Honda Super-N first drive: Bringing pocket-sized fun back to city driving

The market for small city cars, traditionally referred to as the A-segment, is faced with huge challenges due to rising production costs. Many automakers abandoned these small platforms entirely, leaving drivers with fewer affordable options. Thankfully, falling battery prices are breathing new life into this almost-forgotten category. The new Honda Super-N arrives in the UK as an electric four-seater priced at $26,086, hoping to prove that city transport still has a future, and that it actually can be fun.

The new model is a reset button for the Japanese automaker's electric vehicle plans. The company struggled to find its footing with electric cars, launching the expensive, low-range Honda E and the uninspiring e:Ny1 SUV. After canceling its larger 0 Series electric project altogether, the brand is now starting small to rebuild its reputation. The new hatchback is a fresh approach to building practical EVs for crowded urban environments - and looking at it, I can honestly say that it works.

To build this tiny EV, developers looked at the Japanese domestic market, where city kei cars dominate the streets. The Honda Super-N traces its heritage back to the 1967 Honda N360, a classic micro-car that inspired the modern N-One series. Buyers in Japan are still skeptical of electric vehicles with EVs capturing just a 1.3% market share there in 2025. Still, the tall boxy proportions of micro-cars are actually a perfect fit for modern electric components.

Traditional kei cars must obey strict legal size limits in Japan, but this export model steps outside those boundaries to better suit international roads. The UK version of the Super-N gets wider wheel arches and sportier bumpers that change its footprint quite a bit: it is 141.7 inches long, 61.9 inches wide (excluding side mirrors), and it has its track widened by 1.97 inches compared to the Japanese version.

To give you a sense of Honda's size, the super-popular Dacia Spring is 3.94 inches longer, and 0.39 inches wider. The closest competitor in size is the Leapmotor T03 - it is still 0.79 inches longer, and 3.15 inches wider. And the new Mini Cooper E at 151.9 inches in length, and 69.1 inches in width, is an absolute giant next to the Super-N.

Honda chose interesting styling for the Super-N, bringing back memories of its classic kei cars from the 80s and the 90s. We have bulging wheel arches, a low and wide front bumper, and a real spoiler that wouldn't be out of place on a rally car. The available colors have been picked purely to make the little Super-N stand out from the crowd - there is no chance to miss this EV in a busy car park.

The Super-N's wider track is only one feature on the surprisingly long list of improvements - upgrades include stiffer hubs, and lightweight forged lower suspension arms for the front MacPherson struts. A reinforced rear torsion beam axle keeps the back of the vehicle in check, with the inner wheel happy to leave the ground in fast and tight cornering. Finally, a faster steering rack and equal-rigidity driveshafts help minimize torque steer under acceleration.

For braking, the front gets bigger discs, but the rear keeps simple drum brakes - and for a good reason. The electric motor regen is so strong that you hardly ever use brakes, with the rear ones only really used for parking. Despite the heavy components needed by electric cars, the entire package weighs a surprising 2,418 lb - remarkably light for modern EVs.

Smart packaging ensures the interior feels really spacious despite the narrow body - high seating positions and large windows make you feel as if you are sitting in a much larger car. Passengers in the second row have plenty of legroom, comparable to much larger EVs. Honda's famous "Magic seats" are standard, allowing the bottom cushions to flip upward to carry tall items like bicycles in the back. Folding the rear backrests down creates a flat floor, turning the hatchback into a small cargo van. When the rear seats are up, the trunk offers a modest but useful 162 liters of storage capacity.

The driver sits in heavily bolstered sports bucket seats trimmed in white imitation leather, black microsuede, and blue fabric recycled from Honda's old uniforms. Unfortunately, Honda missed a trick here, and hard plastic covers most of the dashboard and the sides. The redeemers here are the physical controls that handle the heating, media volume, and climate - you never have to search for the most commonly used functions.

Digital tech is refreshingly basic, consisting of a simple 7-inch instrument screen and a central infotainment screen with wireless smartphone mirroring. Oddly, the internal software lacks built-in navigation, charging schedules, or charge percentage limits. The dashboard also has an open middle shelf and a dedicated cup holder right next to the steering wheel - a perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee.

In a surprising move during the Super-N development, Honda decided to buy the electric motor and power electronics from an outside supplier, rather than building them in-house. A tiny by any standards, 25.4 kWh usable lithium-ion battery pack powers the entire system. The single electric motor delivers a modest 63 horsepower during standard operation, which can feel weak when merging onto fast highways.

But pushing a purple button on the steering wheel changes everything - it unlocks the Boost mode, raising total output to 94 horsepower. Sure, it does not sound like a lot, especially when even small electric hatchbacks have twice as much power these days. But the theatre that follows is quite entertaining, and surprisingly, it turns the car into a little hooligan.

Activating the Boost mode triggers sounds that mimic a turbocharged gasoline engine alongside seven simulated gear shifts. The interior lights up all in purple, and every blip of the throttle comes with a happy burble pumped through the speakers. The "shifts" aren't too quick, mimicking the auto box quite well, and down-shifting comes with extra crackle.

I'm not a big fan of the engine noises in electric cars, but in the Super-N, it almost makes sense - at no point is the little Honda trying to hide the fact that the gearbox is not real. On the contrary - it is almost proud of it, and extra noises are only there to celebrate it. Unfortunately, there is no way to play with the full 94 horsepower without keeping the engine sounds turned on.

Here's an interesting bit - the official specifications claim a zero to 62 mph time of 10 seconds, but real-world testing proves faster. The Super-N I tested, hit 60 mph in 8.5 seconds and 62 mph in 9.1 seconds - with three people on board. The standard Yokohama Advan Fleva tires provide strong dry grip, giving the car a quick, go-kart feel around corners, but non-switchable stability control quickly stops any potential sliding.

The Super-N comes fully kitted - electric windows, heated front seats and the steering wheel, aircon, adaptive cruise control, the usual speed restrictor, along with an intrusive lane-keeping assist system. The reverse camera is standard, and so are the front and rear parking sensors.

Battery range will always be seen as the main, and probably the only, limitation of this vehicle. The official WLTP driving distance is 128 miles on a full charge. In real-world mixed driving conditions, a range of 100 miles is a more realistic expectation - especially if you are enjoying the Super-N as Honda intended.

In slow, city-like driving, the test car managed over 5 miles per kWh, but efficiency drops to 3.3 miles per kWh at higher speeds. Recharging the battery can also feel a bit slow. The system peaks at a 46 kW DC rapid-charging speed and stays at 36 kW on average, which is a bit slow even for a battery of this tiny capacity compared to larger modern EVs. I didn't manage to test a full charge, but after a short session, I believe anything between 30 and 40 minutes from 10% SoC will be the norm.

Despite these limits, the Super-N delivers strong value compared to rival small electric cars. Competitors like the Renault Twingo, BYD Dolphin Surf, and Citroen e-C3 offer slightly more range but feature very bare-bones standard equipment. Honda adds a six-speaker Bose audio system to a long list of equipment included right out of the box. The short battery range limits the car to daily commuting, but its agile handling and surprisingly large cabin provide genuine character. For drivers who want a fun, nimble second vehicle, this tiny EV delivers a refreshing change of pace with a healthy dose of personality.