Should You Buy the Honda Ridgeline Now or Wait for the 2028 Model?

When is the 2028 Honda Ridgeline expected to go on sale?

Honda has not announced a specific sale date; it says the third-generation Ridgeline is expected to come to market within two years of its July 23, 2026 announcement. That gives shoppers a timing window, not a date to put on a calendar.

Car and Driver interprets Honda’s timing as pointing toward a possible 2028 model-year truck. Treat that as a projection, not a promise: the official announcement does not name a model year or say when customers can place orders or take delivery.

Honda also says production of the current 2026 Ridgeline will pause later in 2026 as it prepares for the new model. The announcement gives no exact pause date, restart date, or dealer-inventory forecast. In practical terms, waiting could mean a longer gap between the current truck and the next one—but the available information cannot tell you how long that gap will be.

What has Honda confirmed about the next Ridgeline so far?

Honda has confirmed a third-generation Ridgeline with a more rugged design, a planned production pause for the current model later in 2026, and continued assembly at its Alabama Auto Plant. It has not published detailed specifications or pricing.

Honda says the new truck is being designed in Southern California and engineered in Ohio, and that it will continue to be built in Alabama. The company describes the goal as “even more rugged design and capabilities.” That is a directional statement, not a specific promise about payload, ground clearance, suspension, towing capacity, or off-road equipment.

The current 2026 model gives you a concrete baseline. According to Honda’s trim comparison, its listed trims use a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and standard i-VTM4 all-wheel drive. Honda rates it to tow up to 5,000 pounds. Listed starting MSRPs run from $40,795 for Sport to $47,895 for Black Edition Two-Tone.

Honda also lists a 7.3-cubic-foot In-Bed Trunk and a 64-inch bed with the tailgate up. Several trims are rated at 18/24/21 mpg city/highway/combined; TrailSport is listed at 18/23/20 mpg. Those are published figures for the current truck—not a forecast for the redesigned one.

Use that baseline to make the decision specific. Write down the towing capacity, bed utility, fuel economy, and trim price you actually need. Then compare those requirements with the current model, rather than assuming “more rugged” automatically means a particular capability upgrade.

Is the 2028 Ridgeline hybrid powertrain officially confirmed?

No. Honda has not officially confirmed a hybrid powertrain for the next Ridgeline, so buyers should treat hybrid reports as expectation rather than specification.

WardsAuto reports that Honda has previewed a next-generation hybrid system with a V6 intended for larger vehicles, including light trucks. That does not establish that the Ridgeline will use it. Similarly, media discussion of likely acceleration or fuel-economy improvements is not a confirmed Ridgeline rating.

This distinction matters if a hybrid is the reason you are considering waiting. Until Honda publishes the powertrain, fuel-economy figures, price, and availability, you cannot make a like-for-like cost or capability comparison. Keep the current V6 model as the known option and the possible hybrid as an unanswered question.

A useful shopping rule is simple: buy against published specifications, wait for the missing specifications, and do not pay a deposit or delay a needed purchase based on a rumor presented as settled fact. Recheck Honda’s official information when the timing or equipment details are announced.