Do you remember the Honda E? It was Honda’s first EV, and with its 70s Civic-inspired exterior styling and unusual interior – with a dashboard made up of five displays – it certainly stood out.

Launched back in 2020, it proved electric cars could be fun and funky. Sadly, its short 137-mile range and high price (around £37,000 towards the end) meant Honda quietly removed the ‘E’ from its range at the end of 2023.

Well, Honda’s having another go at a small EV with this, the Super-N, and it’s as unconventional in look and feel as the ‘E’.

This time around, the Super-N is based on Honda’s Japanese-market N-Series Kei car platform. However, this isn’t a true Kei car, with its chunky body styling fitted to suit European A-segment rivals.

Honda needs to sell more EVs, and has learned lessons from the E’s costly pricing, as there are just two well-equipped versions – with prices starting at less than £20,000. That’s less than any Fiat 500e or Citroën ë-C3, although the Super-N isn’t eligible for the Electric Car Grant.

Design and Technology

With its tall, bursting shape, we dare anyone not to raise a smile at how the Super-N looks. Honda’s iconic City Turbo II is the inspiration, with the asymmetrical grille and chunky wheel arches the key styling links. Other styling treats include the circular headlights, 15in alloys and distinctive LED rear lights.

The Super-N’s interior is new, but the central 9in CONNECT infotainment screen looks familiar from the last Honda we drove, the facelifted Civic. It works in the same easy, familiar way, too. There’s another 7in screen in front of the driver for the instruments.

As expected, the switchgear feels much the same as in other Hondas, too – it works well and is good quality.

We’re also fans of the tall driving position and slim but supportive and comfortable front sports seats. The small three-spoke multifunction steering wheel is good to hold, too.

Elsewhere, rear space is better than rivals such as the MINI Cooper Electric, and because there are rear doors, access is better, too. Headroom is good, although this Honda’s slim width means only two passengers will be comfortable. Interior stowage is also better than expected.

However, the rear legroom comes at the expense of boot space, which is a bit small at 162 litres. Still, the Super-N’s boot can be extended by folding the clever ‘Magic Seats’, creating a flat load floor and 967 litres of space.

Performance and drive

The Super-N is only available with a 29.6kWh battery, with 63hp and 95Nm of torque, giving it a relatively small range of 120 miles. However, if the ‘Boost’ button is pressed on the steering wheel, power jumps to a more interesting 95hp.

So, the range might be small, but with 50kW charging it can be topped up reasonably quickly, going from 10 to 80% in less than half an hour.

The natural feel of the accelerator pedal means that even in standard mode, the Super-N feels willing off the mark. The six adjustable levels of regen, via the steering wheel-mounted paddles, keep things smooth, too.

But to leave it in this mode would be missing out on this small Honda’s driving fun. The ‘Boost’ button turns the dashboard purple and gives access to the full 95hp, which works well with the fake gears, also operated via the paddles. Although the fake engine noise is less convincing.

With the added performance, corners can be attacked, and the Honda responds in a sharp and grippy way – plastering a smile on any driver’s face in the process.

Ride-wise, the Super-N is a mixed bag. Sharp ridges and road scars unsettle this Honda, but in general it’s better than some rivals and suits the fun image of this small EV. Brake feel is good, too.    

The small EV market still seems a key area of growth for fleets, and for drivers not travelling too far, the Super-N would be our pick. However, Renault’s new Twingo is imminent, and we’d expect this car to be the Honda’s key rival, although we’ve not driven it yet.

The Honda Super-N is a fun-to-drive, spacious and high-value package – it’s our favourite small EV.

Positive: Looks, Spacious and practical interior, fun to drive, affordable.

Negative: Short range, cheap feel to some of the interior trim.

Standard equipment: 9in touchscreen, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (plus wired connection support), 7in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel, steering wheel remote audio controls, Keyless entry and start, heated front seats, heated leather-trimmed steering wheel, Honda Magic Seats, 15in alloy wheels, LED headlights with daytime running lights, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera.

Honda Super-N 29.6kWh