2026 Honda City Facelift Launching Tomorrow, Here’s What We Can Expect
Connected LED DRLs in the front… The new normal?
Honda Cars India is all set to update the mid-size sedan, the City with a mid-cycle makeover of their bestseller’s facelift in the market tomorrow, which is the 2026 Honda City.
The 5th generation Honda City was launched back in the year 2020 and it also got a mid-life update with revised front bumper and grill design along with introducing strong-hybrid options. A lot of news has been out right now. Recent leaks and various social media spy shots have already surfaced, offering us a glimpse of what the updated sedan would gain.
Let's take a look at what we can expect from this update:
Exterior
As confirmed from the spyshot, the City is going to get a new front-end design with reshaped bumpers and smoked headlamps at the front while the headlamps will be updated to a projector LED setup,
It will be adorning a connected LED lightbar upfront, which will act as Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). On the front, we can also spot a camera placed below the Honda logo, which suggests it could be a camera used for 360-degree features or for ADAS tech.
From the side, overall design is not changed, with only changes to be seen with 360 camera present on the ORVMs and a new diamond-cut alloy design.
At the rear, the taillamp design has been updated, along with a new finish for the bumper. This gives the City a more aggressive and sharper look overall.
Interior and Expected Features
The dashboard of the facelifted City is going to be very similar, with minor upgrades like a bigger infotainment screen, with updated software and could also get a 360-degree camera, It will continue with features like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and connected car tech.
The 2026 Honda City will continue to be equipped with safety features like tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), 6 Airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), ISOFIX Child seat mounts and Blindspot monitoring system.
Powertrain Options
The 2026 Honda City will continue to be offered with the same set of engine options, i.e. a NA petrol and a petrol-hybrid choice.
| Engine |
1.5 litre Naturally aspirated Petrol |
1.5 litre Naturally aspirated petrol-hybrid |
| Power |
121 PS |
98 PS |
| Torque |
145 Nm |
127 Nm |
| Transmission |
6-speed MT / 7-step CVT |
e-CVT |
eCVT: Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission
Expected Price And Rivals
With the updated design and new features that will be introduced with this update, one can expect a price hike ranging around Rs 20,000 - Rs 50,000, depending on the choice of variant and powertrain option.
Current Honda City price ranges between Rs 12.00 lakhs - Rs 16.07 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). Also, the difference between the manual and Automatic gearbox options is roughly Rs 1.00 lakhs
In a market increasingly focused on SUVs, the Honda City continues to face strong competition from several other sedans. Its primary rivals include the recently updated Hyundai Verna, the Skoda Slavia, and the Volkswagen Virtus. The updated Honda City will be positioned at the segment's top end as its main sedan rivals are also expected to undergo updates soon.