2022 Honda City Hybrid review, road test

The Honda City Hybrid is hard to flaw – the drive is supremely seamless, it’s unbelievably fuel efficient, and performance is very respectable. Honda has also added some sporty cosmetic bits to differentiate it from the standard version. And while it misses some comfort features, it packs in segment-first ADAS, giving it an edge over the competition. What further works in its favour are its extremely comfortable seats. Boot space has gone down from 506 litres to 306 litres, due to the lithium-ion battery’s placement. However, the boot is still well-shaped and can accommodate more cargo than the numbers suggest.

Li-ion battery placed in the boot, brings space down to 306 litres.

A potential deal-breaker for some buyers, however, is likely to be its Rs 19.50 lakh price tag, making it over Rs 4 lakh pricier than the top-spec petrol-CVT and diesel-manual. And that means, purely from a financial perspective, its initial premium cannot justify for the lower running costs, unless you drive a lot. Hybrid owners will need two lakh kilometres before they recover the additional upfront money over a City petrol-CVT; and over a diesel-manual, the break-even point is higher still.

Does that mean the City Hybrid makes a case for itself only if you drive a lot? Not really. If you truly desire to own the latest tech and a cleaner, greener automobile, the City Hybrid does have some merit. It’s cleaner than conventional ICE vehicles and more practical than similarly priced pure EVs too, as it does not depend on the electrical charging grid, and that could make the City Hybrid the only car in your garage.