How We Tested

Best of the Year analysts reached out to Honda to arrange a manufacturer press-fleet loan of the 2026 Odyssey. At least two automotive reviewers, with decades of combined experience test-driving vehicles and covering cars for major media outlets, drove it in and around the New York City metropolitan area. One of our expert reviewers took it on a full family weekend adventure with three rambunctious kids in back. The trip lasted more than two hours each way and covered rural roads, highways, small-town main streets and long stretches of stop-and-go traffic.

Reviewers assessed comfort, drivability, family usability, seating flexibility, cabin features and value. They paid particular attention to the Magic Slide second-row seats, the CabinWatch and CabinTalk features for keeping tabs on kids in back, cargo room and overall space, noting which design features carry over from earlier models and where updates may be due.

Best of the Year analysts also reviewed Honda’s entry and submitted materials, published specifications, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel-economy figures and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety ratings, along with the support for its marketing claims. At least one sustainability judge reviewed the manufacturer’s sustainability report and noted relevant initiatives as part of the overall evaluation.

What Experts and Consumer Testers Said

The judges' praise centered on livability, the quality that, more than any single feature, makes or breaks a minivan. Our reviewers kept coming back to how easy the whole thing is to use, alongside roomy, flexible seating and a comfortable, nimble drive. One put it plainly: "Comfortable, quick, nimble, capacious, and easy to use. Features fall to hand readily, everything feels good, and it just works."

“Comfortable, quick, nimble, capacious, and easy to use. Features fall to hand readily, everything feels good, and it just works.”
- Best of the Year Judge & Engineering Category Expert

Where it stands out is the family details. One of our reviewers, a mom of three young kids, pointed to the Magic Slide second-row seats that can reconfigure on the fly, and to CabinWatch and CabinTalk, which let her keep an eye on and talk to kids in the third row without turning around. On a family weekend excursion, she spent more than two hours each way with kids in back across highways and stop-and-go traffic, those features proved their worth, and the cabin stayed comfortable and quiet through the long haul. Beyond sitting in the third row for hours with no complaints, she was impressed by the ease with which she could collapse the seats to nearly lay flat in seconds with a pull of the straps. Throw in that she had the roughly 13-inch overhead screen streaming a kid movie the whole ride home, she was even able to get some much-needed shuteye!

Both reviewers noted the age and efficiency of the vehicle as it is largely a carryover design that hasn't been significantly revised in years. Honda offers the Odyssey with a V6 only, no hybrid and no all-wheel drive, and its fuel economy now trails newer rivals. One reviewer also found removing a second-row seat fiddly, and noted that those seats don't fold flat into the floor the way some rivals' do. Both still landed firmly positive, and the case is everyday competence and family usability rather than novelty. As one summed it up, "Outstanding family practicality and comfort, with thoughtful features that make long family drives better. It does feel due for an overhaul, though."

Outstanding family practicality and comfort, with thoughtful features that make long family drives better. -Best of the Year Judge & Automotive Category Expert

Best of the Year Bottom Line

If you want a minivan that takes the friction out of family life, the 2026 Honda Odyssey is still an easy one to point you to. It's roomy, flexible, comfortable, and nice to drive, with smart, well-used family features and Honda's reliability behind it, and above all it's easy to live with day after day. Just go in knowing what it is and isn't: a proven, refined, carryover design that Honda offers with a V6 only, no hybrid and no all-wheel drive, and fuel economy that now trails newer rivals. Judged on everyday competence rather than novelty, which is the right way to judge a family hauler, it remains the benchmark.

Why Trust Us?

The Best of the Year Media team comprises award-winning editors, analysts, subject-matter experts and consumer specialists who have built their careers helping people make smarter, more confident decisions. With deep expertise across consumer lifestyle categories, our team brings decades of experience evaluating products, brands and services. Our recommendations are grounded in rigorous evaluation combined with expert judgment and consumer insights, giving readers trusted guidance on products, services, and experiences worth bringing into their lives.

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