2026 Honda Super-One review
A global car brand has made a big announcement in Australia as it finally responds to China’s EV takeover.
Japanese car company Honda is late to the electric car market in Australia.
In the decade-or-so since electric vehicles became a viable option for many Australians, Chinese car makers have moved aggressively into this country as Honda looked on.
Brands like MG and BYD are now thoroughly established in Australia. If you’re looking for alternatives to Chinese car makers, the likes of Tesla, Kia and Hyundai also have highly competitive EV options.
So why then would anyone choose the Super One – Honda’s first electric car bound for Australia in 2026?
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It’s a question I pose several times to engineers and executives while I tour Honda’s facilities, in the days before I test drive the car. I consistently receive the same answer: because it is fun.
For a company that values precision and engineering, ‘fun’ seems a fuzzy metric at best. Does Honda have a smile target? A joy index? Pushing this line of questioning leads to an enigmatic response: when you drive it, you’ll see.
I’m sceptical, of course. On aesthetics alone, I’d call the Super One more cute than impressive.
Honda Super One’s small, boxy shape is paired with friendly round headlights which look a bit like cartoon eyes. The blister fenders and low clearance add a bit of sporty aggression to the overall design.
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But styling aside, the unfortunate truth about electric cars is that once you move past their (often) impressive acceleration, they feel very similar. Comfortable, yes. Smooth, yes. Joyful, rarely.
On the drive day, the Super One has a very short amount of time to impress me. At a controlled track at Honda’s Japanese testing ground, I get just three short laps to test the car. I step into the Super One and receive a short instructional. The Honda team advise me to spend a bit of time on the standard driving mode, and then try the simulated manual option.
It’s hard to really get the sense of a car on track conditions – the smooth tarmac and sharp turns can over-sell a vehicle’s performance. But even then, the Super One feels like it clings to the road nicely. Despite the Super One’s boxy dimensions, I feel confident in its ability to corner at moderate speed.
But the promised fun only really arrives when I turn on the ‘boost mode’ which activates the car’s simulated manual transmission. When this mode is engaged, the Super One gets an additional whack of power, and allows the driver to control the “gears” via paddle shifters on the side of the steering wheel.
This is not a new innovation, of course. Many car makers have attempted to make the electric car driving experience less bland with similar technology. But the Super One’s version seems to be, well, more fun.
I suddenly understood Honda’s problem. Fun is very hard to quantify.
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But in the case of the Super One, I think the car’s enjoyment comes from its ability to convincingly transpose a manual driving experience onto a fully electric vehicle. For example, the gears feel connected to the car’s performance, particularly on the downshift. Meanwhile the accompanying faux engine sounds played in the cabin are perhaps a bit silly, but plausible.
But Boost mode isn’t just a gimmick for manual car enthusiasts – that rapidly declining subset of the driving population. If you leave the Super One to its own devices, it will choose its own gears like any internal combustion engine car with automatic transition.
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At present, much of what will determine the Super One’s success in Australia is yet to be announced. For example, Honda haven’t shared the range of their first Australian EV. But for such a small city-driving car, it’s likely to be quite short. Price, of course, is the other big determining factor. Honda has a long-established presence on our roads and boasts its share of loyalists but The Super One will be competing with a bevy of cheap Chinese rivals, with established track records.
So long as fun doesn’t come at a premium, the Super One could be a winning new entrant in the electric car market.
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