Hyundai Inster vs Honda Super-N: an eclectic EV city car clash

Electricity should be a perfect power source for small city cars. With no tailpipe emissions, the local environment breathes easy, while those behind the wheel enjoy silent running and instant responses. But few car makers have taken the plunge with small electric cars due to the compromises in range and cost that must be made.

One fast-track way of tapping into the market is to take an existing model and electrify it, and that’s the route that the new Honda Super-N takes. It’s based on a Japanese-market kei car that’s been re-engineered for the UK, and yet Honda has done this while keeping the price down.

Another small EV that evolved from an existing model is the Hyundai Inster. With chunky looks and an upright stance, it has similar proportions to the Super-N, but while it’s a bit more expensive than the Honda, it also offers a longer range and more power, so it should be a better all-rounder.

The question is, does the Super-N offer enough to make it a more appealing urban runabout than the established Inster?

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Honda Super-N

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The last electric city car that Honda produced was the Honda e, which had a short shelf life due to its limited driving range and relatively high list prices. The new Super-N manages to remedy one of these issues, but not the other.

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There’s just one model available, which comes in Advance trim and is fitted with a 29.6kWh battery. That’s only enough to deliver an official range of 128 miles, but this limited distance is a little easier to swallow because the car’s list price is £18,995.

Tester’s notes

While there’s just one version of Super-N sold in the UK with the option of adding a contrast roof, some decal sets and black badging, the N-One in Japan has a greater variety of choice. As well as offering petrol or electric power, four-wheel drive is also available, while the N-One RS is a sporty petrol variant that adds a six-speed manual gearbox. 

Having so much choice is common in the kei-car class, where a wide variety of models range from mid-engined sports cars to full-time 4x4s and compact camper vans.

I really like how the Super-N looks. With its chunky wheelarches and boxy proportions, it harks back to the Honda City Turbo II of the eighties. But there are little details that are also appealing. There’s an offset air intake on the nose, for example, while the tail-lights have subtle N badging within the clusters.

The charge port is in the nose, hidden behind a flap within the grey plastic ‘grille’. The piece itself has a speckled finish, similar to the Starkle plastic that’s used by Dacia on some of its models, although it makes it look like it’s never clean.

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Hyundai Inster

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The Super-N isn’t the only electric city car that delivers funky looks in a compact package, because the Inster has been doing that since its arrival in the UK in 2025. It’s derived from the Korean-market Casper petrol city car, but the Inster is all-electric.

There’s more variety in the line-up, with 01, 02 and Cross variants, but prices are higher, with the base model starting from £23,755. There are 42 or 49kWh battery options that offer up to 223 miles of range. The top-spec Inster Cross costs £29,005.

Tester’s notes

Models such as the Inster demonstrate the benefits of electric drive for small city cars. A modest power output combined with instant torque means they’re nippy from a standstill up to 30mph, so you can easily keep pace with traffic, while the weight of the low-set battery helps to smooth out lumps and bumps.

There’s plenty of kit on board, too, so it doesn’t feel like a budget model in the slightest. Throw in the sliding back seats for added versatility, plus the scope to venture beyond city limits, and it could be all the car you need.

The top-spec Inster Cross has some SUV-style styling tweaks that give the car a chunkier appearance than the rest of the line-up. There are unique 17-inch alloy wheels in a gunmetal finish, while the cladding on the front and rear bumpers has a matt grey hue, too. 

It’s also the only version of the electric Hyundai that comes with a sunroof as standard, although this does tend to amplify the wind noise around the roof bars.

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Head-to-head

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On the road

The Super-N’s tiny dimensions belie the fact it’s very grown-up to drive. It’s great in town, with alert steering and a nimble chassis, while the Boost button gives just the right amount of sporty zing a car like this needs.

On the motorway, the Inster is more stable, quieter and offers greater comfort, but there’s not much between them. The Honda feels faster at lower speeds than its 14.5-second 0-62mph time suggests.

Tech highlights

There is some familiar Honda switchgear in the Super-N, because it features the same drive selector as the CR-V and Prelude. The touchscreen, while of a low resolution, is also shared with other Hondas.

It’s a similar story with the Inster, which uses Hyundai’s familiar menu system, although we did find the set-up rather slow to respond to our inputs and there are too many menus to navigate through.

Price and running

A big attraction of the Super-N is its low list price, but it doesn’t feel like a budget machine from behind the wheel, because it’s based on well developed kei-car underpinnings and has a decent amount of standard kit.

The Hyundai has a longer driving range that goes some way to justifying its higher price, but the Honda’s return of 4.7 miles per kWh was 0.6mi/kWh more efficient than we’ve achieved in the Inster.

Practicality

Compact dimensions mean that both cars are four seaters, with no middle seatbelt for the rear bench. The Honda is narrower, but there’s enough shoulder and headroom, although legroom is tight for tall occupants.

Boot space is at a premium, with 162 litres available in the Super-N and 238 litres in the Inster. Both cars have 50:50-split folding rear benches, but the Honda has a lower load sill than the Hyundai.

Safety

A four-star Euro NCAP rating was given to the Hyundai Inster in 2025, with the shortage of safety-assistance systems marking the car down from a full five-star rating. There are plenty of features on board, though.

The Super-N is a low-volume car that isn’t being sold elsewhere in Europe, so is unlikely to be tested. The Japanese-market N-One that the Super-N is based on earned four stars from JNCAP in 2021.

Ownership

Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty is attractive, but Honda’s 90,000-mile distance limit on its three-year warranty means you’d only void it if you managed to cover more than 82 miles a day in the Super-N.

Honda offers a service-activated warranty that lasts for up to eight years. The Super-N’s service plan is pricey, at £700, while the Inster’s three-year plan is just over half that, at £376.

Verdict

Winner: Honda Super-N

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The Honda Super-N is a fantastic example of a car that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Clever packaging makes the most of the Japanese model’s small footprint, and there’s decent space for four people, while the Magic Seats in the back do wonders for the car’s general versatility.

A short range means the Honda is better suited to life as a second car, but the low list price means this is an option that more people will be able to take. Add in a driving experience that can be fun when you want it and mature at all other times, and it’s a breath of fresh air in the city-car segment.

Runner-up: Hyundai Inster

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There’s plenty of appeal in the Hyundai Inster. Until the Honda Super-N came along, it had the market for quirky-looking Far Eastern city cars sewn up, while its larger dimensions and bigger battery meant that it could fit the bill in a single-car family where the Super-N falls short.

It’s quiet, refined and sprightly in town, while only road noise spoils its motorway ability. But a bigger issue is the Hyundai’s slow-witted infotainment system. The Inster was already quite pricey when compared with existing small cars, but the Honda makes it look even more expensive.

Prices and specs

What we would choose

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Honda Super-N

There are black, grey and white options, while Boost Violet is the standard shade and arguably suits the Super-N best. You can add a contrast black roof for £300, plus Honda offers decal packs and black badges as accessories.

Hyundai Inster 

White is a £325 option, while matt Amazonas Green is £850 and exclusive to the Cross model. One other option is vehicle-to-load capability (£500), which also includes the ability to use your smartphone as a car key.

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