2025 Honda N-VAN e Is Our New Kei Van of the Week

The kei vehicle requirements of Japan limit internal-combustion engine displacement to 0.66 liters and 63 hp, but what about electric kei vehicles?

It turns out they get the same 63-horse limit as their gasoline-burning brethren, which sounds like quite the torque loophole. Today we’ll look at one of the more interesting EV kei vans now available in Japan: the Honda N-VAN e.

The N-VAN first appeared as a 2018 model, and it was intended mostly for commercial users. The electrified version first hit Japanese streets last fall.

As is typical of kei trucks, the ratio of usable interior space to overall vehicle footprint is very high. Thanks to clever use of folding/sliding seats plus dual sliding doors, you can fit several passengers and loads of cargo inside.

While government tax and fee incentives for kei vehicles were reduced in 2014, kei trucks remain extremely popular in Japan. That said, only Suzuki, Daihatsu, Honda and a Mitsubishi-Nissan partnership still manufacture new kei vehicles now (other manufacturers, such as Subaru and Toyota, sell rebadged Suzukis and Daihatsus).

The N-VAN e starts at ¥2,699,400, or about $18,951. That’s quite a bit more than most gasoline-powered kei vans.

However, the N-VAN e can power your band’s amplifiers for a gig at the coast. Its range is rated at 245 km, or about 152 miles.

Contractors can use it to power their tools at the work site.

No stinky gasoline fumes to annoy mall owners when you bring your N-VAN e coffee truck inside!

Or just take your Sheltie camping and cook tasty meals for the two of you on your electric campstove.

The N-VAN e is available in four trim levels: the all-purpose L4, the loaded FUN, the one-seat G cargo hauler, and the two-seat L2 cargo hauler.

Sadly for us, it’s available only in Japan.