Honda e Base

Overview

The 2022 Honda e Base is a proper little head-turner, a retro-futuristic charmer designed to conquer the urban jungle! Though discontinued, it carved a niche as a premium city EV. Its standout features include an incredibly stylish design, a tech-laden, lounge-like interior, and zippy rear-wheel-drive handling perfect for nipping through traffic. As the entry-level model, the Base still packed a serious design punch. On the used market, you might snag one for around €14,900, making it an intriguing pre-owned proposition for style-conscious city dwellers seeking something a bit different from the EV norm.

What's New for 2022?

For its final model year in 2022, the Honda e Base didn't see major shake-ups, essentially carrying over its brilliant formula. It continued to offer its unique blend of minimalist retro design and cutting-edge tech, like those cool standard digital side mirrors and the full-width dashboard display. The focus remained on perfecting its role as a sophisticated urban runabout. So, a 2022 model represents the culmination of this short-lived but much-loved EV, ensuring you get the polished version of Honda’s vision for a compact electric car, even in this accessible Base specification.

Design & Exterior

Phwoar, just look at it! The Honda e Base screams cool with its minimalist, almost concept-car looks. Smooth surfaces, pop-out door handles, and those iconic circular LED lights front and rear make it a real showstopper. Even the standard digital side-view mirrors add to the futuristic vibe. Dimension-wise, it’s perfectly city-sized at 3894 mm long, 1752 mm wide (excluding mirrors), and 1512 mm tall. The Base trim keeps things clean and stylish, proving you don't need the top spec to get maximum design cred on the streets. It’s compact, chic, and utterly unique!

Interior, Tech & Cargo

Step inside the Honda e Base and you're greeted by a cabin that feels like a trendy lounge! Acres of screen dominate the dashboard with a stunning dual-display setup, flanked by wood-effect trim for a warm, inviting feel. It’s a strict four-seater, cosy for passengers but brilliantly executed. Tech-wise, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. Cargo space is city-car typical: 171 litres in the boot, expanding to 861 litres with the rear seats tumbled. Sadly, there's no frunk, but the interior's cool factor more than makes up for it!

Performance & Driving Experience

Don't let its cute looks fool you; the Honda e Base is a proper hoot to drive! With its 100 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) sending 315 Nm of torque straight to the rear wheels, it zips from 0-100 km/h in a respectable 9 seconds. That instant punch makes it super responsive for darting through city gaps. The RWD setup means it’s agile, with an incredibly tight turning circle – perfect for urban gymnastics. Ride comfort is plush for a small car, and the single-pedal driving mode is a doddle to use.

Range, Battery & Charging

The Honda e Base rocks a 28.5 kWh usable battery, delivering a Green Cars Compare estimated real-world range of around 189 km – plenty for urban adventures. Its efficiency is a decent 6.63 km/kWh. Charging is straightforward: the standard 6.6 kW on-board AC charger will juice it up fully from empty in about 4.5 hours. Need a quicker top-up? It supports DC fast charging via its bonnet-mounted CCS Type 2 port at up to 46 kW, getting you from 10-80% in around 30 minutes. Ideal for those quick city pit stops!

Safety & Driver-Assistance Features

Safety isn't an afterthought in the Honda e Base, which scored a solid 4 stars from Euro NCAP. It comes generously equipped with Honda SENSING as standard. This comprehensive suite includes life-saving tech like Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, and Traffic Sign Recognition. Road Departure Mitigation and Intelligent Speed Limiter are also part of the package, making your urban commutes not just stylish but reassuringly safe. You’re getting a lot of protective gear packed into this compact charmer.

Warranty & Maintenance Coverage

For peace of mind, Honda typically offered a 3-year/100,000 km basic vehicle warranty in Europe for the e. Crucially, the high-voltage battery was usually covered for a more substantial 8 years or 160,000 km, often with a guarantee against excessive degradation (e.g., to retain at least 70% capacity). As an EV, maintenance is generally lower than petrol cars – no oil changes here! While complimentary maintenance wasn't a widespread standard in the EU, Honda’s reputation for reliability means ownership should be relatively fuss-free for this funky electric hatchback.