Honda Super-One 2026 review: Australian first drive | Geely EX2 rival tested

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

7 / 10

OK. $36,900 drive-away is steep in anybody’s language for a city car a whole size smaller than a Toyota Yaris. Particularly when it has one of the smallest batteries in the business at 29.6kWh offering just 202km of WLTP range.

Yet there is a certain logic to the Super-One’s appeal.

Yes, several larger EVs from China cost less, and even the smallest have bigger battery packs with better range.

Along with the Geely EX2 from $26,490 (all prices are before on-road costs unless stated otherwise), this even includes the base BYD Atto 1 Essential.

Previously Australia’s cheapest-ever EV from $23,990, that’s now been temporarily slashed to nearly half the Honda’s price, from $19,990 drive-away, creating this country’s cheapest new car, outright.

Who cares about resale values, anyway!

If you’re all about saving cents and sensibility, then the Super-One is a super bust.

On paper, it’s even dearer than that other adorable but pricey pint-sized EV, the Hyundai Inster. Now from a more palatable $35,990 drive-away, that’s had a $6000-plus haircut.

However, for us anyway, the penny dropped.

If you’re seeking a cheaper rival to BMW’s Mini Cooper SE or Fiat’s Abarth 500e – and, less face it, from about $60K, these are premium EVs bought with hearts, not heads – then the Honda starts making sense.

Think about it. All three are retro takes on beloved mid-century designs. All are four-seater sub-B superminis. And, of course, all embrace their respective unique cultural heritage.

In the Super-One’s case, it is exquisitely Japanese, being Kei-car born and based. But it also transcends those strict footprint and output limits, brandishing greater width, length and muscle, the latter courtesy of a power boost function.

Plus, the Honda is highly equipped, featuring:

• A decent level of advanced driver-assist safety systems

• Adaptive cruise control

• 9.0-inch touchscreen with reverse camera

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

• Bose premium audio with eight speakers and subwoofer

• Heated steering wheel

• Heated, bolstered front sports seats

• Google Built-in

• Honda’s Connect app for remote car access with free subscription for the warranty period

Among the premium EV superminis, then, the Super-One represents its own special brand of value.

Plus, nothing else on the road quite looks like this boxy little tearabout.

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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

Honda has performed a minor miracle beefing up its baby N-One into the Super-One you see before you.

The brief called for devising a ‘fun’ EV, but using the standard narrow Kei-car architecture wouldn’t cut it design-wise.

The result sees wider tracks, a fat new body kit with LED ring lights, blanked-out grille and bold blistered wheel arches boxing in larger wheels and tyres. These extend width and benefit stance substantially, while air intakes and tailgate spoiler improve aero.

Additionally, there are mods to the steering with stronger wheel hubs and suspension with a stronger rear beam and uprated springs and dampers, and a chip upgrade for more power when the purple “e-Booster” button is pressed.

Compared to the N-One, the Super-One’s length increases 185mm to 3582mm and width by 100mm to 1573mm. Height and wheelbase are 1616mm and 2520mm respectively.

That all said, the body remains the same dimensionally, but those colourful sports seats, retro-style cassette-player climate-control design and ambient lighting make the petite interior feel premium.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

7 / 10

Generous apertures, a high roof and big doors that open nearly 90 degrees combine to make entry and egress easy.

The Kei-car narrowness is immediately obvious but, unless you’re more than 180cm tall, you’re unlikely to feel cramped. Deep windows, thin pillars and a lofty seating position help provide a pleasantly airy environment with excellent all-round vision.

Those bolstered sports seats are unique, and are superbly comfortable and supportive in a big sports car way. They could be out of a Prelude.

There’s little about the angular, layered and boxy dashboard that’s diminished by the Super-One’s diminutiveness.

Fit and finish are first class, all controls are within easy reach, physical buttons take care of most of important functions like that cool and very effective climate control set-up, and the 9.0-inch touchscreen, which will be familiar to other current Honda owners, is child’s play to operate.

Storage is sufficient, with door pockets capable of carrying a medium-sized bottle, while Honda provides simple access to USB-C ports.

Size does not compromise the Super-One, unless you’re above average height, as those brilliant front seats do not slide back far enough. And the steering column does not adjust for reach, adding a further hindrance.

Further back, things do become plainer, like Honda forgot to upgrade the second row from the donor N-One.

Plain (yet comfy) monochrome material is the overriding theme, yet there is abundant space in all directions for two adults (this car is strictly a four-seater), on a comfy pair of seats that recline slightly.

Plus, lots of light, overhead grab handles, a reading light and one map pocket.

Otherwise, it’s pretty bare back there. Don’t bother searching for cupholders, a centre armrest or air vents.

Those twin backrests fold down low and flat, Honda Jazz ‘magic seat’ style, to provide a huge cavity that goes from just 162 litres in four-person mode to 618L VDA to the window line and 967L to the ceiling. Combined with a tall tailgate and low bumper load height, and this doubles up as a stubby panel van. Plus, there’s a useful underfloor cavity too.

The only fly in this dinky ointment is the lack of a spare wheel, relying on a hopeless tyre-repair kit instead.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor?

8 / 10

Being based on an internal combustion engine platform, you won’t find a frunk under the bonnet, which is choc-a-block full with a 47kW/168Nm electric motor.

It’s a good thing this only weighs 1093kg, which is about 300kg less than most rival EVs.

Press that e-Booster button, and power jumps to 70kW, slashing the 0-100km/h time from 14.5 seconds to ten-flat. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. Top speed is just 135km/h.

Boost is one of five driving modes.

There’s Econ for optimising range thanks to four regenerative braking levels via paddle shifts, City with unique single-pedal driving/braking and four regen brake levels, Normal that’s back with the six regen brake levels, and Sport that – along with Boost – swaps in simulated seven-speed manual ratios, complete with artificial exhaust note.

Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time?

8 / 10

The Super-One has a WLTP range of 202km. The combined average energy consumption is just 12.1kWh/100km, though our hard-driven test car with air-con on a sunny day in peak-hour traffic displayed around 20kWh/100km.

Faster charging is the advantage of having a compact battery pack.

Using a 400-volt architecture, Honda claims its 29.6kWh Lithium-ion unit can be charged using a common 50kW DC charger from 15 per cent to 80 per cent in about half an hour.

More sensibly, plugged in at work/home overnight should only require about eight hours to 100 per cent full, or around four hours with a circa-7kW wall box.

Maximum AC power charging is 6.6kW in single-phase and 10kW in three-phase modes.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

8 / 10

At last, we’re behind the wheel of Honda's first EV for Australia, and the Super-One certainly lives up to its name.

Even though it only boasts 47kW of power, it is amply gutsy around town, which is where our brief launch drive was limited to.

Acceleration is lively, scooting eagerly off the line, relying on its instant torque and relatively light weight to make the most of what is available.

There is plenty in reserve for immediate and effortless darting about in and out of traffic gaps.

And that’s in Econ mode. Press the purple e-Booster button, and the Super-One feels supercharged, leaping into action with stronger responses across the board, thanks to a 23kW boost. Performance within the 80km/h confines we tested it in seemed rapid.

The Honda does certainly feel more than racy enough given its sporty aspirations.

Meanwhile, the Super-One’s beautifully tuned steering and controlled suspension also provide an enjoyable and easy balance around town.

It's sharp enough for the driver to get involved, and yet smooth enough for parking to be a cinch, aided by a tight turning circle and great all-round vision. This is the Samantha Jones of dinky superminis: it owns the city.

The ride quality is a fine compromise, too. Firm yet never hard or crashy, it soaks up the bumps well enough, while also being surprisingly quiet.

We wonder whether road and tyre noise intrusion is as muted out on the open road?

We even enjoy the artificial noise coming from the powertrain.

After our all-too-brief first drive, it is clear that the Super-One is the first cheap-ish EV that feels designed and developed for driving pleasure.

It's not a sports car. It's no Civic Type R, and it isn't meant to be. Instead, this is a charming, well-rounded and highly enjoyable urban runabout with style, class and sophistication.

We can’t wait to drive it more. On first impressions, the Super-One has exceeded expectations.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

7 / 10

There is currently no ANCAP crash-test rating.

Honda says that the Super-One hasn't been crash tested independently as ANCAP hasn't asked for one.

But the company does fit a selection of safety-related technologies that at least match most of the competition, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, road departure mitigation system and adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, as part of its advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) set-up.

In 90 minutes of peak-hour urban schlepping about town, not once did we experience any ADAS intrusion. No unwelcome tugging interference from the steering. No traffic sign shrieking. No adaptive cruise control fails when we finally picked up some extra speed along Melbourne's M1 heading back into the city.

Honda says that this car was tuned in Japan, but also tested in Australia and the UK prior to launch, and its nuanced ADAS behaviour shows.

Honda says that it has also worked hard on making the body as strong as it possibly can with beefed-up pillars.

Plus, six airbags are fitted, along with a pair of ISOFIX and child-seat tether anchorage points in the rear seats.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

9 / 10

The Super-One comes with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

But if you choose to have it serviced at a Honda dealer, that increases to eight-years/unlimited. Intervals are 12 months or every 10,000km.

For the first five years, it will cost $199 per service, providing good value for money.

Currently there are 75 Honda dealers throughout Australia.

Verdict