Image: Honda Canada. The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport — the redesign that earned the model its first-ever Car and Driver 10Best recognition.
Honda Canada confirmed that the redesigned 2026 Honda Passport has earned a spot on Car and Driver’s 2026 10Best Trucks and SUVs list — the first time in the Passport’s history. The Passport joins the Civic, Accord, and CR-V on this year’s 10Best, giving Honda four awards in a single year. Honda’s total 10Best trophy count now stands at 98 — more than any other brand since the award’s inception. Honda Canada Newsroom
What it means: Car and Driver’s 10Best is not a manufacturer-funded recognition — it’s evaluated by editors who buy and test vehicles independently, and it covers a full competitive field. The Passport making the list in its debut year as a redesigned vehicle means the new squarer shape, wider stance, and class-leading 8-inch ground clearance translated into real driving performance, not just visual differentiation. For buyers in the GTA who’ve been comparing the Passport against the Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Telluride, or Hyundai Palisade — this is the kind of independent editorial signal that moves undecided shoppers. The 4Runner didn’t make 10Best. The Passport did. That’s a meaningful data point for anyone in that cross-shop. The award also tells you something about resale value trajectory: 10Best vehicles historically hold value better than class peers over a 3-to-5-year ownership window.
My prediction: By August 2026, the Car and Driver 10Best recognition will reduce average Passport inventory time-on-lot at GTA Honda dealers by at least two weeks compared to spring 2026 levels, as undecided buyers in active SUV cross-shops use the editorial endorsement to close their decision. Honda will reference the award in summer marketing, which will compound the demand signal.
If you're buying right now: If you’ve been comparing the 2026 Passport to competitors and haven’t made a decision yet, this editorial signal narrows the field. More buyers in the same cross-shop reaching the same conclusion means less negotiating room as summer builds. The time to move is before the award drives demand, not after.
Comparing the Passport to something else?
I can walk you through the Passport vs. whatever you’re cross-shopping in plain language — specs, incentives, and what I see people actually decide when they sit in both.