Here's How Far Honda's Motocompacto Can Actually Go

Back in the early 1980s, Honda produced a tiny folding scooter for a couple of years called the Motocompo. It didn't exactly become a phenomenon, selling only a little over 53,000 units in three years. Though it has been off the market since 1983, the idea of reviving the Motocompo in some way has lingered with Honda, and in 2023, it finally pulled the trigger by introducing the Honda Motocompacto.

Unlike its predecessor, the Motocompacto is a fully electric vehicle. A folding scooter like this makes far more sense in an era with an increasing desire to create electrically-based products, rather than gas-powered ones. It's sleek and, as the name would suggest, quite small. When folded, it is just 3.7 inches wide. With something so small, you may be concerned with how powerful it is and how long you can use it to get around.

Well, the Honda Motocompacto is not meant to be a replacement vehicle for your car, motorcycle, or mode of mass transportation, so if you're hoping this is going to last you several hundred miles, you will be wildly out of luck. This is a convenience ride far more appropriate for an urban setting than the suburbs.

According to Honda, the specs for the Motocompacto are incredibly modest. For its range, the scooter is only going to get you 12 miles before you need to charge it up again, and if you are constantly running your Motocompacto at its top speed — which is 15 mph — you will burn through those 12 miles rather rapidly. This is not a highway vehicle by any means. With those kinds of numbers, you are looking at a far better experience if you live in a tightly compacted urban environment or perhaps a college campus, where all of your go-to places of business and leisure are within a few blocks' radius from your home.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Honda also says that it will take 3.5 hours to fully charge your Motocompacto, which is an awfully long time for an EV that isn't going to get you very far. The Motocompacto will not be the best option for everyone, but if your circumstances allow for it, the $995 e-scooter could be a great new way for you to get around in your day-to-day life. SlashGear has firsthand experience with how much of a good time can be had on a Honda Motocompacto — just don't expect it to be for a long time.