Honda Says It's Forced to Kill The Civic Type R In Europe

Honda is saying sayonara to the Civic Type R in Europe with a final send-off aptly named the Ultimate Edition. Sales of the Japanese hot hatch will come to an end next year on the Old Continent. Before it bows out, the compact performance car is available in any color you like as long as it’s Championship White. To spice things up, red stripes accent the hood and sides, while the roof comes exclusively in black.

To sweeten the deal, Honda includes a carbon fiber rear wing on the Ultimate Edition. More carbon fiber appears inside, with door sill trims and a center console upgrade, while eye-catching red floor mats feature a metal Type R badge. To drive home the point that this isn’t your average Civic, projectors built into the front doors display a red and white Type R logo. As a final treat for European buyers, the send-off comes with a gift box containing a carbon key ring, a numbered emblem, and even a car cover.

Mechanically, nothing changes. The Civic Type R Ultimate Edition retains its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, producing 324 horsepower and 310 pound-feet (420 Newton-meters) of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, enabling a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 5.4 seconds.

So why is the Civic Type R leaving Europe anyway? Honda says it’s essentially being forced to retire the CTR. Hannah Swift, Head of European Strategy and Product, notes that “The industry is changing, and our model range is having to evolve with it in accordance with European legislation.” In other words, stricter emissions regulations have claimed another victim.

Pricing details haven’t been disclosed, but the Civic Type R is already notoriously expensive in several European markets, thanks to steep taxes on high-emission vehicles. In the Netherlands, for example, the standard CTR is already a $100,000+ car, before options.

While the hot hatch is on its way out, Europeans can take some solace in knowing a different kind of sporty Honda is on the horizon. The reborn Prelude will arrive in the first half of 2026 as a 2+2 coupe with a hybrid powertrain and simulated gear shifts. It’s unlikely to match the CTR’s engagement, but at least some of the fun lives on.