Honda Civic Type R orders to reopen in Australia despite mounting emissions pressure

Honda Australia has promised new stock of the Civic Type R for later this year, but admits the sought-after hot hatch is becoming a "difficult" model for the brand amid tightening emissions regulations.

Prospective buyers haven't been able to place an order for a brand-new Civic Type R since last year, with the most recent batch of cars – secured in February – going straight to customers who had previously placed an expression of interest (EOI). This was also the case when order books were previously opened in August 2025.

However, Honda Australia will welcome at least some new orders when the next allotment of vehicles arrives in a matter of months.

"We do have a batch of vehicles arriving in the second half of this year, and certainly when that is confirmed and we're in a position to, we'll be opening that up to customers to order," confirmed Honda Australia director Robert Thorp.

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"We've been engaging with a number of customers who have expressed interest and or were unsuccessful in previous allocations, and at the moment those buyers are probably at the top of the list to access the next batch."

Still, supply is likely to remain limited – as it has almost always been – heading into 2027 and beyond, especially given Type R sales negatively impact on Honda's emissions equation Down Under.

Under Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), automakers face increasing pressure to reduce fleet-average CO2 emissions, meaning high-emitting performance models like the Civic Type R are harder to justify unless offset by cleaner vehicles elsewhere in the lineup.

In Honda's case, that means more heavy lifting for its higher-volume hybrids including the CR-V, HR-V, and ZR-V SUVs, as well as the upcoming Super One electric city hatch.

"This car is difficult in the current emission regulation standards in Australia," said Mr Thorp.

"We know how good the car is, but economically it is becoming a difficult vehicle for us, and production and supply is sort of reflecting that."

Don't expect it to get any cheaper, either. The most recent batch of vehicles carried a price tag of $85,500 drive-away, a $6500 increase on last year, and a $12,900 hike over the current-generation Type R's 2023 launch price.

While the $85,500 figure could theoretically hold, Honda has confirmed styling updates for the MY27 Civic Type R – possibly linked to a Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) special edition – that will likely push pricing higher yet again.

The upcoming update is likely to be the last for the current FL5 Civic Type R, which has already been discontinued in Europe and the UK.

A move to hybrid power and an automatic transmission with Honda's new S+ Shift technology has been mooted for the next-generation Civic Type R, expected to launch in 2028.

MORE: Explore the Honda Civic showroom