Wonder how much they could have got the price down to if it was really a pared back short journey city car, regular glass mirrors, simple dash. Feel like a cheaper, simpler version with the really nice retro exterior design would have hit the spot nicely. The innovative move in electric cars must be towards low cost vehicles, not faster, more gadget laden cars, I think that part of the market is already (relatively speaking) well developed.
@@markwood7045 I'm not sure it does in the sub 20 mile journey run about car segment. I'd say most potential buyers of this are young urban dwellers. I think amazing looks and an affordable price would be enough.
Honda: Let's keep the range 130 miles because that's all you need 99 percent of the time Also Honda: Let's put 7 screens infront of the driver which 99 percent of the time you don't need
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta.
@@IslaSprollie that's good to know. Question since side mirrors are now cameras, do they get dirty and affect your view? In rainy day or dreary snowy day?
I love how basically the law states that you can't use your phone while driving, so car manufacturers just started sticking big tablet sized screens to their cars
I saw a Honda E on the road yesterday and it was love at first sight. And I'm a die hard 1988 Corolla driver. But when I saw the price it was instantly out of bounds. Looking at the inside there's just too many screens, do we seriously need to replace wing mirrors with more expensive screens that can fudge up? Would love to see a no frills version that has all the good looks and drive, but none of the weird silly gadgets inside.
I do wonder if the extra tech bumped up the price, or if the plain car price was so high that they thought adding the tech and increasing the cost by like £1K would be a better sell.
EXACTLY. I purchased my 2015 Honda Odyssey along with leather Bluetooth backup camera 250 horsepower all sorts of fun stuff for $31,700. And I also have a 600 mile range
It will be first collectable from Honda electric cars. The old looking design with personality of happy car is only for few. The philosophy of art, versus money is in this product.
Im thinking... for electric cars with their batteries that dont last for every... Leasing might be the name of the game? In which case a few quid extra on your monthly bill might be worth it for such a cool looking car? Y'know much like you would with an iphone? I dont own a car so i could be way off the mark but its seems that could be what theyre going for?
It may seem pricey now but when EV's become mainstream the prices will drop considerably, Those old enough may remember how much a colour TV cost back in 1970, in relative terms to the average wage then, and there was only one channel in colour. Answer is to lease for the next few years, like we used to rent TV's.
@@tonys1636 I understand that with time the price for all EVs will decrease but even compared to EVs currently on the market this isn't a good deal. The looks alone don't justify it when there's so much good competition. Especially when you look at what companies like Kia/Hyundai are doing in that price range. Still, love the way it looks and the interior though.
The problem is the range. That 130 mile range becomes 100 when it gets hot/cold, the charging time is still too long, and 26k gets you a golf gti? It would be ok if the range was doubled, but it's not.
This. For a car that's supposedly "back to basics," it sure does have a lot of extra bells and whistles no one really wanted. Like, it's great that the dash can be an aquarium and that my Xbox can hook up to the back. *Why would I buy a car for that?*
The camera mirrors are actually a great idea in a city car. The side cameras are inboard of the sides of the car so in city environments they're not getting in the way, and the rear view becoming the backup camera is a neat trick imho, and reversing cameras are essential bits of kit in modern blindspot ridden vehicles.
They really gotta consider that people have "range anxiety", that and the price will keep many away, but I can still see people buying it cause it looks great, to some that's all that matters. If they offered this in hybrid, I would definitely buy it.
@@odnetnin4720 Well you got the leaf first,i mean it kinda feels like its low on range for highway oriented country like USA. Maybe that was their thinking.
For many current petrolheads like me the dawn of EV era is a bit depressing but this car is one bright ray of sunshine that gives us hope. A car like this would just make me smile every time I used it despite its shortcomings.
@@humunahumunaha9770 what an utterly disgusting comment. That car isn't affordable an the avesage with kids and a mortgage. That's not an average family car. I happen to be a high earner but spending 30k on a small car with not much space and existing tech is not affordable. Its a fashion trinket. Gtfo with that bs
Honda e: 136 mile range, 1513kg Peugeot e208: 211 mile range, 1530kg Great little car, but they could have given it more range. Especially considering that its build on a dedicated EV platform while the Peugeot shares its platform with the ICE versions.
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta
@@IslaSprollie I prefer to use the lock button located next to the tailgate opening switch as I pass the rear of the e. Press once to lock, and then again within 5 seconds to activate the deadlocks. Less faffing than it is with the door handles.🙂
@@sib4897 Brilliant advice. I’ll try it out today. I didn’t know it was there. I had a keyless Mazda 3 Sport (2010) until a year ago. It has a lock button in the centre of the drivers side rear lights. Brilliant design, as you naturally rolled out of the car, shut the door, the momentum carried to the rear of the car. I’d hit the button in the lights and be on my way without stopping. Genius design. Hopefully the button in the Honda’s tailgate will prove nearly as good. Thank you 😊
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta
I agree that 100 or so miles is fine for the majority of journeys. The issue is that odd time you need to go 80 miles to pick someone up and then go another 60 miles to an appointment in winter with the heater on. Sure, if you set off earlier you could stop on route and charge but it's less convenient and requires that you (and anyone else you're transporting) make allowances and set off a couple of hours earlier. People won't give up convenience unless it comes with some major upsides, and despite this being a lovely little car, it doesn't do enough to offset that inconvenience (especially at that price).
Yeah. And how many friends would be ok with frequently stopping to charge, even if you had a gaming console or PC to play or watch movies during a road trip? Love the appearance of this. But if I was into cars over bikes, and was to have one of these, I would put a small generator in it, making it a Series Hybrid.
Use 2 screens instead of 3 and remove those fancy camera door mirror and install the normal one and same for rear view mirror. I think maybe 4-6 grand can be saved bringing this car 20-22 grand.
They have been baked into the R&D from the beginning and Honda’s component costs for the screens and cameras you want to remove is probably way under 1k. It is part of what makes the E unique - start taking stuff like that away and you might as well have a Honda Leaf
If you could splice the body work and interior of this onto the GR Yaris (probs with some serious flared rear arches to accommodate the Corolla rear axle) you would have the ultimate mini JDM hothatch...
If for some reason it could fit closer to 200 miles of range in it, then I'd say that this is a really good deal fir 26k. But since actual useable range is about 100 miles, you'll driving less/spending more time looking for chargers
No problem if you've got the space to charge at home. With an EV it's plugged in every night so you're going to have 100 miles or so available every day so that 50 miles commute is easy ... and it's a comfortable car with everything you need.
Saw these on the roads & had no idea what it is, looks great but my god the pricing is insane. £38K+ is Tesla & other top EV range. Honda could literally conquer an entire market if was priced £18k-£25k. They forecast to sell 10k units in Europe but only sold 3.5k in 2021....frankly it serves Honda right for screwing the pricing/getting the model wrong.
Such a beautiful car... And such a crazy price. I respect their "Let's do a short-range, small, fun quirky electric car for the cities" attitude. But then they price it as the most expensive car in their range. Why? Why? Why? It's like they're charging a 10k premium for the design. And that's steep.
The issue with the car is that all people eventually will need to do at one point that 1 in 100 longer trip. And they will buy a car thinking of that one time you need to get to the airport in on charge, so in the end a bigger range is important
Wow it looks nice. Very retro Mini cooper vibes!!! I always hated on electric car designs, but if they all follow this path of philosophy down the road that'd be a huge improvement.
Awesome review again.... Honda is a company of engineers, other companies are about accounting, some are more about style and materials and less about quality, fit and finish.
@@barrierodliffe4155 the company does, that they work for...many don't realize the reason some Honda vehicles are heavier than some competitors, it's because they use more steel to create thinner Pilars but not compromise safety. Also, the cars are engineered to last a very long time and so tuned that way as well.
@@TheKingkingg Sure and that is why there are so many old Hondas around, Honda make cars to last as short a time as they can, as for safety I would not trust Honda to know much about safety, trying to do things on the cheap to make as much money as possible is more likely. Only fools are taken in by Honda.
I bet if they‘d put conventional mirrors and no screens everyone would complain about it not being modern enough. Cracking little car, this. Prices will drop soon, and it will remain a great car for a long long time. Great job, Honda.
Honda shouldn’t be surprised when this sells poorly when they want you to pay £30,000 for low range ev just because it has lots of tech. It feels more like a concept they’re trying to sell in low numbers than a car for the masses
It’ll only be brought by people who’s lifestyle it suits. Certainly not a car meant for everyone and that’s a good thing. I bet people who dislike this would happily pay the same money and accept the blandness of a golf just because they wouldn’t look beyond the ‘just in case’ scenarios.
@@davidline2454 I would pay less for a much better car. Most of my driving is around town but I want a car that will be useable on the many occasions I go further than 50 miles from home. I am quite realistic but the best range of the Honda is a fail, another 50 miles might just work. Another 100 miles would. I also need a car that I can pick up things bigger than a vacuum cleaner.
I have no problem with a 100-mile battery (or even smaller) so long as there is a tiny internal combustion engine with just enough power to sustain 70 mph while trickle-charging the battery. But it needs to be cheap.
@@TheRichardHonor I suspect it was just poorly timed and placed in the market. It cost nearly £40,000, and primarily bought by wealthy city dewllers. Not exactly the mass market situations that Honda hatchmack owners have.
Completely agree. Brilliant review as always. Honda knows how to bring the best, the newest to the table. This just doesn't cut it. Neither does the new Integra. As a Honda fan I'm quite sad to say this.
I'd love some reviews of this car a lot later, after it's been out for a while. I think we all know Honda will be a LOT better at quality control than Tesla.
1:05 "less than 1% of journeys in the UK are longer than 100 miles" umm, yes, but if I make a journey that's 50 miles long, i need to be able to drive another 50 miles back to my house again to actually charge the car...
Its a perfect city commuter car, yeah it's little expensive but so are all of other cool EVs at this time. Besides the amount of money you will say in gas and maintenance in 5yrs will most likely with be a wash IMO.
In winter real life range will be around 100 miles....but you always need to have a reserve, so it's down to say 85 miles. But with battery degradation that might in a few years leave 75 miles or real range left. Why make your life so difficult, stressful and impractical for 26,000 pounds?
LOL that's just wrong. It's a 100 miles guaranteed car even in the cold and wet. Battery degradation won't be much for 100,000 miles. After that then yeah down to 80 miles.
Totally, I've got an i3 with 190 mile range (on fantasy paper figures), real world 110-150 miles on daily commute and it's not quite enough to last the week so slightly irritating. On a B-road long drive at 50mph in Summer can get near the quoted figures but my next electric car will need more range, not less.
Yes he needs to say 100 miles per day rather than in an individual trip. Still wouldn't suit everyone but a 100 mile a day car will suit 90%+. To make it totally comfortable you would want home charging so you can always have it topped up for the morning. I agree that it would be a pain if you had to go somewhere to charge the car every day.
An expensive city car, it looks great though, but the price is a killer unless you have too much money for sense, and on the Gov £3k incentive it is now £2500 and is going to drop again next year, by time I can afford an EV there won't be an incentive.
I think sometimes auto makers just do something for practice. Running a few thousand cars through the whole process, exercise the suppliers, see what problems come up on the production lines, see which dealers want to try something new, see what dealers will get their techs trained up, see what the reliability of the batteries is and how they age. But you don't want too much exposure in case you have to replace a bunch of stuff under warranty, so you don't want to sell too many of them. They're just testing the waters but don't want to lose too much money doing it. For GM the EV1 and the Volt and the Spark EV and the Bolt all have "don't sell too many" markers. Right or wrong, they probably think they can really move fully to EV when they have to and no sooner.
Irrespective of the specific car, all what is presented here about range and use and consumerism is 100% correct. The entire industry should lean in on this, but then the “range wars” at the $100k level will be exposed as nonsense. Let’s put charging time and efficiency up top. Maybe a total ecological cost factor, if we could get agreement on what that would be.
The only problem is the range. If it was 26k but had even 230 miles of range then it’s justifiable because it’s a city car you can go on a little trip outside the city in. Forcing it to have 130 miles means you cant do that and makes the price an issue
hey, I’ve actually driven this car!! it’s pretty great. The steering is too light for my taste, the range is fine if you have another car but abysmal if you don’t.
That's correct you don't "need" that much battery and range ... Until you do. You see, you buy a car so it is fit for any purpose you might throw at it. So sometimes having a huge battery can and might be handy and if you are ditching petrol completely, is almost a must.
I saw one this morning driving to work, driving next to my car. First thing that puzzled me was the lack of side mirrors. I had to try google it as soon as I got to work to see what's the mystery behind it.
I disagree with saying that its bad because it doesn't innovate. I think that's actually a pretty good strategy , with innovation comes uncertainty and that pretty clothes that's wrapped around a tried and true tech is enough for almost everyone to love it and buy and keep it for the rest of their life.
Thanks Top Gear, and Chris. Back when you dropped the 1:30 bs teaser we got salty about it, and here’s the real review. Love the car! When you have good design, you don’t need too much of it.
Take off all the tech and you'd have a winner for me. I've already got a smartphone that can do pretty much everything the car computer can do, so provided it has Bluetooth for the stereo and knobs for the heater I'd be happy. Also, since when is 0-60 in 8 seconds slow? maybe compared to a modern sports car, but for a small hatchback that's quick.
No huge screaming grilles, no fussy headlights, no sharp tryhard angles, a really lovely looking car the E is!
Haha
True, could be a future classic.
Indeed. I wanna buy the E mk2.
I feel the wheels are far too small, they just don't look very good. But other than that, it looks very good.
I mean it is quite good looking, but next to the prototype, it's a little disappointing.
Wonder how much they could have got the price down to if it was really a pared back short journey city car, regular glass mirrors, simple dash. Feel like a cheaper, simpler version with the really nice retro exterior design would have hit the spot nicely. The innovative move in electric cars must be towards low cost vehicles, not faster, more gadget laden cars, I think that part of the market is already (relatively speaking) well developed.
the market demands tech.
@@markwood7045 which most dont use after the first week. A good touch screen with Android auto/Apple car play is literally all you need
@@markwood7045 I'm not sure it does in the sub 20 mile journey run about car segment. I'd say most potential buyers of this are young urban dwellers. I think amazing looks and an affordable price would be enough.
So true.
The Nissan kicks uses your phone, iirc, no hu.
Honda: Let's keep the range 130 miles because that's all you need 99 percent of the time
Also Honda: Let's put 7 screens infront of the driver which 99 percent of the time you don't need
ha, so true
at last i can view my panoramic photoshots in my car ^^
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta.
@@IslaSprollie that's good to know. Question since side mirrors are now cameras, do they get dirty and affect your view? In rainy day or dreary snowy day?
@Ching Chong So the Japanese built a car for themselves
I love how basically the law states that you can't use your phone while driving, so car manufacturers just started sticking big tablet sized screens to their cars
And it's worse to focus on a screen than on buttons. Glad they kept some.
🎂 Here you go. You took the cake for that one. It made my day. Lmfao
The state of corporate backed socialism
@@EzraMerr isn’t that sort of a contradiction lol
@@EzraMerr Are you a narcissist?
I saw a Honda E on the road yesterday and it was love at first sight. And I'm a die hard 1988 Corolla driver. But when I saw the price it was instantly out of bounds. Looking at the inside there's just too many screens, do we seriously need to replace wing mirrors with more expensive screens that can fudge up? Would love to see a no frills version that has all the good looks and drive, but none of the weird silly gadgets inside.
I do wonder if the extra tech bumped up the price, or if the plain car price was so high that they thought adding the tech and increasing the cost by like £1K would be a better sell.
I'll never understand why they went through all this effort just to price themselves out of the market.
EXACTLY. I purchased my 2015 Honda Odyssey along with leather Bluetooth backup camera 250 horsepower all sorts of fun stuff for $31,700. And I also have a 600 mile range
It will be first collectable from Honda electric cars. The old looking design with personality of happy car is only for few. The philosophy of art, versus money is in this product.
Im thinking... for electric cars with their batteries that dont last for every... Leasing might be the name of the game? In which case a few quid extra on your monthly bill might be worth it for such a cool looking car? Y'know much like you would with an iphone? I dont own a car so i could be way off the mark but its seems that could be what theyre going for?
It may seem pricey now but when EV's become mainstream the prices will drop considerably, Those old enough may remember how much a colour TV cost back in 1970, in relative terms to the average wage then, and there was only one channel in colour. Answer is to lease for the next few years, like we used to rent TV's.
@@tonys1636 I understand that with time the price for all EVs will decrease but even compared to EVs currently on the market this isn't a good deal. The looks alone don't justify it when there's so much good competition. Especially when you look at what companies like Kia/Hyundai are doing in that price range. Still, love the way it looks and the interior though.
"I dont know if its useful but its great" are words to live by
Reminds me of my dad. He always bought pieces of junk and said "that'll come in useful, even if I never use it!"
@ANONYMOUS time for a come back with "Mr Bean 2049" dystopian style
the basic problem is that it's list price (at about £30K) is £10K too much for what you get
The problem is the range. That 130 mile range becomes 100 when it gets hot/cold, the charging time is still too long, and 26k gets you a golf gti? It would be ok if the range was doubled, but it's not.
It's basically an emotional purchase at that price. And the savings from being electric would take quite a while to break even. Still, what a looker.
@@BAZOOKIFICATION I mean they convinced me that I want one based on emotion, too bad I live in the states lol. I guess I'll just have to wait 25 years
theyve depreciated already. Get it used..23k
If I had too much money, I'd put one in my (non-existant) garage. I bet there are enough people who will, too. Especially in Japan.
The coolest City car.
Hmm
Agree
VW GOLF GTI is better
@@davisksony1630 not really in the same category is it? It’s compatible with a polo for size, and this is LIGHTYEARS better than a polo 😴
Only Mini
Its looks timeless
Max & Perez made it look cool 😎
Ok
Yeah that Video was really cool
@@fikhhgg ok
looks cool before perez even join red bull
Red Bull defeats Mercedes in the second round!
If you turn off the 7 screens, rear view camera & aquarium mode it'll do 500 miles on a charge!
This. For a car that's supposedly "back to basics," it sure does have a lot of extra bells and whistles no one really wanted.
Like, it's great that the dash can be an aquarium and that my Xbox can hook up to the back. *Why would I buy a car for that?*
The camera mirrors are actually a great idea in a city car. The side cameras are inboard of the sides of the car so in city environments they're not getting in the way, and the rear view becoming the backup camera is a neat trick imho, and reversing cameras are essential bits of kit in modern blindspot ridden vehicles.
@@Reddsoldier also in terms of efficency too, wing mirrors cause a ton of drag
@@Altirix_ It doesn't help the inefficient Honda.
I've not wanted a car this much for some time, love it !
I drive past one on the way to work every day now! The guy loves it!
@@matthewshedden3567 I could only get one if I don't have to travel to the office anymore to be honest 🙃
Looks retro, yet modern. I like it
Looks old fashioned and not at all modern but gimicky.
@@barrierodliffe4155 well outvoted...SpecSavers
If Mr. Bean ever gets an EV ...
They really gotta consider that people have "range anxiety", that and the price will keep many away, but I can still see people buying it cause it looks great, to some that's all that matters. If they offered this in hybrid, I would definitely buy it.
The fact that this car gets so much coverage despite being flawed in so many ways really speaks to how good-looking it is
EVs are big news.
Interesting point Luca! Sounds about right
I want this in the states! As a shareholder I demand it!
Such an American statement.
@@loomspace I don’t see why USA doesn’t get everything first. Entitlement is in the constitution.
@@odnetnin4720 Well you got the leaf first,i mean it kinda feels like its low on range for highway oriented country like USA. Maybe that was their thinking.
@@odnetnin4720 haha
I also demand to know why they decided not to
For many current petrolheads like me the dawn of EV era is a bit depressing but this car is one bright ray of sunshine that gives us hope. A car like this would just make me smile every time I used it despite its shortcomings.
“Fun to drive..” was expecting Chris drifting around a turn. Think this is first video he hasn’t?
There is a video where The Stig drifts this car in a hanger.
It's nice to see Chris review an affordable car for a change , for the money though I'd buy something else
Affordable?
@@andysautomotiveadventures9587 affordable for the average earning person in the UK. If you are a lower income earner then look lower. Try Dacia
@@humunahumunaha9770 this isn't affordable for what it is
@@humunahumunaha9770 what an utterly disgusting comment. That car isn't affordable an the avesage with kids and a mortgage. That's not an average family car. I happen to be a high earner but spending 30k on a small car with not much space and existing tech is not affordable. Its a fashion trinket. Gtfo with that bs
@@andysautomotiveadventures9587 how much does a high income earner make boss?
Honda e: 136 mile range, 1513kg
Peugeot e208: 211 mile range, 1530kg
Great little car, but they could have given it more range. Especially considering that its build on a dedicated EV platform while the Peugeot shares its platform with the ICE versions.
Market, Honda aims for old couple that already retired.
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta
Blimey, that's heavier than an old ford Granada! What's it made of ? Lead?
@@IslaSprollie I prefer to use the lock button located next to the tailgate opening switch as I pass the rear of the e. Press once to lock, and then again within 5 seconds to activate the deadlocks. Less faffing than it is with the door handles.🙂
@@sib4897 Brilliant advice. I’ll try it out today. I didn’t know it was there. I had a keyless Mazda 3 Sport (2010) until a year ago. It has a lock button in the centre of the drivers side rear lights. Brilliant design, as you naturally rolled out of the car, shut the door, the momentum carried to the rear of the car. I’d hit the button in the lights and be on my way without stopping. Genius design. Hopefully the button in the Honda’s tailgate will prove nearly as good. Thank you 😊
That’s the coolest looking EV yet made, that thing will make the Instagram kids go nuts.
You mean tik tok gen z kids.
Instagram is for the 30yo+ millennials
I think the Tesla model S looks better than this.
@@enriquealomia6399 The Ioniq 5 is by far the best new design, great blend of retro and futuristic at the same time!
Porsche Taycan and etron gt.....
The design is a lot more inspired than the competitors but it looks like the Mini had a bastard child with a Fiat.
I've had a Honda e for three weeks. Done 1500 miles in it, as our Citroen Nemo van died (the 'sealed for life' timing chain snapped). I've only had to rapid charge it once (via Instavolt, painless and er.. rapid). It is absolutely fantastic, a bundle of joy and wouldn't go back to ICE. Our Kangoo EV has now arrived two days ago and that too is brilliant, if very basic. The screens, design, tech, drivetrain in the Honda are all good. Only thing I don't like is getting it to lock via the door handle sensors but still easier and quicker than getting the remote out for my old fiesta
That front lighting unit looks amazing
I agree that 100 or so miles is fine for the majority of journeys. The issue is that odd time you need to go 80 miles to pick someone up and then go another 60 miles to an appointment in winter with the heater on. Sure, if you set off earlier you could stop on route and charge but it's less convenient and requires that you (and anyone else you're transporting) make allowances and set off a couple of hours earlier. People won't give up convenience unless it comes with some major upsides, and despite this being a lovely little car, it doesn't do enough to offset that inconvenience (especially at that price).
Yeah. And how many friends would be ok with frequently stopping to charge, even if you had a gaming console or PC to play or watch movies during a road trip? Love the appearance of this. But if I was into cars over bikes, and was to have one of these, I would put a small generator in it, making it a Series Hybrid.
“Honda went with the philosophy of less is more.”
Proceeds to have screens for everything....
Less in this case is more expensive and too heavy along with the poor range.
Use 2 screens instead of 3 and remove those fancy camera door mirror and install the normal one and same for rear view mirror. I think maybe 4-6 grand can be saved bringing this car 20-22 grand.
The mirrors I'd keep, the amount of drag regular ones generate is astounding that's only gonna reduce range, other than that I agree
@@Cam_Wight It's a city car lol. The drag of the mirrors would have literally zero impact on range at sub-50 kph speeds.
Needs to end up 10-12
They have been baked into the R&D from the beginning and Honda’s component costs for the screens and cameras you want to remove is probably way under 1k.
It is part of what makes the E unique - start taking stuff like that away and you might as well have a Honda Leaf
@@scottstarck293 Yeah I'm also thinking that those components are sub 1K
"Sorry kids we can't can't see the family ever again cos daddy wanted 7 screens in the car, so he had to skimp a little bit on the fuel tank"
If you could splice the body work and interior of this onto the GR Yaris (probs with some serious flared rear arches to accommodate the Corolla rear axle) you would have the ultimate mini JDM hothatch...
Saw one today on the street and the miss and I were immediately impressed. Then we saw the price tag and started looking at model 3 Tesla again haha
I live in USA i wish they brought it here. How do it looks? Is it beautiful in person?
If for some reason it could fit closer to 200 miles of range in it, then I'd say that this is a really good deal fir 26k. But since actual useable range is about 100 miles, you'll driving less/spending more time looking for chargers
Reminds me of the ‘91 Civic hatch that disrupted the whole auto industry.
I still remember sitting in the back of my uncle’s civic
Did you have legs? I remember looking into one and then getting into a Morris 1100.and stretching out in the back.
I so, so wish we got these in the US. It's literally the only new car I would set foot in a dealer for, AND I have a 50 mile daily commute round trip!
No problem if you've got the space to charge at home. With an EV it's plugged in every night so you're going to have 100 miles or so available every day so that 50 miles commute is easy ... and it's a comfortable car with everything you need.
This video gives me old top gear vibes. Also the intro is wonderful
2:08 I’ve got a wheel at each corner feels squat feels agile. “Slightly fishtails and has to break to gain control around corner”
Effective range about 85 miles in winter according to Autoexpress...... probably signals high depreciation.
dreadful mile range, hugely puts me off.
Saw these on the roads & had no idea what it is, looks great but my god the pricing is insane. £38K+ is Tesla & other top EV range. Honda could literally conquer an entire market if was priced £18k-£25k. They forecast to sell 10k units in Europe but only sold 3.5k in 2021....frankly it serves Honda right for screwing the pricing/getting the model wrong.
Nice idea but it's got to be a tiny potential market with that range (knock 1/3 off in the real world) and price.
I LOVE the screens stretching all the way across. I think all cars should have that
Such a beautiful car... And such a crazy price.
I respect their "Let's do a short-range, small, fun quirky electric car for the cities" attitude. But then they price it as the most expensive car in their range. Why? Why? Why?
It's like they're charging a 10k premium for the design. And that's steep.
I love it, I wish we had cars like this in the US.
The issue with the car is that all people eventually will need to do at one point that 1 in 100 longer trip. And they will buy a car thinking of that one time you need to get to the airport in on charge, so in the end a bigger range is important
Existing tech yes, but the sum of all it's creative and original little parts adds up to something quite special, unique and fun
Wow it looks nice. Very retro Mini cooper vibes!!! I always hated on electric car designs, but if they all follow this path of philosophy down the road that'd be a huge improvement.
Completed a 350 mile trip in my 1999 Rover 214 and didn't need stop at all
Awesome review again.... Honda is a company of engineers, other companies are about accounting, some are more about style and materials and less about quality, fit and finish.
Engineers do not usually come out with impractical overweight cars that have poor range and cost too much.
@@barrierodliffe4155 the company does, that they work for...many don't realize the reason some Honda vehicles are heavier than some competitors, it's because they use more steel to create thinner Pilars but not compromise safety. Also, the cars are engineered to last a very long time and so tuned that way as well.
@@TheKingkingg
Sure and that is why there are so many old Hondas around, Honda make cars to last as short a time as they can, as for safety I would not trust Honda to know much about safety, trying to do things on the cheap to make as much money as possible is more likely. Only fools are taken in by Honda.
I love the Honda E. Someone living down the road from me has one and it looks great !
2:40 that put a smile on my face. That's what cars should be about.
Shout out to all the petrol heads out there!
Actually, my first impression of the looks was that it was very reminiscent of the 1st. generation Civic. I loved that car! Absolutely adored it!
Japanese really know how to be humble yet beautiful. And that's what grace is.
I bet if they‘d put conventional mirrors and no screens everyone would complain about it not being modern enough. Cracking little car, this. Prices will drop soon, and it will remain a great car for a long long time. Great job, Honda.
Honda shouldn’t be surprised when this sells poorly when they want you to pay £30,000 for low range ev just because it has lots of tech. It feels more like a concept they’re trying to sell in low numbers than a car for the masses
You answered your question - who said every car has to sell by the millions !!
It’ll only be brought by people who’s lifestyle it suits. Certainly not a car meant for everyone and that’s a good thing. I bet people who dislike this would happily pay the same money and accept the blandness of a golf just because they wouldn’t look beyond the ‘just in case’ scenarios.
@@davidline2454 I would pay less for a much better car. Most of my driving is around town but I want a car that will be useable on the many occasions I go further than 50 miles from home. I am quite realistic but the best range of the Honda is a fail, another 50 miles might just work. Another 100 miles would. I also need a car that I can pick up things bigger than a vacuum cleaner.
I like the concept so much better. Especially the wheels.
The Nodd-E
4:11 That is a bold statement, because Saab and Citroёn were quite innovative too.
I have no problem with a 100-mile battery (or even smaller) so long as there is a tiny internal combustion engine with just enough power to sustain 70 mph while trickle-charging the battery. But it needs to be cheap.
BMW tried that with the i3 REx, but realised no one ever actually used petrol in it so discontinued it.
@@TheRichardHonor I suspect it was just poorly timed and placed in the market. It cost nearly £40,000, and primarily bought by wealthy city dewllers. Not exactly the mass market situations that Honda hatchmack owners have.
Completely agree. Brilliant review as always. Honda knows how to bring the best, the newest to the table. This just doesn't cut it. Neither does the new Integra. As a Honda fan I'm quite sad to say this.
I'd love some reviews of this car a lot later, after it's been out for a while. I think we all know Honda will be a LOT better at quality control than Tesla.
would like to see one of the guys from the old trio review the honda e, the new trio is alright but I miss my boys
Gorgeous
🤢 🤮
It is inspired in the Honda N600 mini car from the 70’s! I am buying a Honda Z600 key car tomorrow and I am so exited 😍
I’ve been saying this for nearly a decade, I want an EV hot hatch as a daily!
Seriously. Electric GTI. Come on, VW, give us the goods!
Honda making a huge mistake not selling this in the US
No money in it right now. We're still petrolheads.
There's a reason why they didn't name it 'Civic E'.
Ford should learn something from this.
actually its a right name as civic was small common people hatchback.
Ford could learn how not to get it completely wrong. Honda have well and truly stuffed up on this one.
My mate's got one and I got to drive it this afternoon, I can't stop smiling, it's a really fun car
I am smiling because I didn't waste money on the useless thing.
A Honda e for day to day zipping around on lease, and a big petrol barge for the long range stuff and occasional hoon.
1:45 what's that song? I've definitely heard it before
I just don’t understand the price
Batteries are expensive, and it looks "premium" on the outside.
@@flammablewater1755 I get that but the Zoe has more batteries for less money, I get their logic, less batteries = less cost but it’s not cheaper
1:05 "less than 1% of journeys in the UK are longer than 100 miles"
umm, yes, but if I make a journey that's 50 miles long, i need to be able to drive another 50 miles back to my house again to actually charge the car...
You have a choice between 2 cars of the same price:
Tesla model 3: 260miles of range, seats 5 , 2 trunks and is very fast.
Honda : Kawaii
What are you talking about? tesla 3 costs 15k € more where i live
@@racak5 well that sucks for you pal. The point is that this little car is overpriced.
Base Model 3 starts at £40,000 in the UK
One gizmo to keep is the 240v AC socket, very useful if it will power a kettle for the picnic.
TeslaBjorn powered a microwave in it on his test,and it was up to (slow) charging HIS Tesla..
Its a perfect city commuter car, yeah it's little expensive but so are all of other cool EVs at this time. Besides the amount of money you will say in gas and maintenance in 5yrs will most likely with be a wash IMO.
Why not save money now and buy a better car with more range and more room for less money?
Thank you for the candor Chris! Refreshing.
In winter real life range will be around 100 miles....but you always need to have a reserve, so it's down to say 85 miles. But with battery degradation that might in a few years leave 75 miles or real range left. Why make your life so difficult, stressful and impractical for 26,000 pounds?
Zealotry. These ignoramuses were around in the early 2000s too.
LOL that's just wrong. It's a 100 miles guaranteed car even in the cold and wet. Battery degradation won't be much for 100,000 miles. After that then yeah down to 80 miles.
@@Neojhun BS
I remember seeing this back when it was first revealed. I thought it was a concept car only, never knew it went to production till today
99% of all journeys are under 100 miles but no one wants to charge their car after every single journey.
Totally, I've got an i3 with 190 mile range (on fantasy paper figures), real world 110-150 miles on daily commute and it's not quite enough to last the week so slightly irritating. On a B-road long drive at 50mph in Summer can get near the quoted figures but my next electric car will need more range, not less.
Yes he needs to say 100 miles per day rather than in an individual trip. Still wouldn't suit everyone but a 100 mile a day car will suit 90%+. To make it totally comfortable you would want home charging so you can always have it topped up for the morning. I agree that it would be a pain if you had to go somewhere to charge the car every day.
Honda should make a version of this w a b16, b18, or k20... 8000+ rpm w a close ratio manual. Just like they should have done w the CRZ. Please.
Waiting for someone to ICE convert one of these! 🤞😁
It's gorgeous, fresh, looks and sounds fun, but too expensive for most to buy.
An expensive city car, it looks great though, but the price is a killer unless you have too much money for sense, and on the Gov £3k incentive it is now £2500 and is going to drop again next year, by time I can afford an EV there won't be an incentive.
I think sometimes auto makers just do something for practice. Running a few thousand cars through the whole process, exercise the suppliers, see what problems come up on the production lines, see which dealers want to try something new, see what dealers will get their techs trained up, see what the reliability of the batteries is and how they age. But you don't want too much exposure in case you have to replace a bunch of stuff under warranty, so you don't want to sell too many of them. They're just testing the waters but don't want to lose too much money doing it.
For GM the EV1 and the Volt and the Spark EV and the Bolt all have "don't sell too many" markers. Right or wrong, they probably think they can really move fully to EV when they have to and no sooner.
This would make a great kennel. I would buy one if I lived in a city and it was maybe 20K and I was human.
Wondered why it wasn't available in the US. The short range definitely helps explain that.
Honda E....... Expensive!
Yes I said the same in my review: th-cam.com/video/n6ynh6TaYPc/w-d-xo.html It’s not a cheap car.
Irrespective of the specific car, all what is presented here about range and use and consumerism is 100% correct. The entire industry should lean in on this, but then the “range wars” at the $100k level will be exposed as nonsense. Let’s put charging time and efficiency up top. Maybe a total ecological cost factor, if we could get agreement on what that would be.
The only problem is the range. If it was 26k but had even 230 miles of range then it’s justifiable because it’s a city car you can go on a little trip outside the city in. Forcing it to have 130 miles means you cant do that and makes the price an issue
hey, I’ve actually driven this car!! it’s pretty great. The steering is too light for my taste, the range is fine if you have another car but abysmal if you don’t.
3:09 bloody hell, that's a relic of reference lol.
feel like it will be a future classic, so cool
1:23 try arguing that with my South Asian family. I DARE YOU!
That's correct you don't "need" that much battery and range ... Until you do. You see, you buy a car so it is fit for any purpose you might throw at it. So sometimes having a huge battery can and might be handy and if you are ditching petrol completely, is almost a must.
Honda seem to be inspired by the modern art.
I love the design, Honda should make a petrol powered one.
I saw one this morning driving to work, driving next to my car. First thing that puzzled me was the lack of side mirrors. I had to try google it as soon as I got to work to see what's the mystery behind it.
Hell yeah it's been close to a year from other reviews and finally a harris video!
I disagree with saying that its bad because it doesn't innovate. I think that's actually a pretty good strategy , with innovation comes uncertainty and that pretty clothes that's wrapped around a tried and true tech is enough for almost everyone to love it and buy and keep it for the rest of their life.
Thanks Top Gear, and Chris. Back when you dropped the 1:30 bs teaser we got salty about it, and here’s the real review. Love the car! When you have good design, you don’t need too much of it.
Take off all the tech and you'd have a winner for me. I've already got a smartphone that can do pretty much everything the car computer can do, so provided it has Bluetooth for the stereo and knobs for the heater I'd be happy.
Also, since when is 0-60 in 8 seconds slow? maybe compared to a modern sports car, but for a small hatchback that's quick.
Not gonna lie, the interior view camera somehow look like those 80's car chase scene.