Honda e:Ny1 long-term test

Is the Honda e:Ny1 electric SUV a sensible choice for tackling city centre roads plus longer trips to the countryside? We're living with one to find out...

Published14 September 2024

The Car Honda e:Ny1 Advance Run by James Tute, Content Editor

Why it’s here To see if Honda’s electric SUV is agile enough for city driving while remaining practical for longer trips to the Shires

Needs to be Well-suited to rush-hour traffic and comfy on motorway drives, with enough range for hassle-free long journeys

Mileage 6957 List price £42,195 Target Price £39,820 Price as tested £42,845 Official range 256 miles Test range 251 miles

14 September 2024 – Is the e:Ny1 a feelgood hit?

If you’ve ever unwrapped an online purchase to find that what looked in photos like metal or leather is actually cheap plastic, you’ll know the importance of the “poke and tap test”. You simply can’t judge a product’s quality without getting your hands on it.

Likewise, of course, with cars. And if like me you run an electric car and plug it in at public charging stations, you have plenty of time to prod away at the seats, dashboard and doors while the battery is being replenished.

So how does it feel – really feel – to run a Honda e:Ny1? Let’s start with the main point of contact between car and driver: the steering wheel.

The rim is pleasantly chunky and wrapped in real leather, while the plastics of the hub and spokes seem tough enough to resist scratches and cracks.

The steering-wheel buttons (used to control the driver’s display, cruise control and other functions) give a positive click when you press them, and a rotating wheel control used for scrolling through menus is smooth and positive. The same is true of the indicator and light stalks, and all the other buttons and switches dotted around the e:Ny1’s interior. Except two.

At each end of the dashboard there’s a small silver-coloured knob that rotates and clicks into three positions to activate and deactivate the two air vents near to it. Unfortunately these knobs don’t just rotate – they also wobble a bit, and it bothers me (probably beyond reason, given that I rarely use them).

You see, those slightly wayward controls wouldn’t really register in a crummy old car that looks like it’s made from cheap Christmas cracker toys, but in a £40,000 electric SUV they bug me.

On the plus side, that manufacturing misstep really is as bad as it gets. Indeed, I had to check the model specs to find out that, unlike the material on the steering wheel, the leather on the e:Ny1’s seats and parts of the dashboard and doors is synthetic. It looks great, with even lines of stitching, and feels smooth with just enough padding. Plus, the metal pulls that open the doors look good and feels tough.

Some of the plastic lower down, including on the glovebox lid, has a slightly coarse texture (in contrast to the smart glossy black plastic on the console between the driver and passengers) but it’s by no means scratchy. Plus, because of where it is in the interior, it’s more likely to be kicked by a passenger than tested for tactility anyway.

Finally (and reassuringly, given the likely cost of repair) the big portrait-oriented 15.1in infotainment touchscreen is solidly anchored in place, with no flex, even where it extends quite high above the dashboard.

Overall, then, like most of our Honda e:Ny1 reader test team participants, I think Honda’s interiors people have done a brilliant job here. Even barring a couple of firmly secured knobs.