2026 Honda Pilot Trims Guide: Don’t Buy Until You Read This

Honda officially calls the 2026 Pilot a seven-trim lineup. Basically, it’s still six, but okay, fine—I’ll count the Touring Blackout as its own trim and make it seven trim levels. LOL.

Either way, the lineup stretches from the value-focused Sport all the way up to the blacked-out, fully loaded Black Edition.

With Honda pushing more standard technology further down the lineup this year, picking the right Pilot trim takes a bit more thought than it used to.

Below, I’ll break down what actually sets each of the seven 2026 Honda Pilot trims apart, what you’re paying for as you move up the ladder, and which one makes the most sense depending on how you plan to use it.

2026 Honda Pilot Standard Features & Specifications

Every 2026 Honda Pilot, regardless of trim, is built around the same 3.5-liter V6 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

It produces 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, numbers that have stayed consistent generation after generation because they still work well in a three-row family SUV.

Front-wheel drive is standard on Sport and EX-L, with Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system available as a roughly $2,100 option on those two trims.

Step up to TrailSport, Touring, Touring Blackout, Elite, or Black Edition, and i-VTM4 AWD comes standard, no upgrade needed.

Fuel economy follows the drivetrain. Front-wheel-drive models are EPA-rated at 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined.

Add all-wheel drive on most trims, and that drops slightly to 19/25/21 mpg. TrailSport, weighed down by its larger all-terrain tires, comes in lowest at 18/23/20 mpg.

Towing capacity scales with the drivetrain, too: 3,500 pounds for FWD models, up to 5,000 pounds with AWD.

As for seating, most 2026 Pilot trims hold up to eight passengers thanks to a removable, stowable second-row center seat.

TrailSport is the outlier, swapping that bench for second-row captain’s chairs, which drops capacity to seven but gains comfort and easier third-row access. Cargo space tops out at 113.7 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded.

Honda also used this year’s refresh to push several previously optional features into every trim. Here’s what now comes standard across the entire 2026 Pilot lineup:

• Honda Sensing safety suite (collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control)
• 12.3-inch HD touchscreen (37% larger than the outgoing model)
• 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Google built-in
• HondaLink
• Wi-Fi hotspot capability
• HD Radio
• Roof rails
• Heated front seat
• Power tailgate
• Hill Descent Control
• Post-Collision Braking System (new for 2026)

That’s a meaningfully higher feature floor than last year’s Pilot, and it changes the math when comparing trims, since even the base Sport is no longer “basic” in the way entry trims used to be.

2026 Honda Pilot Trim Levels

As of this writing, the 2026 Honda Pilot is sold in seven trims. Here’s how pricing breaks down across the lineup.

Trims	Price (MSRP)
Sport	$42,395
EX-L	$44,695
TrailSport	$50,595
Touring	$51,295
Touring Blackout	$52,495
Elite	$53,695
Black Edition	$55,195

The prices above do not include tax and destination fees, and dealer prices may vary.

Let’s go through each trim in order.

Honda Pilot Sport

The Sport name is a little misleading since this is the entry point into the Pilot lineup rather than a sportier variant. Don’t let “base trim” fool you into expecting a stripped-down SUV, though.

The Pilot Sport comes with the full 285-horsepower V6, the new 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google built-in, the 10.2-inch digital cluster, and the complete Honda Sensing suite. Roof rails and a power tailgate, both upgrades on past Pilots, are standard here too.

Visually, Sport gets its own black grille surround and black scuff plates, plus 20-inch Shark Gray Alloy wheels as standard.

Inside, expect cloth seating rather than leather, and you’ll need to move up a trim for a moonroof. Floor mats come standard for the front and second rows only.

Sport is a sensible pick if you want the Pilot’s space, V6 power, and Honda Sensing safety net without paying for leather or audio upgrades you might not use.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Radiant Red Metallic II (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)

Interior Color:

• Black Cloth 

Honda Pilot EX-L

For about $2,300 more than Sport, EX-L is where the Pilot starts feeling noticeably nicer day to day.

The biggest addition is leather-trimmed seating with fabric accents, along with wireless phone charging, a power moonroof, and the removable middle seat that lets you flex between seven or eight passengers.

Like Sport, floor mats are included for the front and second rows only.

AWD remains a roughly $2,100 option here, the same as Sport.

If you’re trying to figure out where most of the value sits in this lineup, EX-L is usually the answer.

You get most of what makes the Pilot comfortable without paying for the styling and convenience extras bundled into Touring and above.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Smoke Blue Pearl
• Modern Steel Metallic
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)
• Radiant Red Metallic II (+455)

Interior Color:

• Black Leather

Honda Pilot TrailSport

TrailSport branches off from the rest of the lineup to focus on off-pavement capability rather than upscale styling, and the price jump from EX-L reflects real hardware, not just badges.

Standard AWD is a given here, backed up by a raised, off-road-tuned suspension, steel skid plates protecting the underbody, and chunkier all-terrain tires that trade a little fuel efficiency for real traction in mud, sand, and snow.

Another rather special feature is that the Pilot TrailSport comes with a full-size spare tire instead of the compact spare tire found on other trims.

TrailSport also throws in a few practical extras you won’t find lower in the lineup: a heated windshield, a trailer hitch receiver, and standard heated outboard seats in the second row.

Seating drops to seven here because TrailSport swaps the usual second-row bench for two captain’s chairs, a tradeoff most adventure-focused buyers are fine with.

Seats are upholstered in synthetic leather, and unlike every other trim, TrailSport comes with all-season floor mats covering all three rows instead of just the front two.

One more thing: the TrailSport is also the only model in the Pilot lineup that comes in Ash Green Metallic. This could be a good choice if you want a car color that’s rare on the road.

If you want to learn more about all the colors available for the 2026 Honda Pilot, I’ve written a special article covering all the available paint colors along with the pros and cons of each one. Check out the 2026 Honda Pilot Colors.

If you’re cross-shopping the Pilot against more rugged-leaning three-row vehicles, TrailSport is the trim built for that conversation. Just know you’re giving up a bit of fuel economy and one passenger seat to get there.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Smoke Blue Pearl
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)
• Ash Green Metallic  +$455

Interior Color:

• Black Leather
• Brown Leather

Honda Pilot Touring

Touring shifts the focus back toward comfort and tech rather than trail capability, and for 2026, it picks up a genuinely useful upgrade: a 360-degree surround-view camera that used to be reserved for TrailSport and above.

Standard equipment includes a Bose premium audio system, a panoramic moonroof, the Multiview Camera System with TrailWatch, a hands-free power tailgate, and CabinTalk, which lets the driver speak to third-row passengers through the speakers.

Touring also rides on new 20-inch Shark Gray Machine-Finished Alloy wheels, and gets extra sound insulation in the fenders for a quieter ride.

The Pilot Touring’s seats are equipped with leather trim. They come in light gray. I’m not a fan of interior colors like this. Unfortunately, that’s the only interior color option available.

Like Sport and EX-L, floor mats cover only the front and second rows.

This is the trim Honda clearly wants families cross-shopping the Telluride or Palisade to land on, and the feature list backs that up.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Smoke Blue Pearl
• Modern Steel Metallic
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)
• Radiant Red Metallic II (+455)

Interior Color:

• Gray Leather

Honda Pilot Touring Blackout

This is what I meant by my joke at the beginning. Honda has decided to add a trim level called “Touring Blackout.”

Actually, I think the Touring Blackout deserves to be considered a separate variant, because you should know that the only difference between the Touring Blackout and the standard Touring is in appearance, not substance.

Mechanically and feature-wise, it’s identical to the regular Touring: same V6, same standard AWD, same Bose audio, same moonroof and camera systems.

What you’re paying the roughly $1,200 premium for is the look: gloss-black 20-inch wheels, black lug nuts, and darkened exterior badging in place of Touring’s brighter trim.

Seats and floor mat coverage stay identical to the regular Touring, leather-trimmed seats and mats for the front and second rows only.

Strangely enough, the Touring Blackout’s interior is light gray, just like the standard Touring. So the term “Blackout” isn’t really a blackout.

It’s a real shame; if Honda had made the Pilot Touring Blackout’s interior entirely black, like the Pilot Black Edition’s interior, then the term “Blackout” would actually make sense.

However, if you like everything Touring offers but want a stealthier, more aggressive look in the driveway, Touring Blackout delivers that without changing how the SUV drives or what it can do.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Smoke Blue Pearl
• Modern Steel Metallic
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)
• Radiant Red Metallic II (+455)

Interior Color:

• Gray Leather

Honda Pilot Elite

Elite is where the Pilot lineup turns toward genuine luxury.

On top of everything Touring brings, Elite adds a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated windshield, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors, and puddle lights.

The upholstery is upgraded too: perforated leather-trimmed seats with quilted Ultrasuede accents and contrast piping, a step above the plain leather-trimmed seats on Touring.

Elite rides on machine-finished Shark Gray 20-inch wheels and, unlike Sport and EX-L, is only offered with AWD; there’s no front-wheel-drive Elite.

It’s also the first trim in the lineup to get floor mats covering all three rows instead of just the front two.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Smoke Blue Pearl
• Modern Steel Metallic
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl (+455)
• Sonic Gray Pearl (+455)
• Radiant Red Metallic II (+455)

Interior Color:

• Black Perforated Leather
• Brown Perforated Leather

Honda Pilot Black Edition

Black Edition sits at the top of the 2026 Pilot lineup, and like Touring Blackout, most of what separates it from Elite is visual rather than functional.

You get the same comfort and tech features as Elite, including the same perforated leather-trimmed seats with quilted Ultrasuede accents and contrast piping (in black) and floor mats covering all three rows.

It sits on 20-inch Black wheels, black lug nuts, dual gloss-black exhaust outlets, and blacked-out exterior trim.

Unlike the Touring Blackout, which seems to only partially darken its variants, the Black Edition goes all out with an all-black interior, including a black cabin headliner.

It’s the trim for buyers who want Elite’s full feature set but prefer a darker, more menacing exterior presence over the brighter Shark Gray treatment found on Elite and Touring.

Exterior Color Availability:

• Crystal Black Pearl
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl
• Radiant Red Metallic II
• Sonic Gray Pearl

Interior Color:

• Black Perforated Leather 

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict: Which Should You Buy?

With seven trims and nearly $13,000 separating the bottom from the top, the right 2026 Pilot really depends on what you’re optimizing for: value, comfort, capability, or looks.

If you just want a well-equipped family SUV without overspending, the EX-L is hard to beat. Leather-trimmed seats and a power moonroof cover most of what people actually notice day to day, and you’re still under $45,000 before destination.

If you regularly haul gear off-pavement, to a cabin, a trailhead, or anywhere with loose terrain, TrailSport’s standard AWD, raised suspension, and all-terrain tires justify its price jump in a way styling packages don’t. Just remember you’re down to seven seats.

If your priority is a quiet, tech-loaded family hauler for road trips and daily driving, Touring gets you nearly everything Elite offers — the Bose system, the surround camera, the panoramic roof — for a couple of thousand dollars less. 

Touring Blackout? Nah, I don’t want to pay $1,200 just for factory stock black rims. If I want black rims, I’d go with aftermarket ones, which have a more customized feel.

If budget genuinely isn’t a constraint and you want the most complete Pilot Honda builds, Elite or Black Edition both deliver that, and the choice between them really comes down to whether you prefer Shark Gray or all-black styling.

For most buyers cross-shopping a three-row family SUV, though, EX-L or Touring will likely cover everything you actually need without paying for features that go unused.

So, which Honda Pilot will be parked in your garage? Let me know in the comments!