Honda e:Ny1 review: A crazy name for an ordinary car
It’s a tall order on every front and Honda is going to have to roll its sleeves up. Moreover, I’m not sure where Honda’s traditional engineering-led approach will stand it, given that just about every Chinese brand is angling to get into the anodyne family hatchback market and that sector is becoming rapidly commodified with cars that have all the appeal of a new refrigerator. This market is a price battleground.
The e:Ny1 is a nice enough job and it drives well, if a bit stiffly. While some folk won’t like that it is built in China, it seems a little unfair to single Honda out for that.
But where’s the helping hand for Honda’s conservative first-time EV customers coming into this affray? There’s no central recharge account to ease the pain of charging on the go and no Honda branded wall box so they can charge at home, just an e:progress charging system that can save you money by timing the charging at home to off-peak hours.
Somehow, the proposition of this first proper Honda EV just doesn’t seem generous enough to make it much of a contender - and the entirely stupid name doesn’t help, either.
The facts
On test: Honda e:Ny1 Advance
Body style: five-door SUV
On sale: October for January deliveries
How much? From £44,995, £47,195 as tested in Advance trim
How fast? 100mph, 0-62mph in 7.6sec
How economical? 3.72mpkWh (WLTP Combined), 3.51mpkWh on test
Electric powertrain: 68.8 gross / 61.9kWh usable Lithium-ion NMC battery, self-exciting DC electric motor, front-wheel drive.
Electric range: 256 miles (WLTP)
Maximum power/torque: 201bhp/408bhp
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (in use), 34.6g/km (well-to-wheel)
VED: £0
Warranty: 5 years 90,000 miles
The rivals
After recent price cuts the base Model Y is down to £44,990, with its 283-mile range, 135mph top speed and 6.6 sec 0-62mph acceleration. Huge inside and stark with its centre touchscreen and little else. Access to the Tesla Supercharger network, but that isn’t free. Fast but it rides like a piano on a stone staircase.