2026 Honda Ridgeline Road Test and Review

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ever since the first-generation Honda Ridgeline debuted 20 years ago, it has been a subject of debate – is it a real truck? It has a pickup bed and a high seating position, but it has the unibody front-wheel-drive-based platform of a crossover SUV rather than a traditional rear-wheel-drive-based body-on-frame design. 

Still, the Ridgeline has steadily become more traditional. Its second generation rolled out in 2017 with a more truck-like silhouette. The 2021 model year brought a redesigned squared-off front end. And for 2024, Honda introduced an off-road-themed TrailSport model. 

However, toward the end of this year, Honda plans to suspend Ridgeline production for about 18 months. The current Ridgeline’s V6 engine doesn’t meet tighter vehicle-pollution standards that will go into effect in 2027, and a redesigned Ridgeline isn’t ready yet. 

Should you grab the current Ridgeline while you still have a chance? To help you answer that question, we just spent a week testing a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. Keep reading to learn more about the Ridgeline’s pros and cons – and whether this crossover pickup is the perfect truck (or car) for you. 

Priced From $40,795

The Ridgeline has a high starting price for a mid-size pickup: $40,795 for the base Sport model, plus a mandatory $1,495 destination charge. Still, it’s a lot of pickup for the money.

First, the Ridgeline Sport isn’t a bare-bones work truck like a base $32,545 Toyota Tacoma. Even the entry-level Ridgeline is an all-wheel-drive crew cab with high-end features like adaptive cruise control, tri-zone automatic climate control, a wireless smartphone charger, and blind-spot monitoring. Secondly, as we’ll discuss more later, the Ridgeline has the feel of a pricey full-size truck from the driver’s seat.

Other Ridgeline models include the leather-equipped RTL, $43,595; the TrailSport, $45,995, which adds a heated steering wheel, GPS navigation, and parking sensors along with off-road add-ons; and the top Black Edition, $47,395, with blacked-out wheels and trim in addition to a premium stereo, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and an in-bed three-prong power outlet.

We wish the Ridgeline let you get its luxury features without having to get a TrailSport or a Black Edition – not everyone would have picked those appearance packages. But it’s still well equipped for the money for the right buyer. Rival pickups can easily get even more expensive.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Inside and Out

Early Ridgelines screamed “look, I’m different.” Since 2021, the Ridgeline has tried to say “just a pickup, nothing to see here.” Its upright greenhouse, blocky front end, and straight-across bed look like other pickups at a glance. Honda even includes a false seam where a conventional truck’s body would be separated from its bed. The Ridgeline isn’t extra-aggressive like many new trucks. Even the TrailSport has only modest changes from other Ridgelines. And it doesn’t look like the hottest new thing on the market. But it’s an inoffensive-looking replica of a traditional pickup.

The Ridgeline is 210 inches long, 79 inches wide, and 71 inches tall. That gives it a similar length to other mid-size pickups, but it’s wider and not as tall.

Inside, the Ridgeline’s dashboard hasn’t changed much over its run. It’s gently curved without a rugged, fancy, or high-tech flavor. That’ll look pretty tired to some tastes. Still, we appreciate its simple buttons and knobs and its ample storage spaces, including a huge console bin. And Honda retrofitted a newer infotainment system a couple years ago. The 9-inch screen is a generation behind the latest Hondas, but it works well enough and looks attractive. And it supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Space to Spread Out

More important for many buyers than console storage, the 2026 Honda Ridgeline feels like a full-size pickup from behind the wheel. You spread out on wide, expansive front seats, and you don’t bump elbows with the front passenger on the center armrest. The seats are cloth and manually adjustable on the Ridgeline Sport, while other trim levels include leather with power adjustments and seat heaters.

The backseat isn’t as massive. It’s as wide as a full-size Ford F-150, but its legroom is closer to an extended-cab F-150 than a four-door crew cab. However, the Ridgeline still has a more comfortable rear seat than rival mid-size trucks – even before you consider its extra width. The seat is high and supportive, with plenty of headroom and hip space. You’ll just find your knees close to the front seatbacks. Like on other pickups, you can flip up the rear seat cushion to create an open, enclosed cargo area. But as we’ll discuss, Honda doesn’t stop there for your cargo needs.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo Considerations

The Ridgeline has a 64-inch-long bed that’s both a bit longer and wider than most mid-size rivals. It’s also shallow, but there are a couple reasons we think many owners won’t mind. First, the wheel wells barely intrude. Second, under the floor is the Ridgeline’s famous “trunk.” This lockable 7.3-cubic-foot space is bigger than the trunks of some sports cars, and it’s a way to secure small items that you don’t want bouncing around in the open bed. A drain plug also lets you use it as a built-in cooler. 

Honda hasn’t tackled two longtime complaints: Locating the spare tire in the trunk under the bed is inconvenient if you get a flat while the bed is loaded, and the tailgate isn’t damped for gentler opening and closing. (The tradeoff is a unique trick: The tailgate can also swing outward for easier access to the bed.) 

When you’re using it like a truck, the Ridgeline can tow a modest but acceptable 5,000 pounds. That’s worse than rivals’ peak numbers. At least the difference isn’t as bad as it looks from a quick glance at a spec sheet; in many cases, only base-model rear-wheel-drive models achieve a truck line’s top towing rating. And the Ridgeline’s payload capacity of 1,583 pounds is more than comparable trim levels of some body-on-frame mid-size pickups. 

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Comfort Comes First

Another way that the Ridgeline feels more like a full-size truck is its smooth, quiet ride as you cruise down the road. Most mid-size trucks these days are rough-and-tumble “lifestyle vehicles” for which bouncing and roaring count as character. Instead of character, the Honda provides the smoothness and refinement that you’d typically have to spend a lot extra for. 

The comfort-focused Ridgeline isn’t a sporty little Honda. It’s not clumsy like a massive truck, but it has a softly sprung suspension that’s all about relaxation rather than light-on-its-feet agility. You’ll notice the difference versus a smaller car-based pickup – the less capable, less spacious Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Versus traditional mid-size trucks, many owners will first notice the Ridgeline’s extra-easy steering. A wide 43.4-foot turning circle is inconvenient in tight quarters, though, and we didn’t love the soft-feeling brake pedal.

We tested the TrailSport model, which has a retuned suspension, all-terrain tires, and steel underbody protection. But the upgrades are milder than you’ll find in the newly redesigned Honda Passport TrailSport mid-size crossover. We expect Honda to base the next Ridgeline on the Passport, which would still give it a tougher vibe than before while keeping a gentler ride than conventional pickups.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Moderately Economical

Every Ridgeline has a 3.5-liter V6 engine making 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, all-wheel drive, and a nine-speed automatic transmission. This non-turbo engine makes a lot of noise when you dig in, but it sounds nice, and it’s quick yet decently economical for a pickup.

In EPA testing, the Ridgeline gets 18 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined in most trim levels, while the TrailSport’s off-road tires cut about 1 mpg. We beat the EPA estimate to average 22 mpg in our TrailSport test vehicle. This mileage is similar to conventional mid-size pickups like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger, though a little more economical than the Chevrolet Colorado or Nissan Frontier. (Toyota also sells a Tacoma Hybrid with better mileage in EPA testing. But it’s expensive, and we got lousy real-world mileage when we tested it.) Do note that the Ridgeline’s engine emits more smog-forming pollutants than other current trucks – the reason the current Ridgeline is going out of production.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Mixed Crash-Test Scores

In addition to its emissions, the Ridgeline is falling behind newer trucks in crash safety. It’s still a safe vehicle – it holds up well in crashes and has a full suite of modern collision-avoidance technologies. But it earned two Poor ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the IIHS’s lowest score. Its seatbelts don’t protect rear passengers well in frontal impacts. And its automatic emergency braking system struggled to avoid high-speed impacts or detect pedestrians. The Ridgeline also earned Marginal, the second-lowest rating, for headlight illumination. And it was Acceptable, one score shy of the top mark, for small-overlap frontal impacts on the passenger side. 

The Ridgeline did earn five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in both frontal and side-impact crash tests. And the IIHS gave it top scores of Good for side impacts and small-overlap frontal crashes on the driver’s side. But most competitors earned higher IIHS scores.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt

No Direct Competitors

Nothing else is quite like the Ridgeline. Traditional mid-sized pickups have more capability and rugged character, but not the Honda’s spread-out space or gentle ride. And the two other car-based pickups – the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – are significantly smaller and less expensive than the Ridgeline, focusing on sporty handling and great gas mileage.

The Ridgeline is the strongest when you compare it against half-ton full-size pickups like the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500. These trucks are huge, hugely capable, and hugely expensive. They have more rear legroom and deeper beds than the Ridgeline, along with mighty towing and payload capabilities. But if you mostly want a full-size feel from the driver’s seat and won’t be doing intensive truck work, the Ridgeline can cost upward of $10,000 less than a comparably equipped half-ton.

2025 Toyota Tundra TRD Rally ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Still the Gentlest Pickup

Whether or not you consider it a “real” truck, the 2026 Honda Ridgeline remains the gentlest pickup on the market. It provides an open bed without all the compromises of a traditional truck – or all the capability, either.

Still, the Ridgeline has towing, hauling, and off-road capabilities that would exceed a passenger car’s. If you buy a pickup for recreational off-roading or hardcore hauling, or you value the flavor of a truck that can do those things, the Ridgeline won’t be for you. And you might rule it out due to lagging crash-test scores, dated styling and interior decor, and excess pollution. But if you want spaciousness, comfort, and a pickup bed at a relatively affordable price, no other truck has the same appealing overall package.

We expect the next-generation Ridgeline will have fresh looks, some extra off-road capability, an updated infotainment system, better crash safety, and improved emissions – plus perhaps a fuel-efficient hybrid model. It might also cost a lot more. If you’re looking for a smooth, comfortable pickup at a reasonable price, and you don’t need heavy-duty capability or a rugged design, the Ridgeline is already a winner.

2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport ・ Photo by Brady Holt