Honda Super-N’s shock sub-£20k price to shake up small EV market
Honda’s quirky electric city car will rival the Renault Twingo when it goes on sale in July priced from “less than £20,000”
Honda will aim to shake up a rejuvenated city-car market when it launches its successor to the ill-fated Honda e later this year. The Honda Super-N will go on sale in the UK in July, priced from “less than £20,000”.
The model, previewed at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, was revealed in full at the Japan Mobility Show in October. It’s based on the Japanese-market N-One e – an electric version of the brand’s popular kei car – although Honda claims to have made substantial changes to the UK-specification Super-N under the skin that will position the model as not just an efficient city car, but one that’s fun to drive, too.
How much will the Honda Super-N cost?
Honda has learnt its lesson with its first compact EV, the Honda e, and has now confirmed that the Super-N will have a “starting price of less than £20,000”. This suggests that the Super-N won’t rival cars such as the MINI Cooper Electric and forthcoming Volkswagen ID. Polo, instead targeting the new Renault Twingo and Chinese entrants such as the BYD Dolphin Surf. While Honda's Super-N isn't currently available to order, rivals like the Hyundai Inster are all available via the Auto Express Buy A Car service with savings of up to £6,000.
The Super-N’s Super Mario Kart-inspired styling
The baby Honda’s kei-car origins will have its limits when it comes to both interior space and electric range. However, Honda is keen to emphasise the Super-N’s character, which takes the cute and compact N-One as a base, and gives it a chunky, aggressive new look.
The nose takes some inspiration from the Honda e, but its friendly face has been replaced with a more aggressive look, thanks to new LED headlights and front air intakes. Its charging point is located on the nose, rather than on the bonnet.
There’s more style-led embellishment at the rear, but the car’s practical nature hasn’t been forgotten, thanks to an extremely low bootlid that will make loading easy. The square rear lights and basic shape remain faithful to the Japanese-market model.
Honda says Super-N customers will be able to choose from a “wide range of exterior colours and customisation options, each created to create that personal touch”. Included in these options are a two-tone paint job, plus “distinctive” body graphics.
What about the cabin?
Inside, the Super-N’s origins are clear, with a simple and space-efficient design. The upper dashboard has been taken straight from the Japanese model, but this is good news because Kei cars are extraordinarily roomy.
The design is very lean and straightforward, with two small displays: one handling the infotainment and the other the main driver’s display. Running along its entire length is a small shelf, with a larger bin to the right-hand side of the driver.
The gear selection buttons are mounted on a little outcrop, and between the unique seats is a small cubby with a single cup-holder and storage tray. Even the most clever packaging can’t disguise the fact that the Super-N’s cabin is very narrow, though.
The seats are unique to this new model, and feature retro-inspired bolsters and materials. But the second row is destined to be cramped, and strictly for two.
What about the powertrain?
This is where Honda is keeping its cards close to its chest. However, it has confirmed that a “compact and efficient e-axle will offer from 47kW to 70kW” – between 63bhp and 94bhp. The company has also been busy integrating a clever ‘Boost’ mode that should make this little EV lots of fun to drive.
As well as sharpening the throttle response and upping performance, the Boost setting introduces Hyundai Ioniq 5 N-like fake engine noises, while also simulating a seven-speed transmission. These settings are activated by a small switch on the steering wheel, and there are paddles attached to ‘virtually’ swap gears as you drive along.
Honda says the Super-N will “offer the freedom to enjoy the daily commute and exciting adventures outside of the city”, although a combined range of just 128 miles might limit those so-called adventures somewhat. The maker says a “city mode” can increase range to 199 miles.
How does the Super EV fit into Honda’s electric car plans?
Last month, Honda cancelled its plans to build a range of EVs under the ‘0 Series’ banner. The innovative, wedge-shaped electric saloons and SUVs had been in the plan for a few years, thanks to a “reassessment of the company’s automobile electrification strategy due to various factors”.
Honda axed the slow-selling eNY:1 earlier this year, and is without an electric car in its current UK line-up. The Super-N will therefore prove critical in the firm’s attempts to meet ZEV targets and lower its global CO2 average, even if the car’s appeal is likely limited to Europe, plus its home market of Japan.
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