Honda e Advance

GO0DBYE

£29,160 OTR/£29,170 as tested/£299pcm

WHY IT’S HERE

It’s cool, but can it cope with family life?

DRIVER

Jack Rix

BIT OF A WEIRD ONE, THIS. ON PAPER A HEARTFELT FAREWELL TO TopGear’s long term Honda e, in reality, I might be keeping it (or one exactly like it) for a lot longer. Perhaps I should explain.

Keen TG readers out there might recall when the Honda e first arrived, I was toying with the idea of whether to lease one as our permanent family wheels. I therefore decreed the success or failure of this nine-month trial ownership would come down to whether I wanted it to stick around. Long story short, I do. But as I write, I’m still waiting for Honda to get back to me.

Truth is, this global pandemic has played right into its hands. I was already sold on the e’s style and onboard with the idea of our family runaround being electric. Range, bootspace and price were my sticking points, as I suspect they’ll be with anyone. I’ll address them one at a time.

The 100-mile real-world range, when you live in London and aren’t really allowed to go anywhere, is fine. For work I grew increasingly bold – taking it on day trips up to 90 miles away, charging there then heading home. The longer I spent with it, the less of an issue range became. And because it only has a 35kWh battery, charging it overnight on a three-pin wasn’t a problem.

A tiny boot, when you live in London and aren’t really allowed to go anywhere, is also fine. We could cram a couple of small bikes in the back for trips to the park, and the flat front and rear footwells can swallow a surprising amount of stuff. The big buggy wouldn’t fit, but we’ve learned to live without it... my youngest’s walking stamina has come on immensely.

And finally, price. It’s expensive for what it is, there’s no denying it, but over the course of the last few months I’ve borrowed other stuff to give my wife a feel for the competition – a Mazda MX-30, a Peugeot e-208, a Seat Mii Electric – and we both agree none have the same sense of solidity and sophistication, nor are they as fun to drive. So the Honda it is, hopefully.