With 2024 almost in the bag, it seems like the big winner of GM’s Ultium electric vehicle push is actually Honda. The Prologue battery-powered crossover is selling like bottled water in the desert, and the platform-sharing with GM almost makes you forget that it isn’t actually Honda’s first U.S. offering in the modern battery-electric vehicle era. Honda actually offered a previous EV in America as recently as 2019, and although it was most certainly a flop, it spawned a plug-in hybrid variant that makes an exceptionally compelling used car option today. I’m talking, of course, about the Honda Clarity.
The story of the Clarity name begins back in 2008, when Honda turned its 2006 FCX hydrogen fuel-cell concept car into a production model. Available for lease in select markets around the world, it was an experiment that seemingly went well. At the minimum, it went well enough for Honda to build a next-generation model, and for the Clarity’s second act, Honda would load as many alternative powertrain types into one cannon and light the fuse. We’re talking about a choice of fuel cell, battery electric, and plug-in hybrid propulsion.
Obviously, sales of the fuel cell model were limited. Not only was this option only initially available from just 12 Californian dealerships, the hydrogen fuelling network isn’t exactly tremendous right now. Liquid hydrogen is expensive, hard to find, and just not currently something the average person should be commuting on.
So what about battery power? Launched for the 2017 model year, the Clarity EV was only available for three model years, only initially available in California and Oregon, and only initially available to lease. Objectively, it kind of sucked, because it offered just 89 miles of range, yet it entered production around the same time that Tesla was ramping up Model 3 deliveries. By this point, a midsize sedan with a 25.5 kWh battery pack was thoroughly outdated, so it’s not a huge surprise the Clarity EV was largely forgotten — it didn’t stand a chance. Oh, and that’s before we even get to its deadly rival that even shared a bodystyle.
Launched one year after the battery-electric model, the Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid offered a whopping 47 miles of electric range, and you could order one in all 50 states. Better yet, once you exhausted the electric range, you still had a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine to get you where you needed to go, provided where you want to go is within 340 miles of wherever you started. It’s not a power-split hybrid setup, so it relies on a 180-horsepower electric motor to provide smooth propulsion the majority of the time, with a direct drive ratio engaging the engine when anything more than mere generator operation is necessary.
As Car And Driver found out, the Clarity PHEV didn’t exactly offer a sporty experience, but considering its Accord-adjacent size and efficient mission, it didn’t need to. Instead, it seemed to offer comfort in spades.
What the plug-in Clarity Touring does best is tour. The ride is cushy, and tire and wind noise is subdued even when there’s virtually no engine or motor noise competing with it. There’s a Sport mode, but it seems out of character for this easygoing machine. Regenerative braking triggered by paddles behind the steering wheel adds some engagement to the package, but that fascination seems to fade rapidly, and it’s easy to forget about the paddles altogether.
However, the other thing the Clarity offered in spades was weirdness, because my word, this thing didn’t look like any other Honda at the time. It had partial skirts covering up portions of its rear wheels, it has a weird blend of bubbliness and angularity, and even though it looks like it offers a convenient hatchback, it actually doesn’t. Let’s take a closer look at the rear end, because that’s where a lot of the weirdness is going on.
Is that just a black trim panel between the taillights? Nope, that’s a window that looks into the trunk. Obviously, this area’s pretty important for rearward visibility, so Honda installed another window in the bulkhead for the trunk, just behind the rear seats. When you look in the rearview mirror of a Honda Clarity, you’re actually looking through three panes of glass — the rear window, the smaller rear window, and the window for the smaller rear window. Obviously, this means there’s no way you’re hiding what’s in your trunk, so this isn’t the best car to transport anything suspicious in.
Still, you don’t drive a car from the trunk, and the cabin of the Clarity is actually pretty nice. Not only could you get woodgrain trim and soft textiles on the dashboard, you could also equip the Clarity Plug-in with a whole raft of toys. It came standard with dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a 180-watt eight-speaker sound system, an eight-inch touchscreen, and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
While gently-used Hondas are usually fairly expensive, there’s good news here for bargain hunters. Whether out of weirdness, obscurity, or some combination of the two, used Clarity Plug-ins can be pretty reasonably priced. For instance, here’s a 2018 model with 82,280 miles on the clock, and it’s up for sale in California for $14,995. That’s not bad for a six-year-old plug-in hybrid with 47 miles of electric range.
Looking for something a little more loaded? How about another 2018 model, but this time, in the top-spec Touring trim? This one’s up for sale in Virginia for $15,700 with less than 76,000 miles on the clock, and it’s in the inspired choice of dark green paint with an off-white interior. That’s not too shabby.
So yeah, while everyone forgot about the last Honda EV offered in America for good reason, its plug-in hybrid cousin is very much worthy of your consideration. It’s depreciated to a sweet spot in the used car market, offers plenty of all-electric range, and is guaranteed to make your life a little bit weirder without the pains of most weird and obscure cars.
(Photo credits: Honda, Autotrader sellers)
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