Honda e:Ny1

How does Honda’s ability to innovate manifest in its first mainstream EV? Many of the world’s foremost car-makers have been determined to make a splash with their first proper electric model to market – not necessarily in terms of sales volume or outright profit, but certainly when it comes to image and brand-building.This approach has resulted in some compelling cars. Just consider BMW (with the before-its-time i3), Porsche (the Taycan) and even Rolls-Royce (the Spectre).Honda was no different. In 2020, it launched the Honda E – a concept-esque supermini inspired by the firm’s kei cars. The E had interior appeal in spades and a tiny turning circle, and it remains hugely likeable. In truth, poor real-world driving range and a high price have hamstrung sales. But huge volume was never the point. For a while, everybody was talking about Honda as a purveyor of desirable EVs.The subject of this road test marks the next chapter in Honda’s journey into the battery electric world. Perhaps it comes as a surprise that the Honda e:Ny1 is only Honda’s second electric car, at a time when key rivals – especially European and South Korean ones – are unambiguously flooding their ranges with EVs.There’s no doubt that the Japanese maker has been slow off the mark, for a time being unconvinced that battery-electric technology (and not hydrogen fuel cell tech) was the future. It seems the company has also, and perhaps understandably, been reluctant to move on from internal combustion power, because its engines have an almost unsurpassed reputation for reliability, particularly in the US. Nevertheless, the snappily named e:Ny1 is now here and, as a compact SUV, it’s clearly more concerned with commercial success than the little E ever was. It has no shortage of rivals (if its dimensions don’t ensure that, its punchy asking price certainly does) and it’s the car that, for now, will largely define how Honda is perceived as an EV maker.The range at a glanceMODELSPOWERFROMe:NY1 Elegance201bhp£44,995E:ny1 Advance201bhp£47,195For now, the e:Ny1 range consists of one mechanical package dressed in a choice of two specification packs. Both are reasonably generous, although Advance brings more visual appeal inside the cabin, a panoramic roof and a heated steering wheel, among other extras.