Honda Super One 2026 Review

Positioned at a national drive-away price of $36,900, the 2026 Honda Super-ONE is the second-most affordable car in Honda’s showroom. Only the non-hybrid HR-V VTi X costs less.

But to see it in front of you, we’d forgive you for wondering where the rest of the car is. It’s TINY, and if you measure a car’s value by how much metal you’re receiving per dollar spent, well, the Super-ONE seems Super-STINGY. It is, after all, based on a Japanese-market kei car, the N-One e:, which must fit within a tiny 3.4 metre by 1.48 metre footprint. The Super-ONE is fractionally wider thanks to its beefed-up wheelarches, bumpers, and enhanced track width, measuring 3.58 metres long and 1.57 metres wide, but that’s still markedly shorter and narrower than its nearest size competitor, BYD’s Atto 1.

Unlike the Atto 1 There’s just one powertrain/battery combo: a 29.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack coupled to a single electric motor driving the front axle. In its standard drive mode, power and torque tops out at 47kW and 162Nm, though activating Boost mode ups the kilowattage to 70kW. Honda claims a WLTP range of just 202km on a single charge, with a 50kW DC fast charger able to take it from 15 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes. On a 22kW three-phase AC charger, a full charge takes around three hours.

The equipment list covers more than you might expect for such a diminutive auto. Lavish, perhaps not, but you do get heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, power-folding mirrors, adaptive cruise control, a reconfigurable digi-dash and 9.0-inch infotainment display running Google OS, plus a fairly punchy eight-speaker Bose premium audio system. Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto is standard, however there’s no wireless charge pad – just a pair of USB-C ports.

Besides the aforementioned radar-assisted cruise control, the Super-ONE's safety suite also includes forward collision alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, stability control and six airbags.

Anyone who says “size doesn’t matter” is a fool. Size does matter, but for the Super-ONE, its the LACK of size that’s fundamental to its appeal. This is the narrowest car on sale in Australia, and threading it through tight city alleyways is as easy as just walking down them. Parking in a tight bay at the shops? You won’t worry about door dings, that’s for sure. Parallel parking? If you can’t nail that in one fluid movement in a Super-ONE, you probably shouldn’t be driving.

Those dimensions may cost you some utility (though not as much as you may imagine), but it significantly de-stresses you when dealing with tight roads and dense traffic. Being able to flit between other cars is a legit time-saver in the peak-hour crush, and given the Super-ONE is about the same width as a Victorian bike lane, it’ll find gaps that most cars simply wouldn’t fit. Aiding that urban agility is an all-electric powertrain that’s got plenty of pep, even at its standard 47kW output. Stabbing the purple ‘BOOST’ button on the steering wheel unlocks the full 70kW the car is capable of (and it’s not a momentary thing either, you can keep it in Boost mode all day if you want), but the max torque of 162Nm is what really gives the Super-One its keen step-off, and it’s always there.

Is it fast? Absolutely not, but with a slim-hipped 1093kg kerb weight there’s hardly any mass to move. 70KW ain’t much, but it’s loads for something so svelte. For some perspective, the Super-ONE might have a battery capacity and total power output that’s almost the same as a BYD Atto 1 Essential, but it boasts a power-to-weight ratio that’s 28 percent better.

Being so lightweight, it’s also eminently chuckable. The Super-ONE's hot hatch stylings aren’t just for show, for its steering has plenty of authority over the front axle and its skinny 185-section Yokohama Advans deliver a surprising level of grip. The suspension is buttoned-down without being overly firm, and there’s enough driving joy in the experience to set it well apart from every other EV commuter box on the market. The virtual manual mode is also decent, with the steering wheel paddles (which normally change regen strength) able to flick between seven simulated gear and will even hold the engine against a virtual redline. It’s a gimmick, but it adds to the engagement levels – as does the synthetic engine note, modelled off the DC2 Honda Integra Type R and the classic Honda City Turbo 2.

And the Honda Super-ONE has something else that its (largely Chinese) rivals resolutely don’t: charisma. The Super-ONE squats over its teensy footprint with an assertive bulldog stance, the axles pushed to the bumpers and the boxy wheelarch extensions framing its 15-inch (yep!) alloys like a racecar. It looks cool, it looks like it’ll punch above its weight, and while our first taste of it was brief and confined to inner-urban Melbourne streets, it’s a car that obviously begs to be thrown at a tight set of (preferably downhill) corners.

There’s also some practicality plusses too, with the Super-ONE's rear Magic Seats allowing tall cargo to be carried behind the second row, as well as folding forward to form a low and flat floor for up to 967 litres of cargo stowage. Removing the front headrests and reclining them all the way also produces a La-Z-Boy of sorts, allowing a legs-up posture that’s perfect for chilling in when hooked up to a car charger.

As likeable as the Super-ONE is, it’s far from perfect. The overwhelming use of hard plastics on the dash and door cards seem stingy for this price point for starters. Honda, would it kill you to put a strip of fabric or squishy plastic on the door trims to give some relief to my outboard elbow? Same again for the dashboard: The storage shelf that runs across much of the dash is genuinely handy, but it needs some grippy rubber to stop keys and phones from sliding across it when taking a corner. The slim storage tray between the front seats could also use something similar.

In other areas of its interior, the Super-ONE feels like it could have gone further. We dig the asymmetric colour scheme of the thickly-bolstered front seats, but that treatment sadly doesn’t continue into the rear cabin, which only gets basic black cloth upholstery. And while we can forgive the lack of power seats, there’s no reach adjustment to the steering column, which is a bigger ergonomic shortcoming.

And then there’s what is likely going to be the biggest sticking point for many: a lack of range. With just 202kM on the WLTP standard, this is a car that’s best kept within a tight radius of a charging station. Leaving the Big Smoke is something that would take some careful planning to avoid running the electrons dry, and for other small EVs at a similar price point that’s not as big of an issue. A base Hyundai Inster, for example, has a 42kWh battery and 327km WLTP range claim, while a BYD Atto 2 travels 345km on its 51kWh battery pack. 

Another, much smaller problem: a lack of colour choices. For something that seems to be geared toward extroverts, there’s only one colour in the palette that seems to cater to them: Boost Purple. Your other choices are black or grey, but over in Japan there’s also a vibrant white and bold yellow to choose from, which we’d love to see over here too.

It’s got charm, panache, and spunk in abundance. Honda’s lucky the Super-ONE is so likeable, because it’s those intangibles that will allow a great many people to overlook its shortfalls and embrace it.

But plenty of people should, because EVs like the Super-ONE are the most virtuous kind of electron-burner. With a small battery and featherweight chassis, it literally treads lightly on the planet, yet it still manages to deliver joy not just to its driver, but to anyone in its general vicinity as well. It’s a cheerful thing, and the world of cars could use more of that right now.

2026 Honda Super-ONE at a glance:
Price: $36,900 drive-away
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor, front-wheel drive
Output: 70kW/162Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 29.6kWh lithium-ion
Range: 202km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 12.1kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Unrated

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au