The 2026 Honda Passport Costs Less Than You Think to Own

Five years. Twelve thousand miles a year. $33,432 out of pocket when you add up depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and registration. That works out to $557 a month, which is less than many buyers pay just in loan payments on a comparable midsize SUV. The 2026 Honda Passport does not make headlines. It does not try to. What it does is hold its value reasonably well, avoid catastrophic repair bills, and return fuel economy that does not punish you at the pump. That quiet math is why it deserves a closer look than it usually gets.

Who Actually Belongs in This Thing

The Passport sits between the smaller CR-V and the three-row Pilot in Honda's lineup. It shares its platform with the Pilot but drops the third row to gain a deeper cargo area and a slightly more planted road feel. Think of it as a five-seat SUV for people who need real hauling capacity but will never fill a third row.

It is genuinely for: couples or small families who camp, bike, or tow a small trailer. People who want AWD capability without buying a truck. Anyone who finds the CR-V too small but the Pilot too much vehicle.

It is not for: families of six or seven who need every seat. Buyers chasing the lowest possible price in this segment. People who want a sporty crossover with sharp steering, because this is not that.

One Engine, Clear Expectations

The 2026 Passport carries over its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, paired to a ten-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive comes standard on base trims; AWD is available across the lineup.

EPA fuel economy runs around 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway with AWD, slightly better with FWD. Real-world numbers tend to land close to the EPA figures on the highway but dip a few mpg below in stop-and-go traffic. You can check the official ratings yourself at fueleconomy.gov. Over five years at 12,000 miles annually, our calculator puts total fuel cost at $12,193. That is the single largest cost category in this vehicle's ownership picture, which tells you that the fuel economy, while acceptable, is not a strength.

The engine is not thrilling. It moves the vehicle with confidence, and highway merges are not an issue. But the ten-speed transmission can feel slightly hesitant when you ask for power from a standing stop. It sorts itself out, just not instantly.

The Five-Year Math That Changes the Conversation

Our ownership calculator does not care about press release language. Here is what it found for the Passport over five years:

Depreciation runs $9,240 over that period. For context, a new car in this segment can lose 15 to 22 percent of its value in the first year alone. On a Passport Sport AWD with an MSRP around $42,000, that is a potential first-year paper loss of roughly $6,300 to $9,240. Honda's resale track record softens that curve better than most domestic competitors, which is why the five-year depreciation total stays as manageable as it does.

Repairs come in at $1,620 over five years. That is a low number. Honda builds engines and transmissions that hold together, and the Passport benefits from that reputation. Maintenance runs $2,924 over the same period, which covers oil changes, filters, tire rotations, and the scheduled intervals Honda recommends. First service is typically an oil change around 5,000 to 7,500 miles depending on the oil life monitor. Insurance adds $7,200 over five years, or $1,440 a year, which falls in the mid-range for this class. Registration comes to $255 over five years, though that figure varies by state.

The total: $33,432. Monthly average: $557. Keep that number in mind when a salesperson talks about the monthly payment on a $45,000 alternative.

Trim Levels and What You Pay for Each

Honda offers the Passport in four trims for 2026. You can spec yours out at the Honda build page.

Trim	MSRP (est.)	What You Actually Get
Sport	~$39,900	18-inch wheels, 8-inch touchscreen, Honda Sensing safety suite, cloth seats, single-zone climate
EX-L	~$42,500	Leather seats, heated front seats, 9-inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate, power tailgate
TrailSport	~$44,500	AWD standard, all-terrain tires, skid plates, i-VTM4 torque vectoring AWD, orange interior accents
Elite	~$48,500	19-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, 12-speaker Bose audio, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging

The TrailSport is the trim that actually earns its asking price if you use it off pavement. The torque-vectoring AWD system is meaningfully different from the standard AWD, and the all-terrain tires are not just cosmetic. If you never leave the highway, skip it and save $2,000 on the EX-L.

The Elite stacks on comfort features that are genuinely useful, but at $48,500 you are starting to compete with vehicles that offer more power, more technology, or both.

Where It Gets Things Right

Cargo space is the headline. With the rear seats folded, the Passport offers around 77 cubic feet of space, more than the Pilot provides with its third row in place. The cargo floor is flat and wide, and the opening is low enough to load heavy gear without a struggle.

The rear seat is genuinely roomy. Adult passengers in the back seat will not spend the trip with their knees in their chins. The ride quality leans toward comfortable without being completely disconnected from the road.

Honda Sensing comes standard on every trim. That includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. You should not have to pay extra for a system that might prevent a crash. Here, you do not.

The interior materials on EX-L and above are solid. Nothing feels flimsy. The infotainment layout is not the most intuitive, but the physical shortcut buttons Honda kept on the console save you from hunting through menus while moving.

Where It Falls Short

The touchscreen responsiveness lags behind what Ford, Hyundai, and Kia are putting in similarly priced vehicles. Competitors have made software the differentiator, and Honda has not caught up.

There is no hybrid option. At $12,193 in projected fuel costs over five years, a hybrid variant could meaningfully drop that figure. Rivals in this price range offer electrified powertrains. Honda does not, at least not here, not yet.

Back-seat passengers lose out on USB-C ports on base trims. In 2026, that is not an oversight you can charge enough for.

Safety Ratings: Incomplete Picture for Now

As of this writing, the NHTSA and IIHS have not published full ratings for the 2026 Passport. The 2025 model earned a five-star overall rating from NHTSA, and the IIHS previously gave the Passport a Top Safety Pick designation. The 2026 carries no major structural changes, so a similar result is likely, but check both organizations before you buy. Published ratings are the only ratings that count.

How It Stacks Up Against the Competition

Jeep Grand Cherokee: The Passport wins on reliability history and lower projected repair costs. The Grand Cherokee wins on interior luxury at comparable price points and offers more powertrain variety, including a 4xe plug-in hybrid the Passport cannot match.

Ford Explorer: The Passport wins on simpler ownership, fewer reported electrical gremlins, and a more predictable maintenance schedule. The Explorer wins on third-row availability and a wider dealer service network in rural areas.

Hyundai Santa Fe: The Passport wins on long-term reliability confidence. The Santa Fe wins on value per dollar at its lower trims, a more modern infotainment system, and a hybrid powertrain that would meaningfully undercut the Passport's fuel costs over five years.

The Verdict: Buy It Quiet, or Skip It Loud

Buy the 2026 Passport if you want a midsize SUV that will not surprise you with a $3,000 repair bill in year three, that has real cargo space, and that you plan to own for five or more years. The $557 monthly cost of ownership is a number that holds up over time because Honda keeps depreciation manageable and repair costs low. The TrailSport is worth it if dirt roads are part of your life. The EX-L is the sweet spot for everyone else.

Skip it if you need a third row, want a hybrid drivetrain, or expect your infotainment system to feel current in 2026. Skip it also if you are cross-shopping on monthly payment alone and not running the full ownership math, because at $44,000 to $48,000 on upper trims, the sticker price is not doing you any favors on day one.

The Passport has never been exciting. That is not a bug. For people who plan to own a vehicle long enough to watch the depreciation flatten out and the reliability pay off, it might be exactly the right kind of boring.