Honda E : Shockingly good all-electric car

Link motoring correspondent Leigh Robinson reports on the Honda E

Well, we’ve been awaiting this car for the last three years and it’s quite magnificent.

The all-electric Honda E is now with us and while it’s expensive there will be plenty of customers queuing up to buy one.

It has a range of around 120 miles and there are two models. The basic model is £26,660 while the E Advance, with more kit, comes in at £29,160. If you are looking at finance then you have to find £250 per month.

While it’s more expensive than the Skoda Citigo-e, the Renault Zoe and the electric MINI, it is at the top of the quality tree and certain to be at the top of the reliability tree as well.

But how does it handle? And the answer is pretty well.

It has the characteristics of electric cars - instant acceleration and no engine noise. The Advance model has the more powerful 154PS motor and it is quick enough, zooming around town.

The electric motor is in the back, driving the rear wheels with the batteries under the floor making the Honda E quick off the mark. It has a tight turning circle, it's easy to park and Honda is proud of its 50:50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity.

Drivers have two selectable drive modes and there is also a single-pedal mode which, with some careful driving, means you can resort to one-pedal driving.

It’ll slow the car down as soon as you lift off the accelerator, pumping energy back into the battery and preventing you from having to use the brakes around town. It's enough thrust to guarantee a 0-62mph dash in nine seconds for the less powerful E, and 8.0sec for the more powerful Honda E Advance. Top speed is 100mph.

A quick top up at a 50kW public charger will take the E’s battery to 80 per cent in around half an hour, while a 7.4kW home wallbox will top it up to full in a little over four hours.

Charging it using a standard three-pin socket takes just under 19 hours.