Honda Super-One lands in Australia priced from $36,900 drive-away, with the first 130 cars already allocated

Honda's first Australian EV arrives — at a price

Honda has launched the Super-One in Australia, a retro-styled micro electric hatchback that marks the Japanese brand's first battery-electric vehicle sold locally. GoAuto reports the range opens at $36,900 drive-away for the base grade, rising to $37,400 drive-away for a two-tone version with a Crystal Black roof, with pre-orders open at Honda dealers nationwide and first customer deliveries from the initial allocation beginning in October 2026. ¹⁵

CarExpert's showroom listing confirms the two drive-away prices ($36,900–$37,400, Sydney-based and varying by state) and a five-year warranty, with one 2026 variant on sale. That positioning comes after an earlier expectation from CarExpert's first drive, before local pricing was set, that the car might land for less than $30,000 — an estimate the official pricing ultimately did not meet. ²⁶

GoAuto notes the Super-One sits above cut-price Chinese rivals including the BYD Atto 1 (from $19,990 drive-away), the Geely EX2 (from $26,490 plus on-road costs) and the GAC Aion UT (from $31,990 plus on-road costs), but below the Hyundai Inster (from $39,000 plus on-road costs). It is, GoAuto argues, the first true micro-EV in that segment at just over 3500mm long and about 1600mm wide. ¹

Internationally, the car has drawn attention beyond Australia. A review published by AsiaOne, first run by sgCarMart, describes the Super-One as Honda's de facto halo model in Singapore, where it starts from S$190,999 with certificate of entitlement. The reviewer praised its charming character but noted real-world consumption below Honda's claimed 6.6km/kWh, observing 5.7km/kWh in their use. ³

Sold out within hours, with waits of up to 12 months

Demand has overwhelmed a very limited supply pipeline. Cars24 reports all 130 Australian 2026-allocated Super-Ones were spoken for within hours of pre-orders opening on August 4, with first customer deliveries scheduled for October 1, 2026, and Honda planning roughly 500 imports across a calendar year. ⁵

Speaking with CarExpert at the Melbourne media launch, Honda's general manager for its Australian automotive division, Nick Parkington, said Japanese domestic demand is running about ten times Honda's initial forecasting, leaving the local team "battling for our little chunk of cars". He told CarExpert that a two-tone car ordered today would arrive in the back half of 2027, while a monotone example would still land in the first half of next year. CarExpert separately confirmed around 7000 Australian expressions of interest before launch — a brand record, exceeding the Prelude and Civic Type R — and that further supply lands early in 2027. ⁴

GoAuto's launch report frames the same arithmetic differently but consistently: Honda claims more than 6500 expressions of interest, meaning only about one in 50 interested buyers will secure a car this year, with greater supply expected in 2027 in volumes yet to be determined. GoAuto likens the resulting exclusivity to the Suzuki Jimny's depreciation-resistant appeal. ¹

The Super-One arrives within a broader electrification push in which hybrids dominate. CarExpert's wait-times report records Honda Australia executives confirming that more than 90 per cent of the brand's local sales are now hybrid models, though the Super-One remains a "key part" of Honda's electrification strategy in Australia. ⁴

The supply crunch has been compounded in Japan. CarExpert's news listing records that the plant building the Super-One remained shut after a significant earthquake in Japan while other Japanese factories restarted, though the full detail of that article is not available here and the current status of production is unclear. ²

Modest output, featherweight engineering and Boost-mode theatre

Mechanically the Super-One pairs a 29.6kWh lithium-ion battery with a front-mounted electric motor producing 47kW and 162Nm in normal driving. A Boost mode lifts output to 70kW, and with a kerb weight GoAuto records at 1093kg — about the same as a Mazda MX-5 — the car feels notably livelier around town than its headline figures suggest, in GoAuto's assessment. ¹

CarExpert's full specifications add detail: five drive modes (Econ, City, Normal, Sport and Boost), claimed 0-100km/h times of 14.5 seconds in nominal output and 10 seconds in Boost, a 10kW maximum AC charge rate and 50kW DC peak, with a 10-80 per cent fast charge taking about half an hour. CarExpert tested the car at 17.3kWh/100km against Honda's claimed 14.8kWh/100km. Honda also quotes an up-to-320km WLTP city-cycle figure, which CarExpert suggests is the better guide to real-world urban use. ⁶

Boost mode also brings an intentionally artificial element: a simulated seven-speed transmission operated via steering-wheel paddles, accompanied by synthesized engine sounds evoking the 1980s City Turbo II and DC2 Integra Type R. GoAuto calls the effect knowingly artificial but fun, while CarExpert's quicker take judged that the car sounds like neither car — its passenger likened the note to "distant motorcycles" — but found the soundtrack and simulated shifts still added engagement. ¹⁶

On the road, GoAuto's Melbourne drive found direct steering, well-contained body control and a ride that quells bumps with surprising ease, concluding the Super-One makes even mundane city trips enjoyable. CarExpert's earlier UK-based quick drive similarly called it a "little hoot" and a genuinely brilliant small EV, while flagging occasional sharp-edged behaviour over potholes and speed bumps. ¹⁶

Small-car compromises: four seats, a tiny boot and short range

The Super-One's dimensions impose real limits. CarExpert notes it is strictly a four-seater with no centre rear seat, the front cabin is narrow for larger occupants, there is no frunk, no wireless phone charger and no spare wheel, and the boot measures just 162 litres with the rear seats up — expanding to a claimed 967 litres thanks to Honda's folding Magic Seats. CarExpert records the car at 3580mm long, 1575mm wide and 1615mm tall on a 2520mm wheelbase. ⁶

Range is the most conspicuous compromise. Cars24 describes the Super-One's roughly 202km WLTP range as the shortest of any new electric car currently available in Australia, sitting 18km below the BYD Atto 1 Essential (220km) and 50km below the Geely EX2 Complete (252km). Cars24 also notes Honda quotes 253km on the more lenient NEDC cycle. GoAuto's launch coverage cites a claimed WLTP range of 206km; the small difference between the two published figures is not resolved in the available material, so buyers should treat the WLTP number as approximately 200-206km. ⁵¹

Equipment is generous for the class, however. CarExpert expects a single Australian specification including 15-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, a 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch digital driver display, an eight-speaker Bose system with boot-mounted subwoofer, LED headlights and the Honda Sensing driver-assistance suite — though CarExpert cautions this list is drawn from known Japanese and UK specifications rather than confirmed Australian detail. GoAuto's launch report describes essentially the same equipment as standard. ⁶¹

On safety, CarExpert notes the Super-One has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP, so no independent crash rating exists yet. Honda claims a strong body structure via its Advanced Compatibility Engineering frontal frame construction, and Honda Sensing includes front and rear autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, post-collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. ⁶

No bigger battery — but more power isn't off the table

Asked at the Australian launch whether a larger battery had been considered, Honda Australia president and chief executive Jay Joseph told Cars24's reporting (published by Drive) why the company ruled it out. "You just go in this endless spiral of addition," Joseph said, explaining that a bigger battery would add weight, requiring bigger brakes, stronger chassis components, a larger motor and ultimately more battery capacity again. "It takes an incredible amount of discipline to prevent that endless spiral by saying nope, we're keeping this to the minimum," he said. ⁵

Honda Australia general manager Nick Parkington defended the range figure in the same Cars24 report, saying "the role of this car is as a city car; therefore, a 200 [kilometre] range is absolutely appropriate", and likened requests for more range to asking for seven seats in a car never designed to carry seven people. ⁵

More power, however, remains a possibility. Cars24 reports Honda has not ruled out a more powerful variant and would not comment on a potential RS version or a Mugen-developed model. Honda Australia director Robert Thorp told the outlet a personalisation program is under way: "We know buyers are going to want to individualise the car... There are a couple of things we're working on in that space." Mugen already lists a carbon-fibre and lightweight parts range in Japan — splitter, spoiler, side skirts, diffuser, fibreglass bonnet, Recaro seats and 16-inch forged wheels — with the exterior items priced around 1,383,000 yen (roughly A$12,000), and Honda's in-house accessories arm offers a Bulldog Style pack referencing the 1983 City Turbo II nickname. ⁵

On ownership costs, GoAuto reports all Australian Super-Ones carry a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with capped-price servicing over the same period and an option to extend the warranty by a further three years. CarExpert adds that Honda Australia typically pairs this with five years of roadside assistance and five years of capped-price servicing from $199 per service, though it notes these terms had yet to be confirmed specifically for the Super-One at the time of its review. ¹⁶