On September 14, 2023, Honda officially announced the imminent arrival of its new Motocompacto. If you’re familiar with the brand’s Motocompo folding gas-powered scooter from the early 1980s, the name of the new version seems like a logical extension.
It’s clearly been in the works for some time, and we know this because Honda filed a trademark application for the name Motocompacto back in 2020. It’s a massive, worldwide company that’s always working on multiple things at once, so it’s probably not much of a surprise that things were pretty quiet for some time after that. By November 2022, though, we also got a glimpse at a Honda Motocompacto logo design trademark.
Even if the pace did seem somewhat glacial, it was still certainly reason to believe that someone, somewhere was working on a modern version of the Motocompo. Now that it’s mid-September 2023, we finally have our answer.
Gallery: Honda Motocompacto
In the early 2020s, as last-mile transportation devices proliferate in multiple forms, seemingly anyone who knew of the Motocompo’s existence probably wondered why Honda didn’t already have an updated version on the market. Now the Honda Motocompacto is finally here—or it will be in November 2023, at least.
It’s designed to be extremely compact and easy to transport, whether you’re actively riding on it or stowing it away in another vehicle. The folded dimensions are 3.7 inches wide by 21.1 inches high by 29.2 inches long. The ready-to-ride dimensions are 17.2 inches wide by 35 inches high by 38.1 inches long. Wheelbase is 29.2 inches.
The handlebars, saddle, rear wheel, and side stand all neatly fold up into the rectangle for easy, uncomplicated stowage when you’re not riding it. Total vehicle weight is just 41.3 pounds, and seat height is 24.5 inches. Peak power is 490 watts (about 0.6 horsepower) and it makes a claimed 11.8 pound-feet of torque.
Even if you’re overwhelmed with the appealing form factor, it is clearly a last-mile, low-speed vehicle. Going blisteringly fast on those tiny wheels would probably be extremely uncomfortable, at the very least.
The top speed of the Honda Motocompacto is listed at 15 miles per hour. The battery has a range of about 12 miles, per Honda’s estimation. Zero to 15 time (because it can’t do 60) is seven seconds. It can recharge from empty in about three and a half hours on a standard household plug, and it’s rated to carry a weight capacity of up to 265 pounds.
Pricing and Availability
In the US, Honda says that the Motocompacto will be available through its dedicated Motocompacto website, as well as at Honda and Acura dealers, starting in November 2023. The MSRP is $995.
