2026 Honda Super-One review: Finally, an EV with character!

Honda has always punched well above its weight when it comes to its small cars. Think Civic, Jazz, CRX, and even the Beat. Well, Honda has a new tiny car contender on its hands in the form of this, the Super One. No, it’s not an orphan from the planet of Krypton, nor has it been bitten by a radioactive spider. But the Super 1 does have one power that no other Honda Australia model can lay claim, and that’s an all electric powertrain. But this EV promises to be different from any other EV on the market because Honda is spruing the Super 1 as a light, fun, and live and agile model. So, should you at home and should every other EV maker be sitting up and paying attention right now? Because this is all you need to know about the Honda Super 1. Sadly, at the time of filming, we don’t know exactly how much Honda will charge for the Super 1. It’s going to take another eight months at least before you see it in local showrooms. In fact, so new is this car, it was unveiled to the world just last week at the 2025 Tokyo Motor Show. But while Honda is staying tight lipped for now, we can infer some things based on its N1E underpinnings. The N1E is a K-class car in Japan, which means it needs to fall within the country’s size and power designation. The N1E produces 47 kW from a front drive electric motor and has a driving range of around 300 km from a circa 30 kWh battery. Having driven a few laps of the Super 1 prototype around Honda’s proving ground, my butt dyno safely says the Super 1 easily surpasses the 47 kW output. I reckon by more than even double. Sure, 100ish kowatts in a new EV might not sound scintillating, but keep in mind the Super 1’s dimminionive dimensions and lightweight, weighing close to the current generation fit or Jazz as it’s known in Australia. That means the Super 1 prototype should be around 1,200 kg in weight or about the same as a Mazda 2, Toyota, and other light cars. While we don’t have an exact torque figure for the front drive electric motor, we do know it serves it up instantly, making it feel peppy and brisk right off the line. While the Subaru 1’s output would be a good indicator for performance and fun, the latter is also augmented by Honda’s new headline feature, boost mode, which maximizes outputs, pipes in synthetic engine sounds, and does its best impersonation of having a gearbox. But more on this feature later in the review. The brand is also keeping the battery size a secret for now, but with a boost to power and torque for the Super 1, expect it to run out of juice a lot sooner than its N1E donor car, unless of course Honda can shoe in a bigger battery. For what this car is designed for, inner city commuting and weekday running around, a circa 250 km range is enough to cover my 4 days worth of driving. But of course, your situation will vary. Still, with Honda promising a sporty and fun driving experience, maybe range is less important as the Super 1’s dynamic characteristics. And here is where the new model changes the game. Of course, a car of this size means that boot space is small. Just look at this thing. You’ll still be able to fit backpacks, groceries, and other daily essentials, but don’t go taking this car to Bunnings or IKEA. There’s also plenty of rear seat space. And of course, there would be again because of that high roof line. Honda has strictly kept this as a four-seater, though, just like the Kia Picanto and BYD at1. And it’s a smart move because each of the passengers back here have a little bit more shoulder space and a little bit more room to stretch out their legs. Could I use more space back here? Yeah, but you know what? This will make do for couples and even small families if they need to use them. Up front, there’s plenty of room in the Super One, of course, as you would expect out of this tall and boxy shape. The switch gear is also pretty plainly laid out. You’ve got buttons for the climate controls. You’ve got a big central infotainment touchcreen. Look, Honda has blanked out a fair few bits of this, but we’ll wait and see exactly what the production model looks like soon. Here we are behind the wheel of the Honda Super 1. This is a very, very early uh first drive of this car. In fact, by the time you’re watching this video, the Super 1 was revealed only just last week. So, we’ll see how it fares in Honda’s proving ground here. Just driving the car here in normal mode. It feels like any other EV really. Uh torque response is instantaneous. You get uh quite a lot of zip and go off the line. Immediately noticeable is the Super 1’s really taut and tight steering. Everything feels connected even in its tamest settings here. The car being based on a on a K car has a very small footprint overall, but the wheels are pushed out right to the four corners. The stance has also been widened, so it’s got wider wheels, wider fenders, and it just provides a little bit more grip than uh you would expect out of a car of this size. Wind noise, even at around 60 km an hour, is a bit loud and intrusive, but that’s what you get with this sort of shape of car. The flip side of that, though, is that with a high roof line, it means that passengers get heaps of headroom, and you can even fit adults in the rear. But the key feature in this car, and what makes it so fun, according to Honda, is its new boost mode setting, which amps up the power, induces uh fake engine noise, and even has its own simulator gear shifter. Let’s see how that does. Okay. [Music] So, in boost mode now, there’s a there’s an engine rumble and a noise and the gear paddles will actually simulate a gear shift. Not only just sort of switching cogs, but also there’s an engine cut off which uh which tries to to fake that transmission shut that you sort of get when you change gears on a traditional gearbox. This thing is pretty damn fun to drive as well. Look, it is heavy and it is frontwheel drive, so you will be able to get a little bit of under steer, but oh man, for the most part, this thing is damn capable. And what it means in an EV or a fun to drive EV like this is that all of that muscle memory just comes straight back to you. You kind of approach a corner, you break, you slow down, you change gears down, tip it in, clip that apex. When you get that steering wheel lined up straight again, you just mash the throttle and start upshifting to build speed. It’s very intuitive, very natural, and like Honda says, it’s very, very fun. Is the 2026 Honda Super 1 going to shake up Australia’s EV market? Well, all the ingredients are there. It’s fun to drive. It’s full of character. And presumably, it’s going to be pretty affordable. Now, that price is going to be a key piece of the puzzle to the Super 1 success, as well as the battery size, driving range, and the outputs of that electric motor, but we’re going to know more soon, closer to this car’s second half of 2026 launch. For everything on the Honda Super 1 and any car related news for that matter, head to drive.com.au. Hey, you. [Music]

Honda is out once again to prove that the best things come in small packages, and nothing comes smaller than the diminutive Super-One electric car.
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Read Full Story Here: https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/2026-honda-super-one-review-international-quick-drive

00:00 Introduction
00:48 Pricing & Specifications
03:06 Boot
03:18 2nd Row
03:45 Interior
04:04 On-road Driving
06:54 Summary

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