I have always had a soft spot for Honda. But does the pint-sized Honda Super-ONE EV make me love the brand more? Or less?
Over the years, I have owned two Honda Civic EK4 SiRs and a Honda Odyssey, so I would consider myself more than just a casual admirer of the brand. Honda, to me, has always been one of those manufacturers that understands how a car should feel.
There is a certain lightness, precision and mechanical honesty to the way many Hondas drive. At their best, they make ordinary roads feel a bit more interesting.
In that sense, I have always felt that Honda is a bit like a Japanese BMW. Both brands, when they get it right, prioritise driving dynamics. They may go about it very differently, though the philosophy is similar: build cars that feel good from behind the wheel.
Which brings me to this very small, very cute, very expensive thing: the Honda Super-ONE.
Super-Sized Personality
Before we get carried away, let’s address something straight away. The Super-ONE is not exactly a kei car, even though it is based on Honda’s N Series kei-car platform. Its wider body and higher output push it beyond traditional kei-car regulations, although visually and emotionally, it still gives off that unmistakable tiny-JDM-box energy.
And that is part of the charm.
The Super-ONE looks fantastic. There, I said it. It has the kind of design that makes you grin before you even get in. The round headlamps, small body, widebody flared arches, squat stance and exaggerated bumpers all come together to create something that feels playful without looking silly.
It is cute, yes, though not in a soft toy kind of way. More like a tiny Honda watched too much WRC and Best Motoring, then decided it was going to be taken seriously.
The blistered fenders and wider tyres give it a purposeful stance, and I genuinely like the fact that Honda even thought to bring this car to Singapore.
Super-Expensive (kinda)
Let’s be honest, a car like this doesn’t make for the most obvious business case here.
Singapore is a market where people want maximum size, range and perceived value for their COE money. The Super-ONE gives you almost the opposite. It is small, has a limited range, and, at current COE prices, costs close to $200,000.
That is a lot of money for something this compact.
The difficult thing is that the Super-ONE clearly isn’t meant to be a rational purchase. It is not here to win a spreadsheet war against bigger EVs with longer range and more boot space.
It is here to make you smile.
Which is lovely, of course. Smiles are important. They are also, unfortunately, not legal tender.
Super-Simple Inside, In A Good Way
The cabin is very Honda in the best way. It feels simple, functional and easy to understand.
You get proper physical controls, easy-to-reach switches, a digital driver’s display and a neat infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is also a rocking BOSE sound system, Honda Sensing, smart keyless entry, walk-away auto lock and a useful spread of safety features.
The seating position is upright, visibility is excellent, and because the car is so small, it immediately feels easy to place on the road.
That is something I miss in many modern cars. Everything today seems to be bigger, heavier and more complicated than it needs to be. The Super-ONE feels like a reset button.
There is also a nice honesty to the way the cabin is put together. It does not try too hard to be luxurious or futuristic. It feels cheerful, straightforward, and well thought out, which suits the car’s character perfectly.
Super-Small Boot?
There is a reasonable sense of space up front, and the rear is more usable than you might expect from something this small.
The rear seats also come with Honda’s clever ULTRA seat arrangement, in which the seat bases flip up to create extra vertical storage space. That is genuinely useful if you need to carry tall items, bags, boxes or even a plant, because apparently that is now a recognised automotive use case.
The boot, however, is small. Very small.
It is enough for groceries, gym bags and some daily errands, though if this is going to be your first EV and you are trying to convince your wife that it can handle family duties, good luck and God bless.
This is not the car you buy because it makes the most practical sense.
Super-Fun Where It Matters
The Super-ONE is powered by a small battery and an electric motor with modest outputs by modern EV standards.
On paper, the numbers do not sound especially exciting. In fact, in a world where EVs now regularly have enough power to rearrange your internal organs, they sound almost laughably modest.
The magic is in the weight.
The Super-ONE is light, and that immediately changes the way it feels. It does not need huge power because there simply is not much mass to move. The throttle response is immediate, the steering feels quick, and the car darts around with a kind of energy that many larger EVs have completely forgotten.
This is where Honda’s DNA starts to show.
The Super-ONE is genuinely fun. Not “fun for a small EV”. Just fun.
It turns in willingly, changes direction quickly, and feels happy being thrown around. There is very little inertia, so the car reacts quickly to your inputs and gives you the confidence to place it exactly where you want.
In daily traffic, it feels light, alert and cheeky. It squeezes through gaps, zips away from lights and makes even ordinary roads feel a little more interesting.
Super-Silly, But Super-Brilliant
Then you activate Boost mode.
This is where the Super-ONE becomes deeply childish, and I mean that as a compliment.
Boost mode adds simulated gear shifts, virtual engine sounds and fake “braaps” through the speakers. It even behaves like it has a simulated gearbox, and you can use the paddle shifters to play along.
It is completely artificial; of course, there is no engine, no exhaust, no gearbox in the traditional sense.
But it is also brilliant in the way it’s executed. The revs feel real, and the car responds like an ICE car with a DCT gearbox.
You start out by telling yourself it’s gimmicky, but you end up using it again and again.
The best part is that it does not feel contrived or try to distract you from a boring car. The underlying chassis is genuinely playful, so Boost mode simply adds another layer of drama.
It gives the car personality, and in today’s increasingly sterile EV market, personality matters.
Super-Range Anxiety? Maybe A Little
This is why the Super-ONE is such a confusing car to judge.
On one hand, the flaws are obvious. The price is extremely hard to justify. The range is limited. Honda claims around 202km on a full charge, and when I picked up the car with 90% charge, the display showed just 148km.
That is not the sort of number that gives Singaporean drivers long-distance confidence, even though most of us spend our lives driving from one mall carpark to another.
For my lifestyle, I would probably have to charge it more often than I would like. For a single person, a couple, or someone using it mainly as a second car, this may be perfectly manageable. As an only car for a family, it becomes harder to recommend.
The Super-ONE’s practicality is limited. The boot is small, the cabin is narrow, and four people inside will need to be on pretty friendly terms (no, really).
Super-Likeable
But here’s the thing: the Super-ONE does not pretend to be a sensible family car.
It is not trying to be a long-range EV, a spacious crossover or a rational spreadsheet champion. It is a compact electric Honda built around character, charm and fun.
And on that front, it works.
In fact, I would go as far as to say this may be the most interesting Honda currently on sale in Singapore. Because it reminds you Honda still knows how to make something with soul.
I like, no, I love, that Honda made this car. I adore how it looks, the proportions, the widebody arches. I get excited about how light and chuckable it feels, and can’t wait to drive it again. I even grew to like the silly Boost mode.
I particularly respect that it is an EV designed and built by people who care about the joy of driving.
The Super-ONE makes no sense in many ways. But if you’re like me, you may not always be sensible when it comes to buying cars.
We buy cars because they make us feel something.
The Honda Super-ONE does exactly that. It is flawed, expensive and slightly ridiculous, yet it is also charming, fun and full of personality.
To be honest, I’m super glad it exists.
Technical Specifications
Honda Super-ONE 29.6 kWh
Engine: Single Electric Motor
Drivetrain: Front-Wheel-Drive
Power: 94 bhp
Torque: 162 Nm
Gearbox: Single-Speed (A)
0-100km/h: 10 Seconds in Boost mode
Top Speed: 140 km/h
(estimated)
Drive Range: 202 km
Energy Consumption: 6.6 km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$194,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
