Honda’s tiny N-ONE e arrives with a big range and a small price

Finding a new electric car for under €17,000 in the United States or Europe is an impossible task. With the average price for any new vehicle creeping toward €44,400, affordability has become a major problem for many car buyers. Automakers are promising that cheaper EVs are on the horizon, but Honda has just launched one in Japan. The new Honda N-ONE e: is a compact electric car with a surprisingly low starting price of around €15,600, and unfortunately for the rest of the world, for now it is staying in Japan.

The N-ONE e: belongs to a unique category of vehicles in Japan known as “kei cars.” These are tiny cars built to meet strict government regulations on size and engine power. In return, their owners get tax and insurance benefits. They are perfectly suited for Japan’s narrow city streets and are incredibly popular, making up about 40% of all new car sales in the country.

Honda is already a dominant force in this segment with its N-Box, the best-selling vehicle in Japan. With the launch of the N-ONE e:, its first electric passenger kei car, the company is betting it can capture the growing EV market as well.

Based on the existing gasoline-powered N-ONE, a retro-styled hatchback, the electric version is designed for daily urban life. It comes with a 29.6 kWh battery, the same unit found in its commercial sibling, the N-VAN e:. Honda claims this battery gives the N-ONE e: a range of up to 295 km on a single charge – a big number for this class of vehicles and more than enough battery power for typical daily commutes and errands in a city environment.

That range puts the N-ONE e: well ahead of its main competitor, the Nissan Sakura. The Sakura, currently Japan’s most popular electric car, has a range of just 180 km. By delivering over 100 km more, Honda has created a strong selling point for customers who may have been hesitant to switch to an electric kei car due to range anxiety.

One of the biggest engineering obstacles for Honda was packaging the electric powertrain without compromising the car’s interior space. Kei cars are prized for their clever use of limited dimensions, and losing passenger or cargo room was not an option.