Honda e Reviews – don’t just take our word for it

"The electric Honda E has been right-sized for brisk, urban, fun driving at the expense of range. Does it deliver and is it worth the compromise?"

"Even before anyone’s been anywhere near the steering wheel, Honda’s E electric car (formerly Urban EV) has generated serious buzz."

“I think the e is Honda doing Honda best, because they haven't copied anyone. When they go their own way, they're genius. Honda has been totally unique in its aesthetics and approach to the e's design, and that’s what makes the e desirable and interesting. You just can't resist it.”

“If you want an attention-grabbing electric fleet, the new Honda e (the company's first mass-market EV) looks like a great place to turn. Honda's designers have created something that looks like nothing else on the roads today, with the retro simplicity of its exterior lines blended with LED lights, flush door handles and an absence of door mirrors (of which more later). While the fleet electrification debate is rightly dominated by facts and figures, the e's aesthetic appeal is bound to help with driver buy-in.”

“It’s the Urban EV Concept that became a legend, the legend that became a prototype and the prototype that became the dinkiest, most desirable car since the Suzuki Jimny. It’s the Honda e, Honda’s first mass-market, pure-electric car, and we want one. As standard you get cameras for wing mirrors and the rear view mirror, 100kw DC rapid charging capability in 30 mins, an app to pre-condition the car and babysit it while it charges, many crash avoidance systems and several acres of screen. And all this wrapped in a subtly retro colour and material pallet designed to chime with the cheeky exterior – available in white, black, grey, blue and highlighter yellow paint.”

“One benefit of having a relatively small battery – is that it doesn't take long to charge it. It's 35.5 kWh in capacity, so charging on a 50 kW rapid charger only takes about half an hour for a large top-up. It will charge at 6.6 kW on AC points, both through the CCS inlet, conveniently located in the centre of the front of the car under the panel on the bonnet. There are other green features, like a B mode to boost brake energy regen and 'one-pedal' driving, plus selectable levels before that which allows the e to virtually coast, through to strong braking once off the throttle. Heated seats and steering wheel help with efficiency, and there's an app for remote control of typical EV features such as charging and pre-conditioning.”

“The steering is quite light, but it’s quick, and combined with the relatively short wheelbase, the e feels agile. The heavy battery is mounted in the floor, so the centre of gravity isn’t too high, and the car feels stable, even through quicker corners. There’s great grip, too, not least because the e wears Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, which give more bite than you might expect an EV such as this to have. On the plus side, they don’t seem to unduly affect the ride quality or refinement either.”

“The rear-wheel drive powertrain feels very nicely calibrated, too, adding to impression of the e being meticulously and lovingly engineered. Driven in normal mode, both throttle and brake have good weight and resistance, inspiring confidence from the off and in any situation, be that an urban crawl, motorway dice or pretending any minor road is a Japanese Tōge. There's also the Single Pedal Control System, where the e can be driven entirely on the accelerator, right down to zero and without any creep built in. Its level of regen can be adjusted on the steering wheel paddles, and again works cohesively. It's hard to imagine that getting proper subtlety and nuance into a pedal travel of a few centimetres is simple, and it's been done really well here.”