Honda e:Ny1 Elegance – Road Test

Honda has just raised its game in the burgeoning Battery Electric Vehicle battle in Britain, as Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) explains…

Earlier this year it rolled out its family focussed e:Ny1 in two trim levels.

The Elegance opens the range from just under £40,000 and comes with heated front seats and 15.1-inch infotainment screen while for just over £2,000 more the Advance version gains a heated steering wheel, parking system and large glass sunroof.

Now, Honda has updated the retail offer for the e:Ny1 electric vehicle whether leasing or buying on HP through Honda finance before the end of September 2024.

The e:Ny1 can now be purchased from £349.00 per month, with 0% APR Representative and a £3,500 Honda Deposit Contribution. This offer is available from now until the 30th September 2024. It also comes with a Five Year Care Package also included with e:Ny1, which includes five-year service plan, five-year warranty and five-year roadside assistance.

So it seemed the right time to evaluate the entry-level Elegance after a week with the Advance a few months ago.

Honda flirted with its city-car sized e model a few years ago but its limited passenger capacity and range worked against it and the much larger e:Ny1 will take the Japanese firm’s fight to the chargers in future and this is crucial for Honda.

SUVs like the e:Ny1 now account for over half of UK registrations and all manufacturers must sell 22% of their range with electric power or face enormous financial penalties of £15,000 per vehicle so the rush is on to come up with affordable models which customers want to buy.

Buyers of the e:Ny1 – nicknamed the Honda Anyone – get e:progress, an over-the-air charging management programme which works with existing home chargers to always use lower costs, clean and green-energy at off-peak times and there is a special deal for a customer fitting a home charger for the first time.

That’s important because home charging attracts just a 5% VAT rate compared to almost four times that percentage when boosted from a public charge point. We experienced a fault with the Honda domestic charging cable and appreciated having the higher capacity cable to use on public charging points, although we had to pay more for the power, of course.

The Advance we tested showed a 180 miles range, well below the 256 miles suggested by Honda, but the Elegance was good for about 240 miles running mostly in the Eco mode and only briefly using Normal or Sport settings. It really makes a difference to the distance possible by selecting a particular mode and the very intelligent charging and regeneration system worked seamlessly and successfully.

It becomes a single pedal operation through the throttle if you select Eco and the deceleration is strongest which does away with the need to apply the footbrake every time.

The ease of driving begins with moving off: Simply push the start button, select the direction you want to move, depress the accelerator and steer away. The power mode button is separate and there is an electronic parking brake.

Inside, the room was good for four or five with plenty of headroom and seats adjustment which included heating elements infront.

Bootspace was reasonable even when the backrests were in place but they quickly dropped to more than triple capacity and it was easy to load. Oddments’ space was fair.

The seats’ access was straightforward and they were very cushioning, absorbing any stray bump which outsmarted the suspension. Road noise was always noticeable due to the very low motor whine and absence of wind wuffle.

The smoothness of the acceleration and braking was matched with that of the steering and its good turning circle. The low slung battery pack aided roadholding, and the handling was safe and surefooted.

On the move, the Honda’s driver safety assist systems kept the car on the straight and narrow, warned of vehicles ahead and overtaking and even adjusted to speed limits it detected. Parking assist would be useful for some as well.

There is a big 15.1-inch infotainment screen in the fascia centre and it does many things, some may say too many, which is potentially distracting, but all well displayed.

The regular driver focussed instruments in their 10-inch screen were simple and very clear, with secondary controls close to hand.

Visibility was quite good with low waistline, big windows, excellent wipers/ wash but the headlights were not particularly far-sighted or wide-spread beams.

VERDICT

With the latest financial incentives, the new Honda e:Ny1 Elegance is an attractive entry-level newcomer providing a comfortable, roomy, sophisticated and well-engineered choice and a reasonable but not exceptional fully-charged range.

For: Very comfortable and refined, roomy, well equipped.

Against: Average range, road and suspension noises, weak lights.

© WheelsWithinWales