Honda e:Ny1 Review (2023-present)

What is the Honda e:Ny1?

Honda has been slow to join the electric car race. It started with the fantastically cool yet short-range and slow selling Honda e back in 2020. Now, with the e having been axed, Honda is hanging its electric hopes on the slick-looking, family-friendly e:Ny1.

The e:Ny1 is just under 4.4m long – that’s a touch shorter than a Nissan Qashqai, yet a fraction longer than the Honda HR-V that you may also be tempted by if you’re in the market for an efficient family crossover. The e:NY1 is only offered with one powertrain, which consists of a 201bhp electric motor and front-wheel drive, and manages a 256-mile WLTP range from its 61.9kWh (usable) lithium-ion NMC battery. Total battery capacity comes in at 68.8kWh.

There are only a couple of trims, so it’s a simple lineup to navigate, if not a cheap one. Prices start from around £45,000, which puts the Honda up against a whole raft of other electric SUVs and hatchbacks, including the Tesla Model Y, Skoda Enyaq, Toyota bZ4X, Hyundai Kona and Ioniq 5, Kia Niro EV and EV6, Volvo EX30, VW ID.5, Renault Scenic E-Tech, Peugeot E-3008, Volkswagen ID.3 and more. It’s not without competition, let’s put it that way…

How practical is it?

There’s no easy way to put this: the Honda e:NY1 is not as practical as it should be. Sure, there’s decent rear passenger space - although you’ll have more in the Renault Scenic E-Tech. The real problem is that the boot isn’t big enough for an electric family crossover like this. In fact, with only 361 litres to its name, it has less boot space than in a VW Golf. It’s also a shorter boot than you get in the Kia Niro EV, and is vastly smaller than what you’ll find in the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y.

There are also no clever tricks with the Honda’s interior – no sliding seats, not even 40/20/40 split folding rear seats or a through-loading facility. This is likely to be a deal breaker for quite a few family buyers who might be tempted by the Honda’s styling and tech but will be disappointed by the luggage space and shortage of interior versatility.

There’s plenty of space up front even for tall drivers, and visibility is decent all-round (which is a rarity in most modern cars), although a bit more lower back support for the driver wouldn’t go amiss.

What’s it like to drive?

The Honda e:NY1 is fast enough on paper, with a 7.7sec 0-62mph time. But when we pitted the Honda against the Kia Niro EV, it was noticeable that the Kia – which gets an identical power output – felt more muscular and also had better traction. The Honda is a bit prone to scrabbling its front wheels in damp or wet conditions, even though its performance is adequate rather than scorching.

Still, steering weight is good and makes the Honda feel easy to place on the road, while brake regeneration is controlled via paddles on the steering wheel and can be toggled from heavier settings to virtually off.

There are drive modes, including Sport, but don’t be fooled: this Honda is about as sporty as a custard cream. Ride comfort is fine, though – spongy yet well-controlled enough to not feel floppy and boat-like, even if you’ll still feel the sharper-edged potholes and ruts around town.

Overall, the Honda e:Ny1 is somewhat uninspiring to drive, even by the relatively low bar set by other electric crossovers.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Honda e:NY1 gets a huge 15.1-inch colour touchscreen in the centre of the dash, the top half of which is for the satnav and infotainment readout while the rest is for shortcuts, menu navigation and climate control. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and It’s an impressive-looking screen with big shortcut icons that are easy to prod precisely when you’re driving. There’s also a 10-inch driver’s readout, and a whole suite of safety features including a semi-autonomous drive mode, emergency brake assist and more. The top-spec Advance model also gets a semi-autonomous park assist system that’ll steer the car into a space for you.

You also get a panoramic glass roof, a heated steering wheel, and a 360-degree reversing camera on Advance, but the price really is hard to justify. We say stick with entry-level Elegance as it still gets heated seats, synthetic leather upholstery, electric front seat adjustment, wireless phone charging and more. It is a great standard specification.

Honda e:NY1 running costs

We’ve already covered the fact that the Honda is expensive on list price, not to mention overrun with rivals – which is why we were going to give it two stars, here. However, most will buy on monthly PCP finance and Honda is already heavily discounting the e:Ny1, so you don’t need a huge deposit or price trade-in car to get monthly costs of £350 and under.

That is competitive and is rivalling MG for costs, so while we’ve been harsh on the Honda given its list price, if you can get the right finance deal, opting for this left-field model in the electric family crossover class could save you hundreds per month over some of the rivals we’ve mentioned. And at that point, its comparably middling range and small boot will be easier to justify.

As a cash purchase or company car, though, the Honda is straight up unjustifiable. And it’s not the most efficient, so we’d estimate that it’ll average around 3.0 miles per kWh over the year, meaning that electricity costs will come in at around 10p per mile if you’re paying the current electricity price cap of 29p/kWh. A more efficient EV that averages 3.5m/kWh will cost 8p per mile.

At the time of writing, Honda was also throwing in five years of servicing for free on the e:Ny1, but on a more routine basis expect it to cost roughly £400 for a three-year fixed price service package.

Honda e:NY1 reliability

Honda came a very decent 6th out of 32 brands included in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, when rated as an overall manufacturer, while the e:Ny1 itself is too new to have been rated. It comes with a five-year, 90,000-mile warranty while the battery is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles. Those are good numbers, even if Kia offers a longer warranty at seven years and 100,000 miles. By any standard, the Honda is very likely to be a dependable and hassle-free family car.