Honda · 2020–2024

Honda e

The Honda e is a battery electric car that was manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda and sold in Japan from 2020 to 2024 and in Europe from 2020 to 2023. It is a supermini with a five-door hatchback design and a battery-electric powertrain that drives the rear wheels. The vehicle is styled with a retro look reminiscent of the first-generation Civic. It was previewed by the 2017 Urban EV Concept with the production version first shown publicly in 2019.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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History

The Urban EV Concept, first shown in 2017, was styled by Yuki Terai (exterior) and Fumihiro Yaguchi (interior) to evoke friendly and comforting feelings in prospective owners. Press coverage of the Urban EV Concept's styling called it "an adorable homage to some of Honda's first small cars, such as the diminutive Civic hatchbacks of the 1970s" and compared it to other urban cars originally introduced in the 1970s and early 1980s, including the Volkswagen Golf and Polo, Peugeot 205, Fiat 126 and 127, and the Honda's N600, pointing out similarities to the styling of the concept vehicle's predecessor, the EV-N concept. The pre-production car (named the Honda e) had its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019. Its styling is an evolution of the 2017 Urban EV Concept; Honda equipped the 2019 prototype with flush-mounted door handles and compact rear-view cameras on each side to simplify its profile and to improve aerodynamics. To facilitate charging from either side, the charging port is located in the middle of the car's bonnet (hood). The final production version of the e made its world debut at IAA 2019 in September 2019, held in Frankfurt, Germany. Unlike the layout of the Urban EV Concept, which was a three-door hatchback, the production version is available only as a five-door model. Its name was confirmed by Honda in May 2019. On 10 September 2019, Honda announced prices would start at €29,470 for the base model with the 100 kW motor (including local government subsidy) in Germany and £26,160 with a subsidy in the UK. The more powerful "Advance" grade would start at €32,470 in Germany and £28,660 in the UK with the uprated 113 kW motor. Deliveries began in summer 2020. Honda's stated their goal was to solely offer electrified powertrains in all mainstream E

Design

The e project was led by Kohei Hitomi; the exterior styling team was led by Ken Sahara and the interior styling team was led by Akinori Myoui. According to Hitomi, the e faced significant resistance from within the company; other executives, concerned about the vehicle's range, argued that a larger battery was needed, but the project team insisted on using a smaller battery to complement the vehicle's small size and urban use. The positive feedback from the Urban EV Concept led to the approval of the production car. Chassis. The e uses a dedicated rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive electric vehicle platform, to facilitate agility and compact proportions for the urban market. The water-cooled battery pack is carried within the wheelbase of the car, below the floor to provide a 50/50 weight distribution and a low centre of gravity. Driving the rear wheels eliminates torque steer. Agility is aided by torque vectoring. The rear-drive also enables the front wheels to have a greater steering articulation, resulting in a turning radius (at wheel centre) of approximately 4.3 metres (14 ft), or 4.6 metres (15 ft) at the body, i.e. a turning circle of 9.2 metres (30 ft), 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) wider than the 7.6 metres (25 ft) turning radius of the famous London black cabs. The platform features MacPherson strut independent suspension for each wheel. Powertrain. The e features an electric motor at the rear, offering a power output of either 100 or 113 kW (134 or 152 hp); both variants offer 315 N⋅m (232 lb⋅ft) of torque. According to Honda testing, the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 8.3 seconds. The e offers a 'Sport Mode' to sharpen acceleration response and can be driven in 'Single Pedal Control' mode, where releasing the accelerator will engage the regenerati

Reception

Reception, in general, was positive due to the retro styling and mix of design and functionality. However, it was criticized for its limited range and high price. Starting on 20 May 2019, customers in the UK and selected European markets (Germany, France and Norway) could place an order with an £800 (or equivalent) refundable deposit and Honda received over 25,000 expressions of interest across Europe, of which 6,500 came from the UK. By September, Honda had received 40,000 expressions of interest. Reviewing the e Prototype for Car, Jake Groves wrote that it demonstrated "how electric cars should drive" with a caveat that the test drive took place on a test track in Germany. The "low-ish available range and expected-to-be-lofty price tag" were expected to put the car at a disadvantage compared to entry-level EV rivals such as the Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Kona Electric, and Kia e-Niro. James Attwood, reviewing for Autocar, wrote the e Prototype has "nimble handling that fits its credentials as a versatile urban runaround — while offering the sort of fun driving response that should keep anyone already won over by the car's style happy." Awards. The Honda e won "Red Dot: Best of the Best 2020" in the automobile category. It was named the overall "German Car of the Year" for 2021, becoming the first Japanese car to win the award. At the 2021 World Car Awards, it won the "World Urban Car of the Year" award.

Sales

Honda expected to sell around 1,000 units annually in the Japanese market, and around 10,000 units annually in the European market. The car was not sold in the US market.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Honda e
Manufacturer: Honda
Production: October 2020 – January 2024
Designer: Ken Sahara (exterior), Akinori Myoui (interior)
Assembly: Japan: Yorii, Saitama (Saitama plant)
Class: Subcompact car/supermini (B)
Body style: 5-door hatchback
Layout: Rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive
Transmission: 1-speed fixed gear
Battery: 35.5kWh lithium-ion
Electric range: 220 km
Wheelbase: 2530 mm
Length: 3894 mm
Width: 1752 mm
Height: 1503 mm
Kerb weight: 1513 -
Predecessor: Honda EV Plus
Successor: Honda Super-One / Super-N

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64151961CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_eCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1355666417 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honda_e.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Spielvogel For a gallery of some more of my uploaded pictures you may see: here. · retrieved 2026-10-01
Manufacturer website (link only) — https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/new/honda-e/overview.htmlLink only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.