The Honda Super N is a cool, sub-£20,000 electric car, but what are the alternatives?

Honda is one of the only brands in the UK which currently doesn’t sell a single electric car after it discontinued the e:Ny1 SUV a few months ago. It won’t be for long though, because the new Super N is just around the corner.

It’s a tiny hatchback which is based on a Japanese kei car, a special class which evades certain taxes in Japan by being under a certain size, and it’s going to cost just £18,995 when it goes on sale later this year.

Small, affordable EVs are getting more common in the UK though, so the Super N is going to face some stiff competition. Here’s everything you need to know about Honda’s latest electric car, as well as five alternatives you could also consider.

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New Honda Super N: everything you need to know

If you’re after a cute-looking electric car, the Honda Super N is going to be hard to beat. Just look at its big, round headlights and stubby silhouette. It’s adorable.

The interior isn’t quite as charismatic though, with lots of black and grey plastic across the fairly plain dashboard. You do get proper buttons for the climate control though, as well as a sensibly-sized touchscreen in the centre.

It should be pretty practical as well. The tall, boxy body affords good headroom, and the rear seat bases can flip up to create a big loading area in the back seats.

Powering the Super N is a 63hp motor driving the front wheels, but there’s also a Boost button on the steering wheel which can deliver 94hp in short bursts. That may not sound like a lot, but in a tiny EV like this it should feel pretty nippy.

A potential fly in the ointment is the range, because the Honda Super N will do a maximum of 199 miles on a charge if you use its “City Mode” drive setting. Without this, the official range is just 128 miles – and it’s likely to be even lower than that in the real world.

That’s quite poor compared to alternatives, and at £18,995 there are quite a few other cars you could consider which will go further. Here are five examples.

New Honda Super N alternatives

1. Renault Twingo
2. Fiat Grande Panda
3. Citroen E-C3
4. Hyundai Inster
5. BYD Dolphin Surf

1. Renault Twingo

The Super N’s stiffest competition will come from the excellent Renault Twingo. Like the Honda, it will cost less than £20,000 and looks super-cool, but it will do 163 miles on a charge.

It’s also fantastic to drive, managing to be both fun through the bends and comfortable over bumps. It’s a shame that rear headroom is tight, but the Twingo does have an impressive amount of legroom and the boot can be expanded by sliding the rear seats forward.

2. Fiat Grande Panda

The Fiat Grande Panda is another retro-modern design which is done really well. The branding stamped into the bodywork adds a lot of character to this cheap car, and the interior is just as funky.

The blue plastic and translucent yellow details really brighten things up, but once you start prodding things you’ll realise that it all feels quite cheap and flimsy. At least the Panda is spacious though, and you get up to 199 miles of range for £21,000.

3. Citroen e-C3

Under the skin, the Citroen e-C3 is very similar to the Grande Panda. Like that car, it has 199 miles of range and a spacious cabin, but the Citroen’s party piece is the comfy suspension. It soaks up bumps like a car twice as expensive.

We’ve been living with an e-C3 for six months, and while we do like its funky styling we’ve been less impressed with the real-world range. You’ll be lucky to get more than 150 miles from it in ideal conditions, but that’s still more than the Super N has to offer.

4. Hyundai Inster

If you’re after maximum practicality in a small car, the Hyundai Inster is the car to choose. Mid-spec cars and up get clever rear seats which slide, recline and fold completely flat to give you acres of rear legroom, or a massive boot – depending on what you need.

At £23,000, it’s a bit pricey compared to the other cars here, but you do get 203 miles of range in basic models, riding to 229 miles with the larger battery. The Inster also looks wicked, and it’s comfy to drive.

5. BYD Dolphin Surf

With prices starting from £18,700, the BYD Dolphin Surf is the cheapest car on this list. It’s also got the most standard kit, with adaptive cruise control, reversing camera and artificial leather seats all included.

However, it’s also quite uncomfortable over bumps, and the interior feels really cheap in places. The Dolphin Surf does look quirky though, especially in the bright yellow paint scheme.

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