Honda’s compact two-seat side-by-side was introduced for the 2015 model year as the Pioneer 500, a 50-inch-wide utility SxS aimed at riders who needed a narrow machine for tighter trails and easy transport in a pickup bed. It established the Pioneer family’s small-footprint, work-and-play positioning with Honda’s automatic transmission and selectable drive modes, and it became one of the brand’s best-known compact SxS entries. Honda continued to market the Pioneer 500 through multiple later model years, including 2022 and 2023, even after the larger-engine Pioneer 520 arrived as an updated companion model. By the 2026 lineup, Honda’s current Pioneer range no longer included this nameplate, indicating the Pioneer 500’s run had ended after the 2025 model year. The model is remembered as Honda’s original compact Pioneer utility side-by-side and as a straightforward, trail-friendly option in the brand’s rec/utility lineup.
MODEL HISTORY