The new Honda e:Ny1 is the brand’s first electric SUV, with an official range of more than 250 miles. Here's everything else you need to know about it...
On sale: January 2024 | Price from: £45,000 (est)
Bands that explode onto the scene often struggle to follow-up their initial success, but there are exceptions, with ‘Nevermind’, ‘Back to Black’ and ‘21’ all being second albums that turned out to be more successful than their predecessors. So, which path is the Honda e:Ny1 – the Japanese brand’s second mainstream electric car – destined to follow?
Well, the fact that the e:Ny1 is an electric SUV could certainly be a big factor in winning over buyers, with the class being one of the fastest-growing out there. The BYD Atto 3, Nissan Ariya and Smart #1 are just some of the more recent additions, for example, and they will be some of the e:Ny1’s closest competition.
One factor that will help the e:Ny1 appeal is its range between charges, because the e:Ny1 can officially travel for up to 256 miles with its 61.9kWh (usable) battery. That’s much farther than the 137 miles the Honda E can officially cover between charges.
While the e:Ny1’s official range is more than those of some rivals (including the 63kWh Nissan Ariya and the Peugeot e-2008), it’s still not as good as you’ll get with the Kia Niro EV and Smart #1. It’s also worth noting that other rivals, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota bZ4X, are available with larger batteries, which increase their range, whereas the e:Ny1 will be offered with just the one battery.
Powering the e:Ny1 is a single electric motor that produces 201bhp and 229lb ft of torque, giving a 0-62mph time of 7.7sec. All versions are front-wheel drive.
With a maximum charging rate of 78kW, boosting the battery from 10-80% should take around 45 minutes with a public fast charger – on par with the Niro EV but slower than the e-2008 (which has a smaller battery) can manage.
At first glance, you might be thinking that the e:Ny1 looks suspiciously like the HR-V family SUV. However, there are some key differences to separate the two stylistically, including a closed-off grille, white Honda badging (a new feature on Honda’s electric cars) and ‘Honda’ being spelt out across the tailgate (in place of the firm’s traditional badge).
Inside, there are much bigger changes compared with the HR-V. Specifically, the e:Ny1 gets a large, 15.1in portrait-style infotainment screen that sits in the centre of the dashboard. This is much larger than the 9.0in screen that you get in the HR-V, although the integration of the climate controls into the touchscreen will make them more distracting to use while driving. The driver gets a 10.25in digital instrument panel, which is similar to what you’ll find in the HR-V, albeit with a different layout.
With almost identical dimensions to the HR-V, we can expect the e:Ny1 to have similar space inside for occupants. That means that leg and head room up front should be plentiful, although head room in the back could be limited by the sloping roofline.
Sadly, the flip-up rear ‘Magic Seats’ that you get in the HR-V and Honda Jazz will not be offered. This is because the seat bases are thicker in the e:Ny1. Still, the rear seatbacks split 60/40 and fold down if you wish to carry longer items.
In the boot, the e:Ny1 should hold around 300 litres of space – enough for a weekly shop or weekend holiday luggage. For comparison, the Niro EV can carry 475 litres of space and the e-2008 434 litres. Unlike the Niro EV, there’s no extra storage space under the bonnet.
All versions of the e:Ny1 come with a battery heat pump (which helps to reduce the heater and air-con’s impact on range by better regulating interior temperature), as well as wireless Apple Carplay and wired Android Auto.
Pricing for the e:Ny1 is expected to start from around £45,000 when it goes on sale later this year. That would make it slightly more expensive than the Niro EV (from £37,295) and e-2008 (from £35,900).
Keyword: 2023 Honda e:Ny1 revealed