Honda E review

It's rare that a tiny five-door hatchback generates massive excitement, but when pictures of the Honda E were first released there was a fevered clamour for more details.

Its cutesy, retro styling turned heads and dropped jaws at motor shows, with onlookers admiring its curvy shape, circular headlight design and gloss black exterior cladding. In fact, there was a general impression that Honda had taken design inspiration from a much-missed bygone era.

But looking a little closer reveals that this is a fiercely futuristic car, with flush door handles, cameras instead of door mirrors and two enormous touchscreens on the inside. Most importantly of all, though, it's a fully electric car – Honda's first, no less. There's a choice of two power outputs, and – despite its dinky dimensions – it can seat four. 

So, surely the Honda E is a style-conscious technophile’s dream set of wheels? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. Electric cars need to do more than just look good; how many miles they can travel between charges and how much they cost are also hugely important factors, and plenty of the E’s rivals strike a commendable balance between these two things. The Seat Mii Electric and Skoda Citigoe iV are tiny yet mighty, each packing a decent range while undercutting much of the competition. Meanwhile, the Peugeot e-208 is a highly polished electric car with a long range and a plush interior. 

So, with that in mind, how exactly does the Honda E compare with its rivals? That's what we'll be telling you in this review, so click through to the next page to start reading. And when you've decided which car you want to buy, check out our New Car Buying pages to get a great deal with no awkward haggling.