• Able to charge in 30 mins
• But only on a rapid charger
• Range little more than 100 miles

What are the running costs?

The Honda e should prove cheap to run, thanks to zero road tax in the UK and other incentives designed to encourage electric cars. Ultimately, how much it costs to charge will depend on when and how frequently you charge up.

Is a claimed 137 miles enough range for a car costing more than £30k? Regrettably, we don’t think so – not when cars such as the similarly priced Renault Zoe will reliably manage more than 200 miles on a charge with no problem. Of course, it comes down to individual need – but for most drivers, we suspect the restricted range of the Honda e relegates it to second-car duty.

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Helping quash range anxiety, though, is a very accurate ‘range remaining’ metre – we found it provided a realistic prediction, so you really can run the e right down to near-zero without panicking that your range will drop off suddenly like an iPhone.

When you need to plug in, the e can be trickle-charged via a regular three-pin plug in just under 19 hours. We do not recommend this! Instead, install or visit a Type 2 charger and it will take 4.1 hours – or, even better, use a public rapid charger for a full recharge in around 30 minutes.

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You can even set up a ‘digital key’ whereby another user (with access granted by the owner) can use the car without needing the physical key. It’s all done via permission and a code via an app, shared to the extra driver by the owner.

Servicing and warranty

The Honda e needs servicing every 10,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes sooner. There should be fewer moving parts and mechanical elements to maintain, so don’t expect huge bills.

All Honda cars come with a standard three-year warranty, covering all manufacturing faults. In addition the electric Honda e has its main EV battery guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Reliability

• Good reputation for Honda
• No known faults to look for
• But still relatively unproven

It’s quite difficult to predict how reliable the Honda e will be over time. It’s new territory for Honda with its all-electric powertrain and new interior components, but the firm has a solid reputation for building dependable cars. We expect the Honda e to be reliable, therefore; few brands have such an enviable reputation for not going wrong.

That said, one of our test cars suffered a failed 12-volt battery – and we’ve heard of this fault on other Honda e models too. Thankfully, the main 35kWh EV battery has proved robust and fault-free according to our data. A recall was issued in 2021 for early cars whose seatbelt warning reminder was not showing correctly.