's very own in-house-developed EV technology. Hopefully, with a greater focus on minimizing weight, engineering the driving dynamics to be as engaging as one would expect from a Honda, and state-of-the-art battery tech, Honda will have a real winner on its hands when it officially hits the streets.
I Drove the 2025 Honda Prologue EV for 7 Days. Here's the Shocking Truth About Honda's First All-Electric SUV first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 13, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.