A first look at Honda’s 0 concept EV in Canada

Recently, Honda Canada invited me to get an up-close and personal look at one of the upcoming electric vehicles (EVs) in the Japanese automaker’s lineup. The 0 electric SUV, alongside its sister concept, the Saloon, sports Honda’s first in-house battery-electric platform, which is designed to be versatile enough to fit into many different body styles (sedan, SUV, van, etc.).

To start things off, this is still only a prototype. Honda didn’t disclose any numbers relating to the price or battery size and only gave an estimate for the vehicle’s range (roughly 400-500 km.) Other features (like the glove compartment, ironically) were also not operational and were there for demonstration purposes only. 

Overview 

A representative for Honda disclosed that the vehicle will be coming to the North American market around mid-2026. They also disclosed that the 0 SUV name was a placeholder, and the production vehicle will feature another name.

The vehicle is roughly the size of a Honda CR-V, with a lower roof line and a bit more trunk space. Honda used its new “Thin, Light, Wise” design language for the Saloon and the 0 concept. This language focuses on the mindset that EVs don’t have to be bulky, awkward-looking vehicles. Instead, EVs can be low and light, with smaller pillars and a lightweight design. Some trademarks do include the low roofline more aerodynamic designs.

Honda said that it heard the complaints about taking a while to release a full-electric vehicle to the market, noting that it spent the time studying the options out there and the trends within the EV share of the market.

When discussing the future of electrification, Honda’s assistant vice president of business development and customer engagement Hayato Mori said, “Electric vehicles are here, and they are here to stay. [Full battery-electric EVs] might not be here in large quantities, but they will be here in many forms, like hydrogen, hybrid-electric, etc.”

Interior

The interior sports surprisingly comfortable, eco-friendly leather bucket seats, and it’s quite roomy. The dashboard and climate controls are mostly screens, which use Honda’s new in-house OS. It took me a little bit of time to figure out how it works (front and rear defrost were front-and-centre options, funny enough), but it was pretty responsive when changing options. 

There weren’t any vents on the vehicle, which I found odd, but they will most likely replace the screens for the camera mirrors. As a note, North American safety standards don’t allow cameras to act as mirrors, and there needs to be a physical mirror. Honda reps said at the event that if the regulations changed, they would start using them (see the Honda E in Europe, which sports camera mirrors).

The ambient lighting, which displayed a lovely shade of purple, matched the car’s overall design nicely. I couldn’t test out the depth of the centre console, but considering the lack of a transmission tunnel, I expect it to be quite deep. 

There is also a steering yoke rather than a wheel, although it is likely that this will change and is purely here for style purposes. A representative noted that a wheel would most likely block the view of some important information on the screens, but the hand-over-hand driving style that a wheel benefits from would be tricky on a yoke. This was a common complaint with Tesla vehicles and actually resulted in the American manufacturer paying to replace them for wheels at Tesla service centres.

I could get into the vehicle somewhat fine, but the roofline initially made it a bit awkward. Hopefully, the newer design has a slightly taller roof, although the flat, lower floors make it much more comfortable headroom-wise.

The trunk area doesn’t have a ton of visibility, but it does substitute that for two small cubbies on the rear interior walls. They won’t fit much, but they would be very suitable for any small emergency items that could be stored inside. (I don’t think a complete emergency kit would fit just from eyeballing it, but it could be used for items like a jack, flares, emergency water bottle, and similar items.)

Exterior 

The vehicle was finished in a light grey that Honda has called Moonlight Pearl. This seems to be the complementing colour for the car and shows off all of the bodylines well. It is accented with black on portions of the front bumper and grille, alongside the wheel arches. 

Regarding the wheels, it did sport 21-inch rims and tires, but representatives weren’t exactly sure if they wanted to keep that size or go for smaller wheels. I do believe that 21-inch tires suited the vehicle nicely, although there could be other factors behind the decision.

The front has a more boxy, 70s look that is a reminder of Honda’s early days in North America. The badging reflects this, too, using a modernized version of the original Honda logo illuminated with LEDs. It does also sport lever-type door handles for aerodynamics, which actually are a nice touch and easy to get used to. My only concern, however, is that these handles tend to get frozen over in the winter. 

It does share many familiarities with the Honda E, a small three-door hatchback released only in the European market. When asked why it was not brought over despite users’ desires on social media, Honda shared that the vehicle’s range was designed for more minor inner-city travel and would not be suitable for the North American inter-city travel style.

On the logo front, the vehicle uses the new Honda typeface shown in the prologue, which Honda representatives confirmed will be the new look for its electric vehicle lineup. Representatives coined this new badging as the brand’s “second founding.” 

Overall, I’m happy with the Honda 0 SUV and look forward to seeing the production model next year. Hopefully, the price isn’t too outrageous for what you get. As for tall consumers like myself, it is an option to consider if you want to get into an electric vehicle. The only concern is that if headroom is a complaint rather than legroom, it might be a tad bit awkward.