The Honda e is a stand out all electric city car that's built to offer fun while driving as you turn heads in this uniquely designed run-around.
This does not have the extended range of many electric cars as it is clearly built to work as a city car – the tight turning circle is a testament to this. But that agility makes it ideal for local drives in a small EV that's built to take on the town.
Launched in 2020 this little Japanese car had its basic variant discontinued in 2023 so you can now only get the Advance spec from new, making it more of a collector's item than ever. With those iconic looks and all the fun this offers to drive, it represents a gem to be snapped up if still available in the used car world.
Expect plenty of tech onboard including an instrument panel, of five screens, that extends the full length of the dash for a very futuristic feel. There's also the Side Camera Mirror System, which is the company's way of saying it doesn't have mirrors outside but cameras instead. All adding to those unique external looks as well as the fun internal functionality.
The drivetrain offers multiple power outputs of 100 or 113 kW which gets this from 0 to 60 MPH in 8.3 seconds. The 35.5 kWh battery pack is where this is limited, getting you a range of about 130 miles – which is generous compared to real world testing where 100 miles would be a more accurate average.
Key rivals for the Honda E include the Renault Zoe, Mini Electric and the Mazda MX-30. But the Honda outdoes all of them on design, although that can push the price up.
The Honda e is a good city car that screams design smarts and offers a very fun way to get about. It's enough for two adults and maybe two small children, but anyone wanting to fit more than that in should look elsewhere. The boot is quite small too, so this is only suitable for those not needing lots of space.
All that said, this does offer a genuinely good city driving experience. That's in part due to that great turning circle, but also the suspension. Thanks to an independent suspension system that's usually reserved for much larger cars. The result is a smooth driving experience even on bumpier roads and over potholes.
Thanks to a dedicated rear-motor and rear-wheel drive setup this is a lot of fun to drive, especially when you factor in all that direct torque from the electric motor. The battery pack is kept in the car's centre offering a 50/50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity – all of which makes this a great driver's car, ideal if a little eco-friendly city car is what you need.
The price is higher than some comparable mini EV cars out there but you're paying for all that design smarts and those driving dynamics that make this stand out. You spend more if you go for the top-end trim - Advance – which adds heated seats and steering wheel, auto parking, rear camera and adaptive cruise.
The 113 KW 36 kWh engine gets you an impressive 0-60 MPH in 8.3 seconds although with that 130 mile top range it's rare you'll want to boot it too much.
There were just two trim options to pick from in the standard model and the Advance version. Now, from new, there is just the Advance trim. The boot is nothing to write home about at 171 litres, although there is the option to put the rear seats down and extend that to 861 litres – ideal for those Ikea trips.
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The Honda e comes in just two versions of the standard model and the Advance. The standard model comes with 16-inch alloys, those camera mirrors, pop out door handles, that multi-screen internal cabin, and app controls.
The Advance adds a multi-view camera, heated steering wheel and seats, up to 17-inch alloys, blind spot information, Honda Parking Pilot, windshield de-icing, premium eight speaker, amp and subwoofer audio setup, cross traffic monitor and AC power outlet.
Honda e Advance: This is now the only model available as the lower spec version has been discontinued. This comes with a 113 KW motor that means a 0-60 MPH time of 8.3 seconds, top speed of 90 MPH and a range of about 130 miles at 3.5 miles per kWh.
The Honda e is the entry-level trim, and is now only available as used and features smaller 16-alloys.
The Honda e Advance adds larger alloys, smart self parking, heated wheel and seats, upgraded sounds system and more.
The Honda e’s dimensions are:
Length: 3894mm
Width: 1752mm
Height: 1512mm
The Honda e’s boot size is:
171 litres
The Honda e is a fully electric car which means it is exempt from road tax until the rules for this change which is planned to happen in 2025.
The Honda E starts at insurance group 25 and goes up to 29 for the Advance and 32 for a Special Edition model. Expect this price to vary based on it being parked in a garage, on a driveway, and based on the age of the driver.