Honda N-Van Is The True Mini Minivan The US Needs

The 2024 Honda Odyssey is what we call a “minivan” in the United States, but compared to the kei cars and trucks sold in Japan, it’s absolutely massive. In fact, Honda just revealed a new van that falls into the kei car category, Japan’s smallest vehicle class, simply called the N-Van. There are myriad reasons why something this small would never be sold in the US (consumer habits, crash standards, etc.), but the N-Van truly displays the differences between the American and Japanese definitions of a utility vehicle to a hilarious extreme.

Looking at the Odyssey, it measures 205.2 inches long and seats up to eight people. The N-Van can only carry up to four people but its only 133.66 inches long. And whereas the Odyssey uses a thirsty 3.5-liter V6 engine, the N-Van is pure electric, so it’s technically closer to the Honda Prologue in terms of its powertrain. But here’s where the N-Van truly shows how different the US and Japanese markets are. American shoppers will need at least $47,400 to purchase a five-seat Prologue, whereas the four-seat N-Van starts at just 2,439,800 yen (around $15,400).

Small Size, Small Battery

The N-Van is a whopping 20 inches shorter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata, but can fit twice as many people; that’s space efficiency. Thanks to its diminutive stature, the N-Van gets away with using a small 29.6 kWh battery that enables up to about 152 miles of driving range (in WLTC mode), plenty for an average Japanese delivery route. The American market Prologue can travel 298 miles on a charge, nearly double what the N-Van can achieve, but it requires more than twice the battery to do so (85 kWh).

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Discussion

Would You Buy A Honda N-Van For $15,000?

The Honda N-Van is a tiny EV from Japan that offers 150 miles of range. Would you spend $15,000 on it?

Since the battery is small, it doesn’t take long to charge. Honda says a 6.0 kW home charge should fill up the N-Van in around four and a half hours, while a 50 kW DC fast charger can get it done in around 30 minutes. No performance figures have been announced, but kei cars typically have around 60 to 70 horsepower.

Ready For Work Or Play

Honda will offer four trim levels: e: L4, e: FUN, e: G, and e: L2. These are very different from the LX, EX, and Touring trims typically given to Honda’s US products. The N-Van is designed for commercial use, but can be purchased by private owners as well. The four-seat configuration comes standard, but a two-seat work van setup is also available through Honda’s Fleet Sales Division.

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By deleting the B-pillar on the passenger side, Honda created a huge side opening to load and unload objects into the N-Van. The passenger seat can also be stowed into the floor for additional space. By making the battery thinner, the electric N-Van boasts the same storage capacity as the gas-powered four-wheel-drive model and can carry up to 660 pounds. The interior is certainly not luxurious, but features clever storage solutions like an instrument panel tray with a cable hook, double seat back pockets, and vertical bead lines on the inner walls to prevent scratching.